Trams will soon get new powers that have long eluded motorists – the ability to sail through traffic lights when running late.

Trams will be given the green light over cars in a trial of the new technology on the 75 tram route that runs along Toorak Road and the Burwood Highway.

Trams will get priority over cars when running late on the 75 route in a trial of new technology. Credit:Joe Armao

The GPS technology will trigger an early switch of the traffic lights from red to green to allow the late-running trams to proceed through the intersections.

The information from the GPS systems will be sent to a central traffic control centre to change the lights sequence and prioritise the late-running trams.