The Pakenham line is a commuter railway line on the Melbourne metropolitan railway network serving the city of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. Operated by Metro Trains Melbourne, the line is coloured light blue and is one of the three lines that constitute the Metro Tunnel Group. It is the city's longest metropolitan railway line at . The line runs from Town Hall station in central Melbourne to East Pakenham station in the south-east, serving 24 stations via Caulfield, Oakleigh, and Dandenong.
The line operates for approximately 20 hours a day (from approximately 4:00 am to around midnight) with 24 hour service available on Friday and Saturday nights. During peak hour, headways of up to 5 to 10 minutes are operated with services every 20 minutes during off-peak hours. Trains on the Pakenham line run with a seven-car formation operated by High Capacity Metro Trains. Since 1 February 2026, the Pakenham line is through routed with the Sunbury line, running through the Metro Tunnel via Town Hall station.
Sections of the Pakenham line opened as early as 1859, with the line fully extended to Pakenham in October 1877. A limited number of stations were first opened, with infill stations progressively opened between 1879 and 2012. The line was built to connect Melbourne with the rural towns of Caulfield, Oakleigh, and Dandenong, amongst others. Significant growth has occurred since opening, with an extension to open on the Pakenham line one stop east to a new station in Pakenham East as part of the Level Crossing Removal Project. This extension opened on 3 June 2024.
Since the 2010s, due to the heavily utilised infrastructure of the Pakenham line, significant improvements and upgrades have been made. A $15 billion upgrade of the corridor included the replacement of sleepers, the introduction of new signalling technology, the introduction of new rolling stock, the removal of all level crossings, and works associated with the Metro Tunnel project. These projects have improved the quality and safety of the line and were completed by the opening of the Metro Tunnel in November 2025.
History 19th century In 1877, the Pakenham line began operations from Oakleigh to Bunyip, as part of the main line to Gippsland. The section from Oakleigh to Flinders Street station was connected at South Yarra in April 1879. In 1877, the Pakenham line began operations from Oakleigh to Bunyip, as part of the single-tracked main line to Gippsland, with an extension of the duplicated section of the line opening in 1881 to Caulfield, Oakleigh in 1883, and Dandenong in 1891. In 1883 the line between Richmond station and South Yarra was quadrupled to accommodate an increase in train services due to the opening of Frankston and Sandringham lines.
In 1885, a number of level crossing removal works occurred between Flinders Street station and South Yarra due to an increase in freight and passenger operations. These crossings were removed through a combination of lowering and raising the corridor.
20th century
In 1915, the line between South Yarra and Caulfield was quadrupled, as part of level crossing removal works. This section of the line was lowered into a cutting to eliminate numerous level crossings. Power signalling was provided between Richmond and Hawksburn at the same time, then on to Caulfield in 1921.Fisher, Peter (2007). Victorian Signalling: by Accident or Design?. Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division).
Electrification of the line to Dandenong occurred in two stages during 1922. In May 1922, the section from South Yarra to Oakleigh station was electrified, with the section to Dandenong being electrified later in December 1922. The electrification of the line allowed for the introduction of Swing Door electric multiple unit trains for the first time.S.E. Dornan and R.G. Henderson: (1979) The Electric Railways of Victoria
Power signalling was extended to Carnegie in 1933, Oakleigh in 1940, and to Dandenong in stages between 1970 and 1972.
The line between Dandenong, Pakenham and Traralgon was electrified in 1954. Initially single track, duplication of the line between Dandenong, Pakenham and Nar Nar Goon was completed in 1955 and 1956. Suburban services were extended beyond Dandenong to Pakenham in January 1975. Previously, the stations between Dandenong and Pakenham were only served by regional passenger trains connecting Gippsland to Melbourne."Improved Suburban Services". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society. February 1975. p. 33.
In 1981, Pakenham line services commenced operations through the City Loop, after previously terminating at Flinders or Spencer Street stations. The commencement of operations involved the service stopping at three new stations—Parliament, Melbourne Central (formally Museum), and Flagstaff. The Loop follows La Trobe and Spring Streets along the northern and eastern edges of the Hoddle Grid. The Loop connects with Melbourne's two busiest stations, Flinders Street and Southern Cross, via the elevated Flinders Street Viaduct. From 2025, the Pakenham line will no longer operate through the City Loop, instead operating via the north-south Metro Tunnel corridor.
21st century
In 2002, after the closure of the nearby General Motors factory in 1991, General Motors station closed permanently after 46 years of operation. A 2007 restructure of train ticketing in Melbourne involved the removal of Zone 3, with Zone 3 stations being re-classified to Zone 2.
The Pakenham line received heavy investment during the 2010s to align with the 2013 PTV Development Plan. A new station at Cardinia Road opened in 2012 situated between Officer and Pakenham stations. This is the first infill station to open on the line since 1927, with an additional station at Pakenham East expected to open in 2024 in conjunction with level crossing removal works. In 2018, the Pakenham East Depot opened for the newly acquired High Capacity Metro Trains. This depot has stabling capacity for 30 seven-car trains with train maintenance, driver training, and washing facilities present onsite.
