Melbourne’s tramcar restaurant taken off tracks over safety concerns with historic structure

HUNDREDS of customers, who booked months in advance, have been left unable to ride the rails in style after Melbourne’s famous tramcar restaurant has been taken off the tracks.

OWNERS of Melbourne’s famous restaurant tramcars have called for State Government intervention after safety concerns have taken the historic tourist attractions off the tracks.

Hundreds of customers, who booked months in advance, have been left unable to ride the rails in style after Yarra Trams suspended Colonial Tramcar Restaurants from their usual routes circling Melbourne’s inner city.

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The operator first asked the restaurant service to upgrade their fleet to new safety standards in 2016.

The three trams were built in 1947, 1948 and 1950 and a recent inspection found their structural elements were badly weathered and would become a safety risk in a collision.

But Colonial Tramcar Restaurant CEO Paul O’Brien said the trams had passed a safety check two weeks earlier and the company was caught in a bureaucratic deadlock.

“We have been told we need to upgrade our trams — and we are willing to invest the millions of dollars required to do so — but we’ve been given an impossible deadline given that the Bendigo Workshops are unable to schedule us into their W8 program until 2020,” he said.

“We are calling on Minister Allan to urgently intervene and set a deadline which will actually be possible to meet.”

Patrons aboard the colonial tramcar restaurant.

A small group of city circle trams have also been taken off the network over similar concerns, but a government spokeswoman the restaurant tram cars would be given priority.

“The Government has been advised that Yarra Trams began these safety discussions two years ago,” she said.

“The Minister does not have the power to overrule a safety decision, however has asked Public Transport Victoria to ensure the works that need to be carried out are prioritised within our current schedule of city circle tram upgrades.”

Customers will be able to claim an immediate refund or can contact the company to arrange a hold on their booking for a later date.

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Comedian Paul Foot hanging out of the Colonial Tramcar Restaurant, one of his favourite spots for a feed during the comedy festival. Picture: Andrew Tauber

“While we appreciate that this decision is disappointing for the restaurant tram patrons and employees, we cannot allow trams on the network that do not meet safety standards,” a Yarra Trams spokeswoman said.

Yarra Trams has also offered to allow diners to eat in a stationary tramcar on tracks near it’s Southbank depot.

But Belinda Arlove, who had booked to eat at the restaurant next weekend, said the offer was cold comfort.

“There’s no way I’m going to sit in a stationary tram in a depot instead,” she said.

‘I’ve been wanting to ride that tramcar for years. Me and my three girlfriends have known each other for 57 years and this was going to be our annual catch up.

“They have all our money because you have to pay upfront but more importantly we just want to finally go after having to book months in advance.”