| | URBAN TRANSIT NEWS |
Melbourne News:
The State Government drew intense criticism yesterday after it announced that the repair bill to fix Melbourne's historic W-class trams had risen to AUD4.2 million and that taxpayers would pay most of it. Transport Minister Peter Batchelor said two City Circle trams would return to service on May 28, but it could be another year before the remaining 51 W-class trams were back on the tracks. The entire fleet of W-class trams, which are about 70 years old, was pulled from service nearly a year ago after several accidents and repeated complaints from drivers about faulty brakes. The private operators responsible for running the tram system, Yarra Trams and Swanston Trams, will pay AUD800 000 or 19 per cent of the repair costs.
To return to News Index - click here
To return to the LRTA homepage - click here
18 May 2001
To be well informed about light rail & urban transit developments you need to read Tramways & Urban Transit every month - the world's leading light rail, tramways and urban transit journal
To return to the top of this news page - click here