Covers to come off historic Melb trams

Almost 200 heritage W-class trams lying dormant in storage in Melbourne could be making a comeback.

The historic trams rattled around Melbourne from 1923 until most were pulled from the tracks in the early 1990s.

A dozen or so remain in service in Melbourne and Bendigo for tourism purposes.

An advisory group, announced on Monday, will consult stakeholders in the coming months before reporting to the Victorian government in the latter part of 2017.

"These icons have sat dormant for far too long, which is why we're establishing a reference group to undertake an audit on each and every one of them and develop a plan to determine their future use," Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan said in a statement.