Yarra Trams
From Free net encyclopedia
Image:Yarratrams logo.gif Yarra Trams is a tram operating company in Melbourne, Australia. Yarra is a partnership between French company Transdev and Australian company Transfield Services. Yarra Trams commenced operations in 1999, initially operating less than one half of the network.
After the collapse of M>Train and M>Tram in 2002, Yarra Trams took over the whole Melbourne tram network, with a network spanning 245 km and over 1,700 tram stops. It is the third biggest tram network in the world.
The Yarra Trams fleet consists of over five hundred trams in service, including 95 newer Citadis and Combino vehicles. Most of the Yarra Tram fleet is dominated by vehicles built by Comeng a manufacturing company, with Z-, A- and B-class variants. It also runs a number of heritage W-class vehicles on the popular City Circle route and on some suburban routes
Yarra Trams employs over 1,100 tram drivers, and their trams run for nearly twenty hours per day. 141 million trips were taken in 2002 and 2003, rising to nearly 150 million this year.
In 2003, Yarra Trams tested the "Apollo" Seating layout. This was criticised for removing certain seats from some of their B2-class trams in order to improve access to the disabled and provide more capacity during peak hour. Currently ten trams with the "Apollo" seating layout remain in service.
After privatising Melbourne's public transport system in 1999, the Jeff Kennett government presided over the removal of Melbourne's famous tram conductors ("connies") and their replacement with automated ticket machines. Some public transport groups believe that conductors should be re-instated on all services.
The Public Transport Users Association is vocal critic of Yarra Trams and of the Melbourne public transport network generally. In 2003, Yarra Trams attempted to prevent them from distributing what it saw as untrue brochures about seat removal on services.
The Victorian Government and Yarra Trams extended route 109 from Mont Albert to Box Hill in May 2003. The extension has proved highly successful and popular with local residents and has also played a big part in showcasing the future of trams in Melbourne.
The Citadis (C-class) trams were mainly introduced on the Box Hill Line, with Yarra Trams running the vehicles 'exclusively,' although they are now run wide-spread. With the introduction of the low-floor trams, Yarra Trams introduced 'Superstops' and raised-level platforms. The superstops provide wheelchair access to trams, ticket sales, and travel-planning facilities. They provide a newer level of comfort to passengers, while completely buggering up the flow of cars through the already busy roads. Some believe the installation of the [traffic-stopping] superstops is due to a governmental push to 'force' people to use the toll roads, as there are many designs for the supertops that aid in traffic flow, that have to date been ignored.
The Victorian Government has also improved route 75's service by extending to Vermont South Shopping Centre, with a future extention to Knox City Shopping Centre. Currently there is the Knox Transit Link bus running from Vermont Sth SC to Knox City SC.
In recent times Yarra Trams has been known to take a hard line on fare evasion. Examples of this policy include forcing Authorised Officers (ticket inspectors) to work 'as per normal' on Christmas Eve 2005. Some believe this to be because of an agreement with the State Government of Victoria which sees Yarra receiving $20 for every fine issued by its employees.