Buses will replace trains on sections of Melbourne’s Cranbourne and Pakenham lines over an 11-day period in August, as work ramps up to extend station platforms in preparation for the introduction of new high capacity trains.
The works to extend platforms and replace aging rail infrastructure – including decades old signalling along the line past Dandenong – will see buses replacing trains in phases between Saturday 4 August and Monday 14 August on sections the lines past Dandenong.
The replacement buses will run on the line between Dandenong and Cranbourne from 4-5 August, between Dandenong and Pakenham from 4-12 August, then between Westall, Cranbourne and Pakenham on 13 and 14 August. Throughout this 11-day period, additional express bus services will run between Westall and Cranbourne and Pakenham.
“These upgrades are urgently needed for us to keep pace with demand on Melbourne’s busiest train lines – unless we act now, the system will eventually run itself into the ground,” acting public transport minister Luke Donnellan said.
“We ask passengers to bear with us through these disruptions as we work towards creating the train service that Victorians expect.”
In addition to the disruptions on the metropolitan lines, all Traralgon and Bairnsdale line V/Line services will also be replaced by coaches for the entire journey from 6 -14 August.
Platforms at four stations are to be extended during this intensive August construction period – at Dandenong, Officer, Cranbourne and Hallam stations. Thirteen stations will eventually be extended along the line to support new High-Capacity Metro Trains (HCMTs), which are 20 per cent longer than the existing fleet.
Eventually, sixty-five of the new trains will run on the network and service passengers between the Cranbourne-Pakenham lines, the CBD and Sunbury via the Metro Tunnel when it opens in 2026. The first HCMT is expected to enter service in 2019.
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