Station location

The Victorian Government is removing the 3 dangerous and congested level crossings at McGregor Road, Main Street and Racecourse Road and building 2 new stations at Pakenham and Pakenham East. This project is part of a $15 billion investment to upgrade the Pakenham Line.

The Pakenham Level Crossing Removal Project will deliver major benefits for the fast growing local community. It not only improves the reliability of existing transport services but also paves the way for more Pakenham and Gippsland train services to be added in the future. Importantly, the new Pakenham East Station will ensure the right infrastructure is in place to support one of Melbourne’s newest suburbs.

The location of the new Pakenham East Station was determined through detailed technical analysis. This expert analysis found it was the best location for the new station because it meets the engineering requirements needed to build a new train station and the operational requirements that support train frequency and reliability.

The team examined a number of different options for the location of a new station at Pakenham East but these were ruled out due to engineering and physical constraints.

Further East:

• Princes Freeway bridges are immediately to the east with insufficient space for a station.
• Modern stations cannot be built on a curved section of rail track. A straight section is required to meet modern accessibility and safety standards.
• The area near the stabling and maintenance facility has insufficient space for the complex track configuration needed for the new station.
• There is no direct access to the Pakenham East Precinct Structure Plan area between Princes Freeway Bridge and the stabling and maintenance facility.

Further West:

• Constrained by Deep Creek and the new elevated rail line over Racecourse Road.

Further North East:

• No direct connection from the new station into the stabling and maintenance facility for one of the busiest corridors on the rail network.

Why does Pakenham East Station need to be on the main rail line?

The new Pakenham East Station can't be located on a secondary line, known as a spur line, into the Pakenham East Precinct Structure area. The station needs to be on the main rail line to:

• Provide the space needed for Metro trains to safely turnback at the end of the Pakenham Line.
• Enable Metro and V/Line trains to crossover and bypass each other, minimising congestion and delays.
• Provide direct connection from the new station into the stabling and maintenance facility for one of the busiest corridors on the rail network.
• Allow services to be added in the future, including new services from Metro Tunnel and Melbourne Airport Rail.

Benefits of the new Pakenham East Station

• Improves timetable reliability for metropolitan and regional train services.
• Provides capacity for more reliable services for regional passengers.
• Preparing the network for improved rail services in the future.

View PDF for Pakenham East Station location map.