Tram works to unlock Arden access and improve safety around QVM

A major tram network upgrade at the intersection of Elizabeth and Victoria streets will begin in October, paving the way for future services to North Melbourne’s Arden urban renewal precinct.

Currently, trams can only turn right from Victoria St into Elizabeth St and left from Elizabeth St into Victoria St. The works will create a new track connection allowing trams from Swanston St to travel straight along Victoria St, which North West City News understands is aimed at opening capacity for extra services to Arden as the area undergoes significant development.

The project, led by Yarra Trams and the Department of Transport and Planning, will run from 8pm, Monday, October 6 to 4.30am, Monday, October 27, with 24-hour works closing sections of both streets. Early works, including service investigations and pole installations, will take place from August 24 to September 12 during night shifts.

As part of the upgrade, the Elizabeth St tram stop opposite Queen Victoria Market will be expanded to safely accommodate two of the new-generation G-class trams on each platform. The changes aim to improve passenger safety, ease congestion, and enhance accessibility – particularly at the Therry St end, where pedestrian crowding has long been an issue.

Drill Hall Residents’ Association president Martin Mulvihill said residents strongly supported the stop’s enlargement, citing long-standing safety concerns at the busy intersection.

“The Therry and Elizabeth streets intersection is constantly congested with trams, road vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians competing for space,” he said. “The proposed changes will greatly improve movement for everyone, especially those with mobility or vision challenges in the nearby social housing units.”

The northeast corner of Therry and Elizabeth streets will be reconfigured to create more room for wheelchairs, mobility aids, and vision-impaired pedestrians. Residents also flagged the potential removal of a problematic tree on Therry St to allow smoother access, although this would be considered alongside future development of the City of Melbourne’s Multicultural Hub site.

Yarra Trams confirmed there would be service changes to routes 19, 57, and 59 during the October works, with detours in place for vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians. Businesses in the area, including Queen Victoria Market, will remain open throughout.

While residents floated the idea of relocating the tram stop further south to create a piazza-style public space between the market, Multicultural Hub, and Drill Hall, the current upgrade has been welcomed as a necessary step for safety, efficiency, and the city’s future transport needs.

The works are designed to prepare Melbourne’s tram network for population growth and major precinct redevelopments, with Arden set to become home to thousands of new residents and jobs in the coming years.

A Yarra Trams spokesperson said, “We’re delivering vital maintenance works near the intersection of Victoria and Elizabeth Streets to continue delivering safe and reliable tram services.”

Works will renew key infrastructure - replacing tram tracks and overhead infrastructure and deliver a new tram crossover point to keep trams moving safely. •