Melbourne tram route 78

Route 78
North Richmond – Balaclava
W class tram on Church Street, Richmond in 2012
Overview
System	Melbourne
Operator	Yarra Trams
Depot	Glenhuntly
Vehicle	Z class A class
Route
Locale	Melbourne, Australia
Start	North Richmond
Via	Richmond South Yarra Prahran Windsor
End	Balaclava
Length	6.5 km (4.0 mi)
Service
Journey time	20-40 minutes
Operates	Daily
Zone(s)	Myki Zone 1
Timetable	Route 78 timetable
Map	Route 78 map
Route map ← Route 75  {{{system_nav}}}  Route 82 →

Melbourne tram route 78 is operated by Yarra Trams on the Melbourne tram network. It operates from North Richmond to Balaclava. The 6.5 kilometre route is operated by Z and A class trams from Glenhuntly depot.

Chapel Street was first served by trams in part by a cable tram line opened in 1888, which ran from Brighton Road to Toorak Road, then turned towards St Kilda Road and into the CBD. Between 1924 and 1926 an electric tram line was built by the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board, replacing the cable tram, and extending along Church Street, forming the route as it operates today. It ran with two variations, one the route 79, turning from Chapel Street along Carlisle Street to St Kilda Beach, and another, route 77, which turned from the southern part of the route at Swan Street and continued into the city that was discontinued in November 1986.

On 2 April 1995, operation of route 78 was transferred from Kew depot to Glenhuntly depot. In the late 20th century, the line ran predominantly as route 79. Like nearly all trams lines in Melbourne, it was served by W class trams. In the 1990s with the gradual withdrawal of the W class, the route was operated by Z and A class trams. W class trams were re-introduced in 2004 after they received brake upgrades, as one of only three routes running the old trams, the others being route 30 and the City Circle Tram. In 2014 the Ws were withdrawn and replaced by Z and A class trams. On 27 July 2014 the route 79 option was also discontinued.