News / Transport
Detours and disruption as tram works peak on Sydney Road
Roads to close and buses to replace trams
Brunswick Voice
Leave a comment
Motorists and public transport users will face major disruption on sections of Sydney and Moreland roads in coming weeks from construction works around the Brunswick Tram Depot.
Detours will be in place and buses will replace trams on most of Sydney Road for a fortnight from Friday.
The section of Moreland Road between Sydney Road and the Upfield skyrail will also be closed for most of September.
The works are the culmination of a $115 million project to upgrade and modernise the tram depot, including reopening it for trams to exit directly onto Sydney Road.
Other works include an accessible tram stop in Moreland Road.
Already completed is a staff car park underneath the skyrail behind the depot and refurbishment of staff and administration facilities inside the depot building.
The section of Sydney Road between Davies and Mitchell streets will be closed to all traffic from 9pm on Friday until early on September 4 when works to install tram tracks and overhead wires for the new tram depot exit will take place in stages of 24 hours.
No vehicle traffic or on-street parking will be available during this period.
The most significant disruption will be to tram services on the #19 route. Buses will replace trams between Brunswick Road and North Coburg from last service on Friday until September 4.
The buses will divert around the work zone by travelling along Mitchell Street, Holmes Street, Moreland Road and Blair Street.
Trams will continue to run from Brunswick Road to the city.
Transport Victoria is warning of very high noise levels during the first few days and nights of works while existing tram tracks are removed and underground materials are excavated.
During the rest of the works, noise levels will vary from medium to high with the noisiest works done during the day if possible.
Activities may include saw cutting, excavation and construction vehicle movements.
Moreland Road between Sydney Road and Colebrook Street will close from 9pm on Sepember 12 until October 2 to allow the installation of a pair of level-access tram stops and track and overhead works.
Related article:
During this period the #6 tram route from Moreland Station to Glen Iris will also be impacted with buses replacing trams for the section of Moreland Road to and from Holmes Street.
Less inconvenient for motorists but annoying for cyclists, Cameron Street, which runs parallel to the Upfield line behind the tram depot, will be completely closed from Friday night to October 5.
The Upfield shared path will continue to be closed to bikes and pedestrians during these works.
First used in 1887, Brunswick is one of nine suburban depots on the Yarra Trams network and is home to trams on routes 1, 6 and 19.
The current depot buildings opened in 1936 and are listed on the Victorian Heritage Register as a site of significance.
The redevelopment will allow the number of trams stabled at the depot to increase by about 30% and for trams to exit directly onto Sydney Road rather than via Cameron Street and Moreland Road at peak times.
The project has cost $115 million. Planning began in 2022 and the project was originally intended to be completed 12 months ago.
Transport Victoria and Yarra Trams did not respond to questions from Brunswick Voice about what alternative arrangements had been put in place to reduce disruption and inconvenience for residents and businesses immediately adjacent to the works.
If you liked this story, have you thought about supporting our work?
We are an independent, volunteer-run hyperlocal news organisation owned and run by the people in your community. With your support, we can continue to produce unique and valuable local journalism for Brunswick, Coburg and the inner north of Melbourne.
Latest stories:
- Detours and disruption as tram works peak on Sydney Road
- Brunswick krushed by relentless Oakleigh line-up
- Poll shock: big swing to Labor in Brunswick
Leave a comment
At Brunswick Voice, we welcome the comments and contributions of our readers on the issues discussed in our articles. Please keep your commentary on-topic. All comments are subject to the guidelines outlined below.
Please ensure your comments comply with these guidelines:
• Respect others
• Criticise ideas, not people
• No offensive or defamatory language
Commenters are encouraged to use their real name or a variation of their real name (e.g. first name and initial). Offensive or clearly fake screen names will not be accepted, as will those that intentionally impersonate or misrepresent others.
Comments on this article are premoderated to ensure discussion remains on. Please be aware there may be a delay in comments appearing on the site until they are approved by the moderator.
We reserve the right to refuse approval to any comments and no further discussion will be entered into if a comment is refused approval or deleted.
Our collection and use of your details are governed by our Privacy Policy and our Terms & Conditions.