Trams in Toowoomba: Century-old proposal reveals how CBD would look with public transport option

Would you use trams if they were built in Toowoomba? That’s the basis of a bold proposal that’s been recently unearthed and is causing a stir with residents. Vote in our poll here:

How different would Toowoomba be if it had trams running through the CBD?

That was the reality the Garden City very nearly had, with a century-old proposal for a tram system revived by budding public transport enthusiasts.

Brisbane-based amateur transport map designer Brent Palmer’s modernised concept art for a 1920 tram proposal through the CBD caught the attention of Toowoomba residents this month.

It comes at a time when the Toowoomba Regional Council is considering allowing for-profit hire e-scooters through the city centre to ease congestion and improve access.

The plan, proposed in a letter to then-Toowoomba mayor Albert Richard Godsall by Melbourne-based engineer FA McCarty, would’ve carried passengers on four routes along Ruthven, Russell, Campbell and Mort Streets, with a central station next City Hall at the Ruthven-Herries Street intersection.

There was even a line proposed to take people from the CBD to Picnic Point, with the total track proposed reaching nearly 16km.

At the time, Toowoomba’s population at the time was only 25,000 people, a sixth of what it is now.

As the letter details, Mr McCarty argued many of the tram lines would take just 15 minutes to complete a route, going into detail about its benefits, cost analysis and infrastructure requirements.

“The tram car that it is proposed to use in Toowoomba is of the very latest design that has been developed to suit the requirements of present day traffic problems,” the letter said.

“It is the outcome of hard consistent work, in order to solve the problem of cheap, efficient transport in the face of rising prices for material and equipment, as well as the heavy increase in wages for motormen and conductors.

“The car depot is taken as being placed on the council’s land, in Herries Street, near the railway, and from this point a single line would run to near Ruthven Street.

“All cars would start from the intersection of Herries Street and Ruthven Street for the following routes: Russell Street, Mort Street, Campbell Street and Picnic Point.

“The car is about 28 feet over all, 8 feet wide, and seats about 32 passengers, with good standing room.”

Brisbane public transport advocate Brent Palmer reimagined a 1920 proposal for a tram in the Toowoomba CBD.

Mr McCarty’s proposal, which he estimated would cost more than £206,000 at the time, would be worth more than $9m in today’s money.

Mr Palmer, who modernised the map to model existing public transport route art, said the proposal would have fundamentally changed Toowoomba today.

“It would’ve resulted in very different development in Toowoomba,” he said.

“It may be less car-centric now as a result, although that was before development south of South Street.”

The map was posted to social media, with several residents remarking at the lost opportunity.

“Elderly and disabled people would have a big difficulty riding scooters and bikes. A tram would be good for those types of people,” one Reddit user said.

“It’s a walkable city but Toowoomba needs more than bus services for people. I would happily travel on public transport if it was viable but instead have to pretty much drive everywhere,” another added.