Passenger safety and accessibility take centre stage on Elgin Street

Tuesday 10 February 2015

Tram passengers on Elgin Street in Carlton are enjoying safer and faster boarding following the opening of a new platform stop.

The new level access stop was built in conjunction with upgrades to track and overhead infrastructure, as part of a $5.5 million investment to improve Melbourne's tram network.

Key customer benefits of the new Stop 112 Elgin Street & Lygon Street include:

• easy-access to low-floor trams
• safer and faster boarding
• new passenger information displays
• new seating, shelters and pedestrian signals.

Yarra Trams delivered the project on behalf of Public Transport Victoria during the quieter holiday period, to minimise disruption to passengers and the local community.

PTV CEO Mark Wild said improving accessibility was an important objective.

"The construction of this platform means every stop between Lygon Street and the Arts Centre is now level access, which is what you would expect from a modern tram network," Mr Wild said.

"For the 22,000 passengers who use this this stop each week, the new platform stop provides easy access to low-floor trams, safer and faster boarding, tramTRACKER passenger information displays, seating, shelters and new pedestrian signals.

"Route 8 is partly operated by low-floor trams so the addition of another level access stops means the network continues to become more accessible with each project."

With the new centre island platform stop in place, two tram stops on Elgin Street at the corners of Swanston Street and Lygon Street have been removed.

Yarra Trams CEO Clément Michel thanked passengers for their patience and cooperation during the project.

"The safety and accessibility of passengers with prams or using mobility aids were a key focus when designing this new stop," Mr Michel said.

"By combining stop construction, track renewal and upgrades to the overhead power wires into one project, the need to come back to do these projects separately is eliminated and that's a great outcome for the community and particularly local residents.

"We recognise the disruption caused by this upgrade, but we hope passengers and the local community will agree that new tram stop is safer, more accessible and more customer-friendly."

Scroll down to view a series of photos showing the different stages of construction for the new stop.

 

Breaking of the concrete with 20 tonne excavators at the corner of Lygon and Elgin streets.

 

Removal of old rails and more breaking of concrete.

  

Preparation of the site for the new level access tram stop.

 

Work on Lygon and Elgin street curve rails and traffic signals.

 

 

Laying of sleepers and rails along Elgin Street. Welding underway at the crossover.

 

Concreting  commences on Lygon Street.

 

New tracks laid out on Swanston Street. Welding between existing and new tracks.

 

Asphalting of the surface around the new tram tracks.

 

 

Concrete now laid on the new level access tram stop.

 

Renewal of tram wires including overhead adjustment to suit alignment of the new track.

 

Testing and commissioning of the new track overhead wires and the platform before the start of passenger services.

 

Trams start to arrive for passengers at the new stop 112 Elgin Street & Lygon Street.