Route 3 was allocated to the line between the City (Swanston St) to East Malvern (Darling Rd) on 1 November 1970 following a major route number revision for trams running on Swanston Street. Prior to this, the line was run by Route 4D, an allocation that dates back to 1930. Trams traditionally terminated at the Victoria St terminus, but following an accident in 1991, trams instead terminated at the Queensberry St crossover. Due to congestion during peak hours at the crossover, some trams continued north to Melbourne University. Finally on 17 January 1996, a permanent shunt was built at Melbourne University. From then on, Route 3 trams were altered run full-time to Melbourne University.