Melbourne tram route 78
Melbourne tram route 78 is operated by Yarra Trams on the Melbourne tram network. It operates from North Richmond to Balaclava. The 6.5 kilometre route is operated by A-class trams from Kew depot.
History
A section of Chapel Street was first served by a cable tram line opened in 1888, which ran from Brighton Road to Toorak Road, then turned towards St Kilda Road and into the CBD. Between 1924 and 1926 the cable tram line was converted to electric traction by the Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board, and was extended along Church Street, forming the route as it operates today. It ran with two variations: route 79, turning from Chapel Street along Carlisle Street to St Kilda Beach, and route 77, which turned from the southern part of the route at Swan Street and continued into the city. The latter route was discontinued in November 1986.On 2 April 1995, operation of route 78 was transferred from Kew depot to Glenhuntly depot. In the late 20th century, the line ran predominantly as route 79. Like nearly all tram lines in Melbourne, it was served by W-class trams. In the 1990s with the gradual withdrawal of the W-class, the route was operated by Z- and A-class trams. W-class trams were re-introduced in 2004, after they had received brake upgrades. It was one of only three routes running the old trams, the others being route 30 and the City Circle Tram. In 2014 the Ws were withdrawn and replaced by Z- and A-class trams. On 27 July 2014, the route 79 variation was also discontinued.
The route was operated by Glenhuntly Depot until April 30, 2017, when operation of the route was transferred back to Kew Depot. This was so there was more room for the larger B-class trams that were to be transferred to Glenhuntly.
| Dates | Route | Notes |
| 9 December 1934 - onwards | North Richmond to Prahran | Prahran later renamed Balaclava terminus; Until 2009, only ran on Mon-Fri until 6pm & 1pm on Saturdays. Between 2009-2014, services ran until 6pm 7 days a week |