Melbourne tram route 96

Route 96
Brunswick East – St Kilda Beach
E class trams on Bourke Street in December 2013.
Overview
System	Melbourne
Operator	Yarra Trams
Depot	Southbank
Vehicle	C2 class E class
Night-time	Friday & Saturday
Route
Locale	Melbourne, Australia
Start	Brunswick East
Via	Fitzroy North Carlton North Carlton Fitzroy Melbourne CBD (Bourke Street) Southbank South Melbourne Albert Park Middle Park
End	St Kilda Beach
Length	13.9 km (8.6 mi)
Service
Journey time	50-55 minutes
Operates	Daily
Zone(s)	Free Zone: Stops 11-1, 122-124 Myki Zone 1: Stops 27-12, 124A-140
Timetable	Route 96 timetable
Map	Route 96 map
Route map ← Route 86  {{{system_nav}}}  Route 109 →

Melbourne tram route 96 is operated by Yarra Trams on the Melbourne tram network. It operates from Brunswick East to St Kilda Beach. The 13.9 kilometre route is operated by C2 and E class trams from Southbank depot.

It is one of Melbourne's busiest tram routes carrying 39,700 passengers a day with a frequency of up to every six minutes during peak. It has been described as one of the world's top 10 tram rides, highly popular with both commuters and tourists visiting St Kilda's many attractions and special events including the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix and the St Kilda Festival.

The route began electric operation on 6 May 1956, with the reintroduction of trams on Bourke Street. It was extended to St Kilda on 20 November 1987, with the conversion of the St Kilda railway line to a light rail. As a result it has a lengthy right of way between Melbourne and St Kilda, although the majority of the route is on-road. End to end services take about 50 minutes.

Frequent overcrowding problems have seen route 96 become the only route to run the C2 class tram, specifically designed to carry more passengers, complementing the D class trams. Due to its high usage, the route was chosen in April 2012 to undergo major infrastructure upgrades along its entire length.