Thursday, 27^th September 2018

The Andrews Labor Government will give four of Victoria’s retired W-Class trams a new lease of life, restoring them as classrooms and accommodation in Gippsland.

Member for Eastern Victoria Region, Harriet Shing, today announced that Tyers Primary School, Thorpdale Primary School and BIG4 Yarra Valley Park Lane Holiday Park in Traralgon were successful with their applications to give the iconic W-Class trams a new home.

The trams are four of the 96 to be allocated following the Expression of Interest process run by VicTrack over recent months, which have been retired from network operations over the past 30 years.

Tyers Primary School and Thorpdale Primary School will each restore a tram turning them into classrooms while the BIG4 Yarra Valley Park Lane Holiday Park in Traralgon will restore two trams for accommodation.

As part of the expression of interest process, more than 1,500 applications were received from across Australia and overseas, with many great ideas on how to bring a tram back to life.

Applicants had to demonstrate that their tram would benefit the community, be accessible to the public or promote the state. They were also asked to outline how they would repurpose and maintain the tram to ensure it remained in a good condition.

For more information, please visit victrack.com.au

Quotes attributable to Member for Eastern Victoria Region, Harriet Shing:

“We’re proud to have found such a deserving home for one of our state’s retired trams.”

“I am delighted to see four of Victoria’s iconic trams come to Gippsland and thank the applicants for all their hard work in putting together such a great application.”    

“The trams are sure to be a hit with both locals and visitors alike and will become a focal point for our local area.”