Announced in 2021, the Pakenham line was extended one stop east to East Pakenham. The extension involved the removal of the Main Street and Racecourse Road level crossings, the elevation of Pakenham station, the construction of a new station at East Pakenham and other associated safety and landscape works. These works were undertaken as part of the Level Crossing Removal Project. The rebuilt Pakenham and East Pakenham opened on 3 June 2024.
Route
The Pakenham line forms a relatively linear route from the Melbourne central business district to its terminus in Pakenham. The route is long and is predominantly doubled tracked, however between Flinders Street and Richmond, the corridor is widened to 12 tracks, narrowing to six tracks between Richmond and South Yarra before again narrowing to four tracks between South Yarra and Caulfield. After Caulfield station, the corridor again narrows to two tracks for the rest of the route. The only underground section of the Pakenham line is in the Metro Tunnel, where the service stops at 2 underground stations. Exiting the city, the Pakenham line traverses mainly flat country with few curves and fairly minimal earthworks for most of the line. However, between South Yarra and Malvern, the rail corridor has been lowered into a cutting to eliminate level crossings, and between Malvern and Caulfield, the corridor has been raised on an embankment for the same reason. After Caulfield, the line formerly had numerous level crossings, however, all have now been removed between Caulfield and Dandenong as part of an elevated rail project, as well as some older bridges over and under roads. The Victorian government aimed to remove all level crossings from the line by 2025, to improve travel times and make local roads safer. In 2024, Star News reported that the last level crossing on the line, at Webster Street in Dandenong, was planned to be removed in late 2025. As of January 2026, the Level Crossing Removal Project website listed the project as still under construction, without an update since the previous year.
The line follows the same alignment as the Cranbourne line with the two services splitting onto different routes at Dandenong. The Pakenham line continues on its eastern alignment, whereas the Cranbourne line takes a southerly alignment towards its final destination of Cranbourne station. Most of the rail line goes through built-up suburbs and some industrial areas, but after Dandenong, the line passes through more open countryside, including open fields and farms, particularly after Beaconsfield. This outer portion of the line is one of Melbourne's main growth corridors, where farmland is being replaced with housing and commercial developments, leading to a rise in patronage.
Stations The line serves 24 stations across of track. The stations are a mix of elevated, lowered, underground, and ground level designs. Underground stations are present only in the City Loop, with the majority of elevated and lowered stations being constructed as part of the Level Crossing Removal Project. On 1 February 2026, services ceased stopping at Flinders Street, Southern Cross, Flagstaff, Melbourne Central, Parliament, Richmond and South Yarra stations due to the opening of the Metro Tunnel, and instead began stopping at Anzac and Town Hall. From March-June 2024, Narre Warren and Pakenham stations were elevated as part of Level Crossing Removal Project. On 1 February 2026, the Metro Tunnel began full operation, and the Pakenham and Cranbourne lines were through-routed through to Sunbury. StationImageAccessibilityOpenedTerrainTrain connectionsOther connectionsTown HallYes - step free access2025Underground Anzac MalvernNo—steep ramp1879LoweredCaulfieldGround level CarnegieYes—step free accessElevatedMurrumbeenaHughesdale1925Oakleigh1877Ground levelHuntingdaleNo—steep ramp1927ClaytonYes—step free access1880ElevatedWestall1951Ground levelSpringvale1880LoweredSandown ParkNo—steep ramp1888Ground levelNoble ParkYes—step free access1913ElevatedYarramanNo—steep ramp1976Ground levelDandenong1877 HallamYes—step free access1880ElevatedNarre Warren1882Berwick1877Ground levelBeaconsfieldNo—steep ramp1879OfficerYes—step free access1881Cardinia Road2012Pakenham1877Elevated East Pakenham2024Ground level
Station historiesStationOpenedClosedAge NotesArden30 November 2025 UndergroundParkvilleState LibraryTown HallAnzac Not a stop since 31 January 2021 due to a timetable reshuffle Not a stop since 31 January 2021 due to a timetable reshuffle Not a stop since 31 January 2021 due to a timetable reshuffle Formerly Rosstown Formerly Eastoakleigh Formerly Clayton's Road Formerly Spring Vale Formerly Oakleigh Park Racecourse Formerly Hallam's Road Formerly Officer's Siding East Pakenham
Pre Metro Tunnel stations StationAccessibilityOpenedTerrainTrain connectionsOther connectionsNotesFlinders StreetYes—step free access1854Lowered Not a stop since 31 December 2025 for unspecified reasonsSouthern Cross1859Ground level Not a stop since 31 January 2026 due to the opening of The Metro TunnelFlagstaff1985UndergroundNot a stop since 31 January 2026 due to the opening of the Metro TunnelMelbourne Central1981 Not a stop since 31 January 2026 due to the opening of The Metro TunnelParliament1983Not a stop since 31 January 2026 due to the opening of The Metro TunnelRichmondNo—steep ramp1859Elevated Not a stop since 31 January 2026 due to the opening of The Metro TunnelSouth Yarra1860LoweredNot a stop since 31 January 2026 due to the opening of the Metro Tunnel
Services