Passengers in Melbourne’s growing south-east will have better access to public transport from next month, following the opening of the new Pakenham and East Pakenham stations on Monday 3 June.
The new elevated Pakenham Station will become the centrepiece of the town centre, including a new forecourt complete with seating, landscaping and an integrated bus interchange – creating easier and safer local connections.
Melbourne’s newest station at East Pakenham will also cater for the growing suburb, which will see 7200 new homes built in coming years, with the infrastructure in place before locals move in. The new station will help improve reliability for metropolitan and regional train services, allowing trains to bypass each other, reducing congestion and delays.
Work is also progressing to remove three level crossings at Main Street, McGregor Road and Racecourse Road, with a final major construction blitz taking place from 9.30pm, Friday 17 May until last service, Sunday 2 June.
Buses will replace trains on sections of the Pakenham Line as a crew of 200 people work around the clock to demolish the current Pakenham Station, complete the elevated 2.5km rail bridge, and prepare the new stations for passengers.
The first test train will run to East Pakenham in the coming weeks, testing the track, overhead wiring and rail infrastructure.
There will also be short road closures at Pakenham’s level crossings in May, and Main Street and McGregor Road will close again in June and July for line marking and road resurfacing works.
When trains resume service on Monday 3 June, Pakenham will be boom gate free, and both the new Pakenham and East Pakenham stations will welcome passengers. Work will continue at Pakenham Station as crews install lifts and permanent stairs. A shuttle bus will connect Pakenham with nearby stations for those who cannot use stairs.
All Pakenham Line services will run through to the new East Pakenham Station from Monday 3 June, continuing the 5-10 minute frequency in weekday peaks, and a 20 minute frequency off peak weekdays and weekends. Passengers can view the new timetable for East Pakenham Station from Friday 17 May on the PTV website.
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