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15 March

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Flying replica tram at the opening ceremony of the XVIII Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, 15 March 2006. Photo: Commonwealth Games Australia.

Fun and games

 

The XVIII Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne from 15 to 26 March 2006.

 

Prior to the opening of the Commonwealth Games the Queen’s baton relay visited all 71 Commonwealth nations. The baton was made of gold and magnesium and featured 71 lights on the front. Public transport featured highly on its itinerary. It was carried by train and tram on the following journeys in Australia:

  • The Ghan passenger train from Alice Springs to Darwin

  • horse tram from Granite Island to Victor Harbor

  • steam-hauled train from Port Elliott to Goolwa

  • replica cable tourist tram at Portland

  • former Melbourne W4 Class tram no. 671 at Ballarat Tramway Museum

  • Melbourne SW6 Class tram no. 909 in the host city

  • miniature railways in Shepparton, Wagga Wagga and Traralgon.

 

The opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games on 15 March featured a flying tram! It was a replica of a Melbourne tram made from plywood on a steel frame, with foam wings attached.

 

Additional services operating during the Commonwealth Games were 2800 suburban trains, 12,500 trams, 15,000 buses, and 248 V/Line services.

 

V/Line provided $10 return fares from regional locations to Melbourne for Commonwealth Games events. Around 100,000 tickets were purchased. Additional late evening services carried passengers back home.

 

Connex operated high-frequency suburban trains, with six-car trains and services at least every 20 minutes after 7.00 pm. Yarra Trams ran extended services until after midnight.

 

During the 12 days of the Games, around 150,000 people travelled by public transport to and from Games events each day.

 

Public transport during the Commonwealth Games was a massive logistical task. Yet services operated efficiently and staff were praised for their dedicated work, enabling hundreds of thousands of people to have fun at the games.

 

View

A short video about how to fly a tram:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5UhUMLYZOk

 

Bibliography

‘Commonwealth Games’, Newsrail, vol. 34, no. 5, May 2006, pp 139–42.

V Isaacs ‘Public transport plans and the Commonwealth Games’, Transit Australia, vol. 61, no. 4, April 2006, pp 99–103.

‘Quick Commonwealth Games transport facts’, Transit Australia, vol. 61, no. 5, May 2006, pp 151–6.

R Smith, ‘Commonwealth Games’, Rail News Victoria, no. 200, April 2006, pp 1–15.

‘The Queen’s baton relay’, Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games’, Trolley Wire, no. 305, May/June 2006, pp 20–3.

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