In 1904, at the initiative of Premier Thomas Bent, the Victorian Railways was authorised to build an "electric street railway" from St Kilda to Brighton. The line opened in early 1906 and was one of Melbourne's first electric tram services. A second electric tramway from the Sandringham railway terminus to Black Rock opened on 10 March 1910 and was extended to Beaumaris in 1926. Both services began with single-bogie combination and 'toast rack' or cross-seat tram cars but from 1913 larger bogie trams were introduced that were similar to MMTB's W-class trams. Both services were finally withdrawn on 5 November 1956.