Melbourne tram route 59
Melbourne tram route 59 is operated by Yarra Trams on the Melbourne tram network. It operates from Airport West to Flinders Street station. The 14.7 kilometre route is operated by B2 class trams from Essendon depot. There are also Z3 class trams running Route 59, although only when required.
History
Route 59 was first allocated to the line between Essendon Aerodrome and the Elizabeth Street terminus on 16 May 1943, when the Essendon line was extended to the Essendon Airport. Prior to that, Route 59 had been allocated to the Williamstown Road line on the Footscray system, but numbers were never really used since the single-truck trams that ran the line didn't have route number boxes. Trams from Essendon had always terminated at Elizabeth Street, though before the Brunswick cable tram line was converted in 1936, they instead terminated on William Street. During the years where Essendon airport was Melbourne's primary airport, airlines usually transported passengers to the airport for free, the tram to Essendon Aerodrome was usually only used by airport workers. Thus when Tullamarine Airport opened in 1970, the line became of little use, and along with the fact that the line dangerously crossed the Tullamarine Freeway at grade, it was decided to truncate the line to terminate at Hawker Street, Airport West on 7 October 1976. On 22 December 1992, the line was extended by 1.2 kilometers to Airport West Shopping Centre.The origins of Route 59 lie in separate lines. The oldest section of the line is between Flinders Street and Haymarket was originally constructed as part of the Brunswick cable tram line, which opened on 1 October 1887. This line was converted to electric traction on 29 December 1936. The section of track between Abbotsford Street and Flemington Bridge was also originally part of the cable network as the North Melbourne line, which was converted to electric traction on 19 July 1925. The line between Abbotsford Street and Haymarket was constructed and opened by the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board on the same day. The section between Flemington Bridge and Keilor Road was originally opened by the North Melbourne Electric Tramway and Lighting Company on 11 October 1906. This line was extended to Gilles Street on 7 July 1923, and then again to Birdwood Street on 7 February 1937. The line to Hawker Street opened on 16 May 1943 as part of the Essendon Aerodrome line. The rest of the line to Airport West opened on 22 December 1992.
| Dates | Route | Notes |
| c. 1934 - 21 December 1940 | Williamstown Road - Footscray | Never used as single-truck trams on the line had no number plates |
| 22 December 1940 - 15 May 1943 | Unallocated | |
| 16 May 1943 - 6 October 1976 | Essendon Aerodrome - Flinders Street Station | |
| 7 October 1976 - 21 December 1992 | Airport West - Flinders Street Station | |
| 22 December 1992 – Present | Airport West Shopping Centre - Flinders Street Station |