The Hobart Tram Restoration and Museum Society is ready and waiting to build a tourist tram from the Hobart Regatta Grounds to Cornelian Bay.
While the development application for a tram depot and museum has already been approved, the tram’s future route will depend on the outcome of the proposed Macquarie Point stadium.
The trams, which include a double-decker model, are currently sitting in storage and are ready for use.
The society, made up of tram restorers, engineers and rail enthusiasts, expects them to be a popular tourist attraction that will showcase Hobart’s rich train and tram heritage.
The society says discussions with the Macquarie Point Development Corporation about including the tram in the stadium plans have been ‘positive’.
The next crucial step is securing funding for the project, with 75% of the necessary work already completed.
Hobart Tram Restoration and Museum Society member and Hobart City councillor John Kelly said in late 2022 that trams “proved to be an outstanding success” when they were introduced in decades gone by.
“Sadly, we have learnt little from our history. Today the same skepticism surrounds the introduction of light rail and trackless trams into Hobart,” he said at the time.
“Can you imagine a fast train from outlying areas of Greater Hobart traveling through the existing corridor into Macquarie Point … This would open up large tracts of land to build quality suburbs with affordable housing.”
“Located alongside the existing rail line at the Regatta Grounds, these trams will ultimately be able to travel along the Derwent River to Cornelian Bay and beyond.”
“Heritage trams are a major tourist drawcard on the mainland and internationally. These beautiful craftsman-built trams – designed and constructed in Hobart from Huon pine, celery and blackwood – have a big future.”
