Route 70
A class tram on Flinders Street in February 2023
Overview
System	Melbourne
Operator	Yarra Trams
Depot	Camberwell
Vehicle	A Class B2 Class
Route
Start	Waterfront City
Via	Harbour Esplanade Flinders Street Richmond Burnley Hawthorn Hawthorn East Camberwell Surrey Hills
End	Wattle Park
Length	16.5 kilometres
Timetable	Route 70 timetable
Map	Route 70 map
Route map (({map))} ← Route 67  (({system_nav))}  Route 72 →

Melbourne tram route 70 is operated by Yarra Trams on the Melbourne tram network from Waterfront City to Wattle Park. The 16.5 kilometre route is operated out of Camberwell depot with A and B class trams.

History

Most of the line currently used by route 70 was initially built and run by the Hawthorn Tramways Trust (HTT) in 1916–17. It ran between the Batman Avenue terminus (opposite Flinders Street station) to the intersection of Warrigal Road (then Boundary Road) and Riversdale Road. At the time, the HTT's Batman Avenue line was Melbourne's only electric tram line that reached the CBD. The Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board took over the line in 1920, and in 1928, extended the line a further two kilometres to Wattle Park at the Riversdale Road and Elgar Road intersection.^[1][2] In 1934, the line was given the route 70 designation, which it still holds today.^[2][3]

On 6 June 1999 it was diverted to operate via the Exhibition Street extension with a four-lane divided road built over the Jolimont Yard, enabling Batman Avenue west of Melbourne Park to be closed with route 70 extended to terminate at the intersection of Flinders and Spencer Streets.^[4][5] This new route was better able to serve all of the Melbourne Park venues such as the Melbourne Cricket Ground and Rod Laver Arena.^[6] Extra sidings were also built along the route in order to accommodate special events.^[7] On 5 December 1999, at the City end, the route was amended to terminate at new sidings west of Spencer Street.^[8]

On 4 May 2003, the route was extended along Spencer Street to the intersection of Spencer and La Trobe Streets, swapping route termini with route 75.^[9][10] Between May and November 2005, the route temporarily terminated at Market Street due to the closure and removal of the Flinders Street Overpass over King Street.^[11] After the works were completed, on 21 November 2005, the route was re-extended along Flinders Street and its permanent terminus was altered to the intersection of Bourke Street and Harbour Esplanade at Docklands, no longer running along Spencer Street.^[12] The route was extended to Waterfront City in September 2009 to replace route 48 which was re-routed away from Flinders Street and Waterfront City.^[13][14]

Route

From Waterfront City, the route runs along Docklands Drive, Harbour Esplanade and Flinders Street in the city, behind Melbourne Park at Richmond and then along Swan Street and Riversdale Road through Hawthorn and Camberwell to the eastern end of Wattle Park, terminating at Elgar Road.

Operation

Route 70 is operated out of Camberwell depot with A class trams, although B class trams are occasionally used.^[15][16][17] During the Australian Open, additional services run between Melbourne Park and the city. These services are numbered as Route 70a and run E class trams.^[18]

Route map

v t e Route 70
Wattle Park – Waterfront City via Surrey Hills, Richmond & City Free tram zone covers stops D11 to 6, fare zone 1 applies from stop 7A to 61
Legend
Suburb Street Stop No. Wattle Park Connections Surrey Hills Riversdale Road 61 Elgar Road 201, 767 768, 903 60 Ferndale Street 59 Alandale Street 58 Wattle Park 57 Glendale Street 56 Warrigal Road 903 55 Union Road 766 54 Through Road 766 Camberwell Riversdale Road 53 Essex Road 52 Lockhart Street 51 Highfield Road 50 Wattle Valley Road 49 Glyndon Road 48 Cooloongatta Road 47 Willow Grove Riversdale station ● 46 Riversdale station 44 Derby Street 43 Trafalgar Road 42 Fermanagh Road 41 Camberwell Market 612 Camberwell Road Tram 75 Vermont South   Burke Road Tram 72 Melbourne University   Camberwell 40 Camberwell Junction Camberwell tram depot Hawthorn East Riversdale Road 39 Camberwell tram depot 38 Hastings Road 37 Tooranga Road Hawthorn Riversdale Road 36 Auburn Road 624 35 Robinson Road 34 Kooyongkoot Road 33 Berkeley Street Glenferrie Road Tram 16 Melbourne University   Kew 32 Glenferrie Road 31 Fordholm Street 30 Through Street 29 Riversdale Junction 75 Power Street Tram 75     Bridge Road Hawthorn tram depot Richmond Swan Street 18 Yarra Boulevard 17 Madden Grove 16 Park Grove 15 Stawell Street 75 Burnley station ●●●● 14 Burnley station 13 Edinburgh Street 12 Coppin Street Church Street Tram 78 Balaclava   North Richmond 11 East Richmond station 78 East Richmond station ●●●● 10 Swan Street Shopping Centre 9 Lennox Street 8 Richmond station Richmond station ●●●●●●●●●● Melbourne CBD Swan Street 7E Punt Road 246 Swan Street Pre-1999 Alignment Batman Avenue     Melbourne Park 7D AAMI Park 7C MCG/Melbourne Arena 7B Rod Laver Arena 7A William Barak Bridge Zone 1 Free Tram Zone Flinders Street Tram 75, City Circle     Vermont South   Flinders Street 6 Russell Street 75 Swanston Street Tram 1, 3, 5, 6, 16, 64, 67, 72 St Kilda Road   Melbourne University 5 Flinders Street station 1, 3, 5, 6, 16, 64, 67, 72 Flinders Street station ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● Elizabeth Street Tram 19, 57, 59     North Melbourne 4 Flinders Street station 19, 57, 59 3 Market Street 58; Queen Street buses Market Street Tram 58 Toorak   West Coburg 2 King Street 1 Spencer Street 12, 96, 109 Spencer Street Tram 12, 96, 109 Casino/MCEC   Collins/Bourke Street Docklands Flinders Street D6 Flinders Street West 232, 235, 237   McCrae Street D5 The Goods Shed   Harbour Esplanade D4 Docklands Park Collins Street Tram 11, 48 St Vincent's Plaza   Victoria Harbour D3 Docklands Stadium/Bourke Street Docklands La Trobe Street Tram 30, City Circle, 86     St Vincent's Plaza D2 Central Pier 30, City Circle, 75, 86 Footscray Road Siding   Docklands Drive D10 NewQuay D11 The District City Circle, 86 Suburb Street Stop No. Waterfront City Connections
Note: Green denotes free tram zone