Trams in Adelaide

Until 1958, Trams in Adelaide formed a network spanning most of suburban Adelaide, with a history dating back to 1878. Adelaide ran horse trams from 1878 to 1914 and electric trams from 1909, but has primarily relied on buses for public transport since 1958. Today there is a single remaining tram line with three classes of electric tram, built in 1929, 2006 and 2009 respectively.

The tram line connects the central business district of Adelaide, capital of South Australia, to the seaside suburb of Glenelg. In recent years the line has been extended again through the city to the Adelaide Railway Station and as far as the Adelaide Entertainment Centre in Hindmarsh. Electric trams and trolleybuses were Adelaide's main public transport throughout the life of the electric tram network and are enjoying a resurgence with the expansion of the remaining line and the first new tram purchases for more than 50 years.

The early use of trams was for recreation as well as daily travel, by entire families and tourists. Until the 1950s, trams were used for family outings to the extent that the Municipal Tramways Trust (MTT) constructed gardens in the suburb of Kensington Gardens, extending the Kensington line to attract customers. By 1945 the MTT was collecting fares for 95 million trips annually—295 trips per head of population.

After the Great Depression, the maintenance of the tramway system and the purchase of new trams suffered. Competition from private buses, the MTT's own bus fleet and the growth of private car ownership all took patrons from the tram network. By the 1950s, the tram network was losing money and being replaced by an electric and petrol-driven bus fleet. Adelaide's tram history is preserved by a volunteer-run museum and tramway at St Kilda, and the continuing use of 1929 H Class trams on the remaining Glenelg tram line.