Pakenham line

This article is about the Metro Trains Melbourne service. For the physical railway itself, see Gippsland railway line.

Pakenham
Railways in Melbourne
A High Capacity Metro Train arriving at Springvale station Platform 2
An East Pakenham-bound service High Capacity Metro Train arriving at Springvale station Platform 2, October 2024
Overview
Service typeCommuter rail
SystemMelbourne railway network
StatusOperational
LocaleMelbourne, Victoria, Australia
Predecessor
  • Princes Bridge – Richmond (1859–1860)
  • Princes Bridge – South Yarra (1860–1879)
  • Oakleigh – Pakenham (1877–1879)
  • Dandenong ^ (1922–1954)
^ are electric services
First service8 October 1877; 147 years ago (1877-10-08) as South Gippsland line
Current operator(s)Metro Trains
Former operator(s)
Route
TerminiFlinders Street
East Pakenham
Stops28 (including City Loop stations)
Distance travelled63.368 km (39.375 mi)
Average journey time1 hour 13 minutes (not via City Loop)
Service frequency
  • 5–10 minutes weekdays peak
  • 20 minutes weekdays off-peak and weekend daytime
  • 20–30 minutes weekend nights
  • 60 minutes early weekend mornings
  • Double frequency daytime between Flinders Street and Dandenong in combination with Cranbourne line
Line(s) usedOrbost
Technical
Rolling stockHCMT
Track gauge1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in)
Electrification1500 V DC overhead
Track owner(s)VicTrack

The Pakenham line is a commuter railway line on the Melbourne metropolitan railway network serving the city of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. Operated by Metro Trains Melbourne, the line is coloured light blue and is one of the two lines that constitute the Caulfield group. It is the city's longest metropolitan railway line at 57 kilometres (35 mi). The line runs from Flinders Street station in central Melbourne to East Pakenham station in the south-east, serving 27 stations via South Yarra, Caulfield, Oakleigh, and Dandenong.[1]

The line operates for approximately 20 hours a day (from approximately 4:00 am to around midnight) with 24 hour service available on Friday and Saturday nights. During peak hour, headways of up to 5 to 10 minutes are operated with services every 20 minutes during off-peak hours.[2] Trains on the Pakenham line run with a seven-car formation operated by High Capacity Metro Trains.[3]

Sections of the Pakenham line opened as early as 1859, with the line fully extended to Pakenham in October 1877. A limited number of stations were first opened, with infill stations progressively opened between 1879 and 2012.[4] The line was built to connect Melbourne with the rural towns of Caulfield, Oakleigh, and Dandenong, amongst others. Significant growth has occurred since opening, with an extension to open on the Pakenham line one stop east to a new station in Pakenham East as part of the Level Crossing Removal Project.[5] This extension opened on 3 June 2024.[5][6]

Since the 2010s, due to the heavily utilised infrastructure of the Pakenham line, significant improvements and upgrades have been made. A $15 billion upgrade of the corridor included the replacement of sleepers, the introduction of new signalling technology, the introduction of new rolling stock, the removal of all level crossings, and works associated with the Metro Tunnel project. These projects have improved the quality and safety of the line[7] and will be completed by the opening of the Metro Tunnel in 2025.[8]

  1. ^ "Metro's paper timetables mess". Daniel Bowen. 3 September 2017. Archived from the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  2. ^ "Pakenham Line Timetable". Public Transport Victoria. Archived from the original on 7 September 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  3. ^ "High Capacity Metro Trains Project, Victoria, Australia". Railway Technology. Archived from the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  4. ^ "What year did your railway station open? | Public Transport Users Association (Victoria, Australia)". Archived from the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  5. ^ a b Victoria's Big Build (18 February 2021). "New Pakenham East station location announced and 3 more sets of boom gates to go". Victoria’s Big Build. Archived from the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  6. ^ "Stations to open 3 June". Pakenham Gazette. 10 May 2024. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  7. ^ "Level Crossing-Free Pakenham Line Another Step Closer". Archived from the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  8. ^ Victoria's Big Build (28 November 2022). "About the Metro Tunnel Project". Victoria’s Big Build. Archived from the original on 7 December 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2022.