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Tram stops along some of Melbourne’s busiest streets will be upgraded to meet the needs of commuters with disabilities or accessibility issues – more than three years after a deadline set by discrimination laws.
This masthead reported in 2023 that not a single stop on Melbourne’s tram network was made accessible in a 12-month period despite Disability Discrimination Act requirements that were supposed to be met by the end of 2022. At the time, there were more than 1200 non-compliant stops across the city.
Wheelchair users have long pushed the state government to make tram stops more accessible.Jason South
The lack of “level access” tram stops is a significant barrier for those who use wheelchairs, parents with prams, elderly commuters and anyone with restricted mobility.
This week’s state budget included $76 million for tram network upgrades, including finally delivering accessible tram stops along some of the city’s busiest streets, including High Street at Northcote and Thornbury.
Planning will also start for level access tram stops along Sydney Road at Brunswick and Coburg, as well as Keilor Road at Niddrie.
“We are getting on delivering transport infrastructure that everyone can access,” Deputy Premier Ben Carroll said in a statement.
The government did not detail how many tram stops would be made accessible as part of the budget initiative, but a spokeswoman said 102 level access platforms had been built since 2014.
There were 12 stops built along La Trobe Street in the CBD in 2024, and another four last year outside Queen Victoria Market and the Melbourne Showgrounds. Construction is due to begin on 10 stops in coming months in Footscray, before further works in the next financial year in Brunswick and Moonee Ponds.
The budget package also includes accessibility upgrades at the Clifton Hill, Northcote, Eaglemont, Donnybrook and Broadmeadows railway stations.
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Clifton Hill, Northcote and Eaglemont will get tactile ground surface indicators to boost safety for people who are vision impaired. Donnybrook will get pedestrian safety upgrades and bicycle parking facilities, while Broadmeadows will receive funding for safety and amenity upgrades.
The new spending will bankroll a new substation at Wattle Park in Surrey Hills that will power larger trams along Route 70, which runs from Docklands to Wattle Park via Flinders Street. This will increase capacity along the route by more than 70 per cent.
The first 50 of Melbourne’s new G-Class trams will be rolled out on routes 57, 59 and 82, according to the government.
Transport Minister Gabrielle Williams said the investments would mean safer journeys across the train and tram network.
The Victorian Auditor-General’s Office found in 2020 that 38 per cent of trams on the network were accessible, and only 15 per cent of services connected a low-floor tram with a level access stop. The Department of Transport estimated it would cost $2 billion to upgrade every city tram stop.
With Patrick Hatch
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Caroline Schelle is an education reporter, and joined The Age in 2022. She previously covered courts at AAP.Connect via X or email.From our partners