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Melbourne's Tramaroos team finished second last at this year’s European TramDriver Championship held in Warsaw on Saturday, trailing only London among non-European competitors. The event featured 26 teams competing in various tasks such as smooth stop-and-go driving with a water bowl and target braking, aiming to highlight the skills of tram drivers from around the world. Despite Melbourne having one of the largest tram networks globally, its team did not fare well compared to European counterparts, though Daniel Bowen from the Public Transport Users Association emphasized that participation was still valuable for learning and camaraderie.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-20,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
The Melbourne Tramaroos finished second-to-last at the European TramDriver Championship held in Warsaw on Saturday. The competition featured 26 teams from around the world competing in various precision tasks that simulate a tram driver's daily work, such as smooth stop and go with a bowl of water attached to the front of the tram (deducting points for every drop spilled), speed control at 25 km/h, target braking, tram bowling, lateral distance, basketball, perfect stops with specific doors, and reverse rides guided by whistle commands. Despite having one of the largest tram networks globally, Melbourne's team did not fare well, finishing just ahead of London. The champions were Vendula Tmejová and Zdeněk Rychtář from Prague, Czech Republic. Daniel Bowen, a spokesperson for the Public Transport Users Association, noted that while it was an unusual event in world sports, everyone seemed to enjoy it immensely.
Written for “European TramDriver Championship” on 2026-10-04,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
It’s the grand final for gunzels.
asserted
It → ’ → gunzels
But despite having one of the largest tram networks in the world, Melbourne’s Tramaroos finished second last at this year’s European TramDriver Championship, just ahead of London.
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Tramaroos → have → London
The event, held in Warsaw on Saturday, saw 26 teams compete across a series of demanding tasks, inspired – to varying degrees – by tram drivers’ day-to-day work.
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teams → hold → work
In smooth stop and go, drivers travelled with a bowl of water attached to the front of the tram – with points deducted for every drop spilled.
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points → go → drop
Other precision tasks involved speed control at 25 km/h, target braking, tram bowling, lateral distance, basketball, a perfect stop with the second door, and a reverse ride guided by whistle commands.
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tasks → involve → commands
Daniel Bowen, a spokesperson for the Public Transport Users Association, said it was “an unusual event in the pantheon of world sports”.
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it → say → sports
“It’s pretty entertaining,” he said, and an opportunity to look for inspiration from great other tram systems around the world.
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he → ’ → world
“Everyone looked like they were having a great time.”
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they → look → time
This year’s title went to Vendula Tmejová and Zdeněk Rychtář, from Prague, in the Czech Republic.
asserted
title → go → Republic
In 2022, Australia was the first ever non-European country chosen to participate.
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Australia → choose → 2022
This year, Yarra Trams sent Ivan Cavanagh of Southbank depot and Claudia Barrientos from Kew depot to compete as the “Tramaroos”.
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Trams → send → Tramaroos
Had they won, the trophy would have gone “straight to the pool room”, Cavanagh said.
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Cavanagh → win → room
“You would hope our team would do well but I’m sure there’s pretty stiff competition against you know the Europeans,” Bowen said.
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Bowen → hope → Europeans
“Perhaps it’s a bit like Eurovision – it’s great to participate.”
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it → ’ → Eurovision
Thousands of fans followed the spectacle live in Warsaw, with about 80,000 viewers worldwide watching the competition via livestream.
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Thousands → follow → livestream
Melbourne is set to host the next event in 2027.
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Melbourne → set → 2027
Bowen said it would be interesting to see if other Australian cities joined the competition, given recent extensions to light rail systems in Adelaide, Sydney, Canberra and the Gold Coast.
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cities → say → Adelaide
“Back in Melbourne, it’s a reminder that trams do form a vital part of the transport system.
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trams → ’ → system
We do have the biggest tram network in the world, but there’s more to do in terms of accessibility and on-road priority and service frequency.”
asserted
We → have → road
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