Adelaide, Australia

Train of cars 380 and 351 stop at South Terrace inbound, at the beginning of the Glenelg Line's private right-of-way. 351 and 380 were the first and the last of the 30 H-Class cars. Photo by Peter Ehrlich.

Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, had an extensive tramway system until 1958, when all lines except the high-speed interurban to the resort town of Glenelg closed. This line continued in service using the 30 H-class (pronounced "Haitch") trams dating from 1930. The fleet has since dropped to 15 active trams, operating as single units and in 2-car trains. Base service is every 15 minutes, with more frequent service, including one or two express trains, in the rush hours.

The line was shut down in June 2005 for a 2-month complete rebuilding in anticipation of receipt of 9 new German-built Bombardier Flexity low-floor LRVs, similar to units operating in Frankfurt, beginning in December 2005. Five of the H-class cars (351, 367, 370, 374 and 380), which were rebuilt in the early 1990s with chopper controls and other updated electrioncs, will be retained for weekend and special service.

There are plans to extend the line further in town toward the Adelaide central railway station, and two additional Bombardier Flexity LRVs have been ordered.

Many retired Adelaide trams have been preserved at the St. Kilda Museum north of Adelaide.

More Information

Official Site - Adelaide Metro
http://www.adelaidemetro.com.au/
Operating authority of the Adelaide Glenelg tramway.

Adelaide's Glenelg Tram Line
http://www.railpage.org.au/tram/glenelg.html
A description and map of the line from RailPage Australia.

Official Site - St. Kilda Tramway Museum.
http://www.railpage.org.au/aetmsa/
Operations and information about the St. Kilda Tramway Museum.