The European TramDriver Championship delivered a challenging showcase of tram-driving skills in Warsaw on Saturday, where Melbourne’s Tramaroos placed second last, just ahead of London. Despite the result at the European TramDriver Championship, the outing drew large crowds on site and online and has set the stage for Melbourne to host the event in 2027.
The competition featured 26 teams tackling exercises modeled on real-world driving, with varying degrees of novelty. According to organizers, events included smooth stop and go with a bowl of water mounted to the tram’s front with penalties for spilled drops, speed control at 25 km/h, target braking, tram bowling, lateral distance checks, basketball, a perfect stop aligning the second door, and a reverse run directed by whistle cues.
Daniel Bowen of the Public Transport Users Association called it an unusual addition to the global sporting calendar and said it offered a chance to draw lessons from leading tram systems. He described the spectacle as entertaining and noted that competitors appeared to be enjoying themselves.
This year’s title went to Prague representatives Vendula Tmejová and Zdeněk Rychtář of the Czech Republic. Australia first joined the field in 2022 as the initial non-European participant. For 2024, Yarra Trams sent Ivan Cavanagh from the Southbank depot and Claudia Barrientos from the Kew depot under the Tramaroos banner. Cavanagh quipped that a victory would have sent the trophy “straight to the pool room.”
Bowen said expectations were tempered given the quality of European rivals, likening the event to Eurovision and emphasizing the value of participation. Crowds in Warsaw numbered in the thousands, and organizers reported roughly 80,000 viewers on the global livestream.
Melbourne is slated to stage the championship in 2027. Bowen said it would be worth watching whether other Australian cities field teams, noting recent expansions of light rail in Adelaide, Sydney, Canberra and on the Gold Coast.
He added that the event serves as a reminder of the role trams play in Melbourne’s transport network. The city operates what is often described as the largest tram system in the world, and Bowen said there remains work to do on accessibility, on-road priority and service frequency.
European TramDriver Championship returns to Australia in 2027
With the next edition heading to Melbourne, local operators such as Yarra Trams and enthusiasts will have another opportunity to benchmark skills against international peers and highlight ongoing improvements to Australia’s light rail systems.