First look at the roomy new tram coming to Melbourne’s network

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The first new tram to operate in Melbourne for over a decade will roll through the city’s inner-west later this year as part of a testing program now underway.

The G-class tram is a new model that will gradually replace outdated high-floor Z- and A-class trams on routes 57 (from West Maribyrnong), 59 (Airport West) and 82 (Footscray to Moonee Ponds).

Alstom technician Elliot Rushworth with the first G-class tram to be delivered to the new Maidstone depot.

Victoria has committed $1.85 billion to building 100 G-classes over the next four years. The first is expected to enter service from mid-2026 and promises improved accessibility and comfort.

Two have now been built at the Alstom factory in Dandenong and last month one was delivered to a new purpose-built depot in Maidstone, which Transport Minister Gabrielle Williams will officially open on Friday.

Ben Phyland, head of rolling stock and ticketing at the Department of Transport and Planning, said a program of testing was now underway for the depot facilities, which include an automated “tram scanner” that checks arriving trams for damage or maintenance issues – a first in Victoria.

By the end of this year, the G-class will venture out of the depot and start testing on parts of routes 57, 59 and 82.

“That will consist of loading up the vehicle to effectively simulate a crush load tram and making sure that it can brake in the shortest distance possible, and that it can accelerate in the right way,” he said.

“What happens if the power drops out, what happens if it fails? We’re testing all the different functionality of the tram, both electrically and mechanically.”

The G-class is based on an Alstom model already in service in several other cities but has been modified to withstand Melbourne’s network – which is the largest in the world and unforgiving compared to networks where tracks do not embed in asphalt roads.

The new tram will eventually be tested along all 250 kilometres of the Melbourne tram network to ensure it is up to the job.

Phyland said the first new trams should enter service around the middle of next year, with route 59’s Z-class trams – built between 1975 and 1948 – replaced first, followed by A-class models.

Passengers should enjoy less crowding in rush hour. At 25 metres long, the G-class is around 10 metres longer than the Z and A classes and has room for more than twice the passengers – 150 in total, with 48 seated.

Low floors mean the tram is accessible for commuters with disabilities, the elderly and those with prams.

“We’ve had a lot of stakeholder input to the design to try and make it as accessible as possible,” Phyland said, with the floor lowered an additional 20 millimetres to make boarding easier.

The last tram model introduced to Victoria was the E-class in 2013. The G-class is shorter to suit the tighter routes where it will be deployed and to fit existing tram stops.

Driver Elliot Rushworth will test the first G-class tram.

Alstom technician Elliot Rushworth is the first person to obtain a licence for the G-class and will be behind the controls during testing and commissioning at Maidstone.

He said that even compared to the E-class, the new model felt roomier. There’s more space in the aisle between the seats and the shorter grab rail opens up the central standing area.

“The disability access area, I think the punters are going to love that. There’s just a lot more room to move,” Rushworth said.

Around 43 per cent of Yarra Tram services are now operated with accessible low-floor trams, while only 29 per cent of stops are accessible.

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