stop. In 1909, a line was built from Kilbirnie to Lyall Bay and then another from Tinakori Road to Wadestown. In 1915, a line was built to connect Newtown with Kilbirnie, via Constable Street and Crawford Road. In 1929, the last new line was completed, a branch of the Karori line through a tunnel to Northland. Finally, in 1940, a shorter route was opened up Bowen Street to the western suburbs of Karori and Northland instead of the route via Tinakori Road. This had been proposed since 1907, but successive prime ministers (Ward and Massey) opposed noisy trams using Bowen Street or Hill Street close to parliament. A 1935 demonstration by a Fiducia tram convinced the speaker and members of the Legislative Council that modern trams were silent. In 1924, a case went to the Court of Appeal of New Zealand challenging the use of eminent domain to secure right-of-ways for tracks. In Boyd v Mayor of Wellington, the court found that, although the government forced the sale of land improperly, it had acted in good faith so the sale was not reversed. Wellington's more northerly suburbs, such as Johnsonville and Tawa, were not served by the tram network, as they were (and are) served by the Wellington railway system. The Wellington Cable Car, another part of Wellington's transport network, is sometimes described as a tram, but is not generally considered so. It was opened in 1902, and is still in operation. Wellington's electric tramways had the unusual gauge of , a narrow gauge. The steam and horse trams were gauge, also narrow and the same as New Zealand's national railway gauge. Map The map below shows the Wellington tramway network at its greatest extent, superimposed on a map of the city as it is today. Closure In the late 1940s and early 1950s, it was decided to replace the trams with buses and trolleybuses, which were seen as more advanced and better suited to the city's needs. The topography of Wellington played a part in this decision – the city's streets are often steep, winding, and narrow, making the greater manoeuvrability of buses a significant asset. The principle of electric transport was retained – many of the tram routes were served by trolleybuses until 2017, see Trolleybuses in Wellington. The first major line closure came in 1949, when Wadestown closed. The following year the Oriental Bay line closed. In