CJ Wellington Metropolitan Region

BREAKING: Transport for Wellington (TfW) is now pushing ahead for the new $2.8 billion light rail route from the Docklands to Bonbeach via Newtown.

This could be seen as the return of trams on Wellington streets since the original tramway network was dismantled in 1969. Wellington once had one of the world's largest tramway network, consisting of 156 kilometres of dual tram tracks. This network was removed in favour of diesel buses at the end of the 1960s.

The proposed light rail route will be 7.8 kilometres in length with 24 stops from Docklands to Bonbeach East. Out of 24 proposed stops, 4 will be classed as major interchange stations - Central Station, Kings Cross, Charing Cross and Newtown.



The route design is almost identical to the original Route 9 tram which ran from Wharf Street (near the new, proposed Docklands station) to Bonbeach train station (instead of East Bonbeach) between 1918 and 1969. TfW also have a $4 billion Stage 2 in the pipeline which could see the light rail route extended from Bonbeach East to as far up north as Elwood and as far south to Randwick via three major establishments (Parliament House, Royal Hospital and the University).