Turn up and go

An 80 train extra services will run each week on the Cranbourne and Pakenham line.

More services are being added to the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines as the new metropolitan train timetable starts this week (Monday 27 August).

Passengers can now access ‘turn-up-and-go’ on the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines to Dandenong, with trains running every 10 minutes on weekdays until 10pm as part of the 80 extra services running per week.

The new timetable delivers 60 services, either new or extended, to Dandenong Station passengers, and 65 new or extended services for Westall Station passengers.

Passengers at stations between Dandenong and the city will be able to access an extra 45 services extended from Cranbourne each week.

The 10 new services a week on the Cranbourne line are filling gaps from the previous timetable, with 45 services also extended to run between Flinders Street and Cranbourne Station, giving passengers more one-seat journeys.

Pakenham Line passengers are also benefiting from the extension of five extra evening services a week from Dandenong, making the timetable more consistent.

The delivery of the new services comes as works continue on the Labor Government’s 65 new High Capacity Metro Trains, which will carry 20 per cent more passengers than any other train currently on the network.

Supported by critical power and signalling upgrades, the bigger, better trains will be rolled out on the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines from mid-2019, eventually running through the Metro Tunnel and out to Sunbury.

New timetables and route maps are now available at ptv.vic.gov.au, on the PTV app, at staffed stations or by calling the Public Transport call centre on 1800 800 007.

Cranbourne MP Jude Perera said “This new timetable is giving passengers more options on some of our busiest train lines while we get on with building the Metro Tunnel, which will free up space to run even more services on the Pakenham and Cranbourne lines.”

Opposition leader Matthew Guy said the City of Casey was experiencing “substantial population growing pains” and needed “immediate government action.”

He said the Liberals announcement to extend the Cranbourne rail line to Clyde along with their plan to remove intersections at Thompsons Road and Western Port Highway in Lyndhurst as well as Hall Road and Western Port Highway, Cranbourne West “will also help bust local congestion.”