21 September | Railways and Tramways of Australia

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21 September

Hobart double-deck tram no. 11, built by Siemens Brothers in England in 1893 for the Hobart tramway system. Photo: Trainiac, Wikimedia Commons.

Quiet start

Tramway services began in Hobart on 21 September 1893.

Hobart’s electric tramways began with lines built to Cascades, Sandy Bay and New Town. Following completion of track laying and erection of overhead wiring, the first trial run operated on 28 June 1893. Services began with no official ceremony on 21 September, with a full service beginning the following day. The city’s first trams were 20 single-truck double-deck trams imported from England by contractors Siemens Brothers.

Hobart’s system was Australia’s first narrow-gauge tramway network. It was also the first completely electric tramway in Australia.

The Hobart tramway network was initially operated by a private company, but in 1912 the Tasmanian Parliament authorised the Hobart City Council to assume ownership. Hobart Municipal Tramways was formed to take control in 1913. An expansion plan resulted in the network doubling in size between 1913 and 1923.

Various types of trams operated in Hobart, and most trams in service between 1893 and 1948 were double-deck trams. Although other Australian tramways used double deck cars, Hobart was the only location where they were standard vehicles. It was also the only Australian tramway system where bow collectors were standard; most other electric tramways used trolley poles.

Hobart’s tramway system was at its maximum extent from 1931 to 1942 when 31 route kilometres were open for traffic. Heavy passenger loadings during the Second World War (1939–45) placed considerable pressure on the city’s tramway fleet. The Metropolitan Transport Trust took control of Hobart City Council’s tram and bus services in 1955, and buses began to replace trams. The tramway system was closed in October 1960. A number of Hobart’s trams have survived into preservation.

After its quiet beginning, Hobart’s tram system operated for 67 years.

https://www.railtram.com.au/hobart-tramways

Bibliography

J Chesworth, I Cooper, P James & J Stokes, The electric tramways of Hobart, Australian Electric Traction Association, Sydney, 1960.

IG, Cooper, Hobart tramways: a centenary commemoration review, Transit Australia, Sydney, 1993.

‘End of the line for Hobart: last tram runs in the island state’, Electric Traction, vol 15, no. 12, December 1960, pp 8–9.

‘Epitome of news’, The Mercury, 22 September 1893, p 2.

‘Preserved Tasmanian tramcars’, Rail Tasmania, https://railtasmania.com/pres/trams.php, accessed 13 September 2026.

Bogie single-deck tram No. 50 in Macquarie Street Hobart during the 1930s. Photo: Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office, Wikimedia Commons, NS1231/1/35.