Cranbourne and Pakenham lines entirely boom gate free

The Cranbourne and Pakenham lines are boom gate free, with all 27 sets of boom gates removed, and 12 new or upgraded stations delivered along Melbourne's busiest train lines.

Following the Sunbury Line becoming boom gate free last year, trains can travel almost 100km across Melbourne’s rail network from East Pakenham to Sunbury without passing through a single level crossing, providing passengers with access to 5 new underground stations as part of the Metro Tunnel.

The last set of boom gates on the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines at Webster Street, Dandenong were removed in October last year, with construction continuing on a new road underpass.

Removing all 27 sets of boom gates has eased congestion for the 426,000 vehicles that travelled through the level crossings each weekday, eliminating more than 18 hours of collective boom gate down time during the weekday morning peak alone.

With no boom gates on these lines and the Metro Tunnel open, we can now deliver more trains, more often - with local communities safer and less congested for road users.

As part of the Summer Start, more than 240 Metro Tunnel services are running on the Sunbury, Cranbourne and Pakenham corridor each week – in addition to regular timetabled City Loop services.

From 1 February, the Sunbury, Cranbourne and Pakenham lines will run exclusively through the Metro Tunnel, with more than 1,000 new weekly services.

Benefits delivered across the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines

• 27 sets of boom gates removed
• Over 18 hours of boom gate down time eliminated during the weekday morning peak alone (7am to 9am)
• Ten new stations and 2 upgraded stations
• Over 17 MCGs of new open space

Boom gate free and ready for more trains, more often

Since 2018, the Level Crossing Removal Project has removed 27 sets of boom gates and built ten new stations along the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines.

In 2018 we removed 11 sets of boom gates by elevating the rail line over the roads in Noble Park, Clayton, Carnegie and Murrumbeena and building road bridges in Lyndhurst and Dandenong South.

We also built 5 new modern elevated stations at Noble Park, Clayton, Carnegie, Murrumbeena and Hughesdale, unlocking over 11 MCGs worth of open space beneath the rail line and creating 17km of new walking and cycling paths.

From 2020 to 2023 we removed another 8 sets of boom gates by building road bridges in Lyndhurst, Pakenham, Cranbourne and Dandenong South, a road underpass in Berwick and rail bridges in Narre Warren and Dandenong.

We also built new accessible elevated stations at Hallam and Narre Warren, a new Merinda Park Station and upgraded Berwick and Oakleigh stations.

In 2024 we removed the boom gates at Brunt Road, Beaconsfield and Station Street, Officer and elevated the rail line to remove the McGregor Road, Main Street and Racecourse Road level crossings, making Pakenham level crossing free.

The project also created 6 MCGs worth of new open space and planted more than 330,000 grasses, trees and shrubs.

We extended the metropolitan line by 2km and opened brand new stations at Pakenham and East Pakenham.

Last year we made Beaconsfield level crossing free by building a road bridge over Station Street and removed the boom gates at Progress Street, Dandenong South in June.

The removal of the boom gates at Webster Street, Dandenong in October last year marked the final set of boom gates to be removed on the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines, making them officially boom gate free.

Together these are Melbourne's busiest rail line, used by more than 83,000 passengers each weekday.

Across Melbourne's South East, communities are enjoying safer, more reliable journeys on the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines and boom gate free local roads.

Removing all 27 sets of boom gates, building ten new stations and upgrading 2 stations on the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines has:

• eliminated over 18 hours of boom gate down time in the weekday morning peak alone (7am to 9am)
• allowed us to build over 26km of new walking and cycling paths created over 17 MCGs of open space
• allowed us to plant more than 1.7 million new trees, shrubs and grasses
• and paved the way for 1,000 new train services to run from 1 February 2026.

The Cranbourne and Pakenham lines are Melbourne’s third rail line to be boom gate free, following the Sunbury Line last year and the Lilydale Line in 2024.

With the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines now boom gate free, the Frankston Line will be level crossing free in 2029 and the Werribee Line will follow in 2030.

The Victorian Government has committed to removing 110 dangerous and congested level crossings by 2030, with 88 already gone for good.

Works continue in Dandenong

In Dandenong, Webster Street is safer and quieter for residents following the removal of the Webster Street boom gates and the closure of the level crossing during our October construction blitz last year.

A new walking and cycling path along Webster Street under the rail line is open, connecting residents to local shops and services in Dandenong's CBD and fixing a missing link in the Dandenong Creek Trail.

With the boom gates gone and the new walking and cycling path open, we're getting on with building a new road underpass that will connect Princes Highway-Lonsdale Street to Cheltenham and Hammond roads.

The new underpass will open in late 2026, 2 years ahead of schedule.

While we're building the new road underpass there are changes to the way you travel through Dandenong.

Thank you for your patience while we improve road connections in central Dandenong.

For more information, visit the Webster Street travel changes page.

Other Big Build projects

Metro Tunnel

The Metro Tunnel is open, one year ahead of schedule – and doubling the size of Melbourne's underground rail network forever.

The Metro Tunnel is the biggest transformation of Melbourne's rail network in 40 years, providing access to 5 brand new stations, slashing travel times and connecting people to jobs, hospitals, universities and arts precincts.

High-capacity signalling has been rolled out through the Metro Tunnel, allowing trains to run more closely together, unlocking more frequent train services for the Cranbourne and Pakenham Lines.

To celebrate the opening of the Metro Tunnel, public transport in Victoria will be free every weekend until 1 February 2026.

From 1 February all services on the Cranbourne, Pakenham and Sunbury Line travel exclusively through the new tunnel.

The Big Switch will launch 1,000 new weekly services on the Cranbourne, Pakenham and Sunbury Line.

Sunshine Superhub

Major changes to the rail network around Sunshine Station forms Stage 1 of the Melbourne Airport Rail.

These upgrades will untangle this complex section of the rail network and allow airport trains to travel through.

Works on the Sunshine Superhub will commence in early 2026 and be complete in 2030.

SRL East

The Suburban Rail Loop will slash travel times and cut congestion for busy families – while delivering 70,000 more homes within walking distance to jobs, healthcare, green open spaces and Australia’s largest universities.

SRL East will deliver 26km of twin tunnels and 6 brand new underground stations at Cheltenham, Clayton, Monash, Glen Waverley, Burwood and Box Hill.

Construction of SRL East is powering ahead with major construction underway, tunnelling to start in 2026 and trains taking passengers in 2035.