Trams in Fremantle
Fremantle Municipal Tramways opening day, 30 October 1905
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| Operation | |||
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| Locale | Fremantle, Western Australia | ||
| Open | 30 October 1905 | ||
| Close | 8 November 1952 | ||
| Status | Closed | ||
| Routes | 6 | ||
| Owner(s) |
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| Operator(s) |
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| Infrastructure | |||
| Track gauge | 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) | ||
| Propulsion system(s) | Electricity | ||
| Electrification | Overhead catenary | ||
| Depot(s) | High Street | ||
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The Fremantle tramway network linked the central business district of Fremantle, the port city for Perth, Western Australia, with nearby suburbs. Small but comprehensive, it operated between 1905 and 1952.
The Fremantle Municipal Tramways (FMT) began operations on 30 October 1905. The network expanded into North Fremantle in 1908, and into Melville in 1915. The North Fremantle line closed in 1938 and was replaced by diesel buses. The rest of the network reached its peak usage during World War II.
After World War II, the system operated quite profitably for the Council. However, the decision of the State Government to nationalise the south-west electricity systems from private and council ownership to the newly formed State Electricity Commission in the early 1950s meant that the price of power to the trams increased markedly, to the extent that supply was extremely costly to the Council.
As a result, and without any fanfare at all, the whole system was closed after the last tram ran into the Carbarn in Queen Victoria Street on 8 November 1952.
By the time Fremantle's tram network was fully operational in April 1906, it had four lines:
High Street, via city loop (Phillimore Street), South Terrace and Mandurah Road (now part of South Terrace) to Douro Road, South Fremantle.
A combination of business and pleasure, this line connected central Fremantle with the South Beach foreshore. During the week, the South line served commuters heading towards Fremantle, and on summer weekends, people would travel from Perth and further afield to take the South line to South Beach. From 1907, the line included a short "city loop", running past the relocated Fremantle railway station in Phillimore Street.
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