The C2-class trams are five-section

Alstom Citadis The Alstom Citadis is a family of low-floor trams and light rail vehicles built by Alstom. , over 2,300 Citadis trams have been sold and 1,800 tramways are in revenue service throughout the world, with operations in all six inhabited continents ...

302 trams built in

La Rochelle La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. With ...

, France that operate on the

Melbourne tram network Trams are a major form of Transport in Melbourne, public transport in Melbourne, the capital city of the States of Australia, state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. As of May 2017, the Melbourne tramway network consists of of dou ...

. They were built for the tram network in

Mulhouse Mulhouse (; Alsatian language, Alsatian: or , ; ; meaning ''Mill (grinding), mill house'') is a city of the Haut-Rhin Departments of France, department, in the Grand Est Regions of France, region, eastern France, close to the France–Switzerl ...

, France, but being surplus to Mulhouse demands, were leased to use in Melbourne in 2008, later being purchased by the

Government of Victoria The Victoria State Government, also referred to as just the Victorian Government, is the state-level authority for Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. Like all state governments, it is formed by three independent branches: the executive ...

. The trams operate solely on route 96.

History

In 2008 an arrangement to lease five

low-floor Accessibility is the design of products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments so as to be usable by people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design and practice of accessible development ensures both "direct access" (i.e ...

, air-conditioned, bi-directional, five section

302 trams was brokered with

, France, through

Yarra Trams Yarra Trams is the trading name of the operator of the tram network in Melbourne, Australia, which is owned by VicTrack and leased to Yarra Trams by the Victorian Department of Transport. The current franchise is operated by Keolis Downer. As ...

' then French parent,

Transdev Transdev, formerly Veolia Transdev, is a French-based international private-sector company which operates public transport. It has operations in 17 countries and territories as of November 2020. History The group was formed by the merger of V ...

. The lease agreement was $9 million for four years with shipping costs of $500,000 for each tram, with the first tram arriving in Melbourne in February 2008. The first tram was launched on 11 June 2008, nicknamed ''Bumble Bee 1'', with the rest following suit up to ''Bumble Bee 5''; all entered service on route 96. Being surplus to the demands of Mulhouse, they were originally intended to be leased only until December 2011. However, it was announced in November 2010 that the State Government was in negotiations to acquire the C2-trams, with all five subsequently purchased in 2012/13. Prior to entering service in Melbourne they had minor adjustments made at

Preston Workshops Preston Workshops is the heavy maintenance facility for the Melbourne tram network. The workshop is located on a block surrounded by Miller Street, St George's Road, Oakover Road and the Mernda railway line in Preston, a suburb of Melbourne, Au ...

, including improvements to the air-conditioning and modifications to the Mulhouse livery.

Operation

C2-class trams operate on the following route: * 96:

Brunswick East Brunswick East is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Merri-bek local government area. Brunswick East recorded a population of 13,279 at the 20 ...

to St Kilda Beach

References

External links

{{MelbourneTramNavbox , state=collapsed Alstom trams Articulated passenger trains Melbourne tram vehicles Alstom multiple units 600 V DC multiple units