Description

The site of New Preston Tram Depot has been a vital part of Melbourne’s tram network for more than a century. Both beautiful and practical, this site blends heritage-listed buildings with cutting edge light rail technology.

In 1924-26, Melbourne's Preston Tramway Workshops opened on the site as a major manufacturing and maintenance hub for W Class trams. In 2016, the site was redeveloped into a world-class operations depot to accommodate the introduction of E Class trams.

Today, New Preston is one of Yarra Trams’ busiest depots. Along with operating routes that service Melbourne’s northern and inner suburbs, the site is also home to Yarra Trams’ driver training academy, centralised supply chain stores, and tram maintenance including its collision repair centre.

New Preston Depot is the home base for a large team of tram drivers, maintenance staff and support teams who work around the clock to keep services safe, reliable and moving for thousands of passengers every day.

What's On

Step behind the scenes of the world’s largest tram network and discover what it takes to keep Melbourne moving.

On this guided tour, you’ll experience daily life at a working tram depot, learn how our tram drivers are trained, and explore the warehouse that manages more than 10,000 essential parts. You’ll also see first-hand how trams are repaired and returned to service after incidents.

To top it off, you’ll have the chance to sit in the driver’s seat of a real tram and chat with one of our experienced drivers about what it’s like to operate these iconic vehicles. It’s a rare opportunity to understand the people, processes and precision that keep our network running safely every day.