Editing Trams in Melbourne (section)

===Metropolitan Transit Authority and Public Transport Corporation===
{{Main|Metropolitan Transit Authority (Victoria)|Public Transport Corporation|l1=Metropolitan Transit Authority}}
[[Image:Hook Turn Sign Melbourne.jpg|thumb|right|[[Hook turn]] sign]]
The MMTB, along with the [[Railways in Melbourne|metropolitan railway assets]] of [[Victorian Railways|VicRail]], were absorbed into the newly formed Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) on 1 July 1983, while the regional assets of VicRail were absorbed by the [[State Transport Authority (Victoria)|State Transit Authority]] (STA). The MTA was formed to co-ordinate and operate the Melbourne public transport system, during 1986–87 an integration of rail, tram and bus divisions took place, with the operations, maintenance and administration of these departments fully integrated by 11 April 1988.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://access.prov.vic.gov.au/public/component/daPublicBaseContainer?component=daViewAgency&entityId=1038 |title=State Transport Authority |work=[[Public Record Office Victoria]] |access-date=29 November 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002042901/http://access.prov.vic.gov.au/public/component/daPublicBaseContainer?component=daViewAgency&entityId=1038 |archive-date=2 October 2011 }}</ref><ref name="PROV MTA">{{cite web |url=http://access.prov.vic.gov.au/public/component/daPublicBaseContainer?component=daViewAgency&entityId=1044 |title=Metropolitan Transit Authority |work=[[Public Record Office Victoria]] |access-date=29 November 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002042738/http://access.prov.vic.gov.au/public/component/daPublicBaseContainer?component=daViewAgency&entityId=1044 |archive-date=2 October 2011 }}</ref>

[[Image:Z1-class-tram.96 swanston collins.jpg|thumb|left|Z1.95 in The Met livery on [[Swanston Street]]]]
The MTA introduced a new green and yellow livery and uniform design, with a new logo, showing the integration of Melbourne's public transport system, replacing the MMTB logo, and introduced a new time-based integrated ticketing system, for all modes of Melbourne's public transport.<ref name="YT-Trams in Melbourne"/>

An Automatic Vehicle Monitoring system was introduced in 1985, improving communication with drivers and allowing tracking of trams throughout the network. This reduced tram bunching and improved reliability of tram services.<ref name="YT-Trams in Melbourne"/>

The [[St Kilda railway line|St Kilda]] and [[Port Melbourne railway line|Port Melbourne]] railway lines were converted to light rail lines in 1987, with the lines closed on 1 July 1987 and 11 October 1987 respectively. Trams first ran on the St Kilda line on 20 November 1987, with Port Melbourne following on 13 December 1987.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vicsig.net/infrastructure/line/Port-Melbourne |title=Port Melbourne Line |work=Vicsig |access-date=29 November 2011 |archive-date=29 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160829211033/http://vicsig.net/infrastructure/line/Port-Melbourne |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vicsig.net/infrastructure/line/St-Kilda |title=St Kilda Line |work=Vicsig |access-date=29 November 2011 |archive-date=29 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160829072747/http://vicsig.net/infrastructure/line/St-Kilda |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.yarratrams.com.au/about-us/our-history/tramway-milestones/towards-the-modern-era/ |title=Towards the modern era |work=[[Yarra Trams]] |access-date=26 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318142144/http://www.yarratrams.com.au/about-us/our-history/tramway-milestones/towards-the-modern-era/ |archive-date=18 March 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The conversion consisted of the track being re-gauged from [[Irish gauge|broad gauge]] {{track gauge|5ft3in|lk=on}} to [[standard gauge]] {{Track gauge|impsg}}, the overhead wires being [[Track gauge conversion|converted]] to tramway voltage and light rail platforms built adjacent to the former stations platforms.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.railpage.org.au/tram/melbintr.html |title=Melbourne's tram system |author=David Hoadley |year=1998 |work=Trams of Australia |access-date=29 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000613044817/http://www.railpage.org.au/tram/melbintr.html |archive-date=13 June 2000 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

As a result of the Transport (Amendment) Act 1989 the MTA and STA were merged into the Public Transport Corporation (PTC) on 1 July 1989, bringing all rail services in Victoria under one body.<ref name="PROV MTA"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://access.prov.vic.gov.au/public/component/daPublicBaseContainer?component=daViewAgency&entityId=2984 |title=Public Transport Corporation |work=[[Public Record Office Victoria]] |access-date=29 November 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080507070201/http://access.prov.vic.gov.au/public/component/daPublicBaseContainer?component=daViewAgency&entityId=2984 |archive-date=7 May 2008 }}</ref>

By the late 1980s, the state government was under financial pressures brought on by an economic downturn. In January 1990, the [[Australian Labor Party|Labor]] government of [[Premiers of Victoria|Premier]] [[John Cain II|John Cain]] tried to introduce economies into the running of the public transport system, including the removal of [[Conductor (transportation)|tram conductors]]. This provoked a long and crippling strike by the tramways union in January 1990, resulting in a back-down by the government and the retention of conductors.<ref name="Melbourne tramways: union vs management">{{cite web |url=http://www.hawthorntramdepot.org.au/papers/union.htm |title=Melbourne tramways: union vs management |author=Russell Jones |year=2003 |work=Friends of Hawthorn Tram Depot |access-date=29 November 2011 |archive-date=23 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110823002116/http://www.hawthorntramdepot.org.au/papers/union.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the [[1992 Victorian state election|1992 state election]], the [[Liberal Party of Australia|Liberals]] came to power under Premier [[Jeff Kennett]], who planned to cut the costs of Melbourne's public transport network and remove conductors. [[OneLink Transit Systems|OneLink]] were contracted in 1995 to introduce an automatic ticketing system. The tramway union, which opposed this move, went on strike during the 1997 Grand Prix. One month later the government announced plans for [[privatisation]] of the PTC.<ref name="Melbourne tramways: union vs management"/> The tram conductors were replaced with ticketing machines between 1996 and 1998—shortly before the system was privatised.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.robx1.net/victkt/metcard/html/history.htm |title=Metcard—A brief history |author=Rob O'Regan |year=2002 |work=Victorian Public Transport Ticketing |access-date=29 November 2011 |archive-date=2 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002152743/http://www.robx1.net/victkt/metcard/html/history.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>