Passenger train services along the Cranbourne/Pakenham Line are now operating with High Capacity Signalling – the high-tech signalling system introduced to Melbourne’s rail network by the Metro Tunnel Project.
High Capacity Signalling is a bit like adaptive cruise control in a car, tracking the location and speed of trains in real time to ensure safe distances and speeds. This technology will soon allow passenger trains on parts of the network to travel closer together, improving service frequency and reliability.
This is the first time in Australia the next-generation signalling system has been retrofitted to an existing network, and comes after years of testing new systems and trains without passengers.
There are now 17 passenger services a day using the new signalling system on sections of the Cranbourne/Pakenham Line, alongside Melbourne’s conventional signalling system. The number of services running HCS will increase in coming months.
When the Metro Tunnel opens in 2025, trains on the new Cranbourne/Pakenham to Sunbury Line will use a mix of HCS and conventional signalling, and will exclusively use the new signalling system when travelling through the Metro Tunnel and its 5 new underground stations.