Cranbourne line passengers will experience a more robust, reliable and frequent service thanks to one of Melbourne’s biggest ever upgrades to a working rail line.
We know there are delays and cancellations on the Cranbourne line, which is why the Andrews Labor Government is undertaking $15 billion worth of work to improve services, including building the Metro Tunnel and removing 11 dangerous and congested level crossings.
A massive, long-overdue revamp of power and signalling along the entire length of the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines is continuing this week as part of an 11-day construction blitz which began last Saturday and will run through until 14 August.
Enough communications cabling to run all the way from Melbourne to Sydney is being installed as part of the 80-kilometre overhaul, supporting a modernised signalling system.
These works also include track work to improve the tangled rail junction at Dandenong – a crucial first step towards the duplication of track through Lynbrook, Merinda Park and Cranbourne.
The Victorian Budget 2018/19 committed to detailed planning towards the duplication of track between Dandenong and Cranbourne to remove the bottleneck created by the current single track. This planning process, already underway, is part of a $572 million upgrade package for Melbourne’s busiest corridor.
The Labor Government will get this planning right - unlike the Victorian Liberals botched plan to extend to Clyde without duplicating which will just mean more congestion, delays and cancellations.
Not only is it a display of poor planning but it’s also massively underfunded.
Just getting rid of the 4 level crossings they have promised will consume the entire $487 million they have allocated.
Building bigger trains, removing level crossings and fixing signalling are all part of a broader plan to transform the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines into a ‘super corridor’, with bigger, more frequent trains running all the way out to Sunbury via the Metro Tunnel.
A new metropolitan train timetable, kicking off on 26 , will incorporate ten extra weekday services from Cranbourne and 80 extra new or extended services on the Caulfield-Dandenong corridor.
The Cranbourne and Pakenham lines are Melbourne’s busiest, used by more than 90,000 passengers per day. More information .
Quotes attributable to Minister for Public Transport Jacinta Allan
“With $15 billion of work underway - we’re delivering for the people of Cranbourne by getting on with projects that will get them home safer and sooner.”
“The greatest threat to this community is Matthew Guy and his botched project - underfunded, poorly planned and given their previous form unlikely to happen.”
“The Victorian Liberals have promised communities public transport projects in the past - and delivered nothing.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020