Tram Shelter

The first electric trams were introduced in Brisbane in 1897. By this time, although industrial uses were beginning to occur in the Newstead/Teneriffe area, significant residential development was also attracted to the area.  Wealthy merchants and professionals built their homes on the heights of Teneriffe Hill, taking advantage of the views and cooling breezes.  Worker’s cottages filled the slopes and river flats, within walking distance of employment.  

In the following decades, Brisbane’s tramway system experienced rapid expansion in response to the growth of the city itself. The number of cars operating increased from 20 to 1897 to 172 in 1916.  in the period before the dominance of private motor vehicles, the electric tram provided mass transportation form Brisbane residents. The line was extended to this part of New Farm in 1914.  Their immense popularity is illustrated by the fact that by the 1950sm Brisbane had one of the highest levels of public transport usage in Australia at that time. 

At the end of the First World War, it was clear that the tramway system had become a necessity for mass transport of the people and it was generally felt that it should be owned and operated by a public body rather than by a private company.  Thus in 1922 the Brisbane Tramway Trust was formed by Act of Parliament. The Trust took over ownership and control on 1 January 1923. The private company had allowed the system to fall behind in catering for the demands of Brisbane’s growing population. The Trust therefore had a considerable task ahead of it. It arranged for the duplication of tracks, additional tramcars and the construction of more adequate repair workshops and car depots.  Remote control of points was introduced at busy city intersections to improve safety.  Other innovations introduced by the Trust were passenger shelter sheds such as this one, advertising in trams and a suggestions board scheme. 

The construction of this tram waiting shed was approved by the Trust in 1924, and it was probably constructed in 1925. At this stage this area still had a considerable residential population. From the 1920s, however, the use of the New Farm Wharf line began to decline as industry encroached on the previously residential area.

The trust only held office for three years and in December 1925 the newly formed Greater Brisbane City Council took over control and administration of the tramways system.  After the Second World War the increasing reliance on the private motor car and the growth of Council’s bus fleet gradually reduced the number of tram passengers. In 1969, after 72 years as the basic means of public transport in Brisbane, the use of trams was officially discontinued. The tram shed has remained, providing evidence of a way of life that no longer exists. 

1. Lawson, R, Brisbane in the 1890s, UQP, 1973, p 11

2. Morwood, J E, "History of Electric Tramways in Brisbane", Institution of Engineers Australia, Queensland Division Technical Papers, 1970

3. Brisbane Tramway Trust, Second Annual Report, 1924, p 13

4. Clark, Howard & Keenan, David. Brisbane Tramways: the last decade, Transit Press, Sydney, 1977