New trains, signalling and grade separation for Dandenong corridor
Denis Napthine, celebrating his first 365 days in office as Premier of Victoria, has announced the Dandenong corridor, comprising the Pakenham and Cranbourne lines, is to be a focal point of heavy rail investment.
The project that was announced today comprises:
- an order for 25 new trains
- the roll out of a new signalling system for the Dandenong corridor
- 4 level crossing removals at Murrumbeena Road, Koornang Road, CLAYTON Road and Centre Road
- 3 station rebuilds at CLAYTON, Murrumbeena and Carnegie
- a new train maintenance depot to be built in Pakenham
Premier Napthine also made mention the project was the first under the government's unsolicited proposals process with delivery to be undertaken by MTR, John Holland Construction and UGL Rail Services which make up the consortium who operate Metro Trains.
The press release also mentions that after the competition of the project in 2019, 18 services will be able to run in peak periods increasing capacity by 4500 people per hour.
It is increasingly likely the 'next generation' signalling system to be deployed will be an in-cab moving block system thus allowing trains to run closer together to obtain the expected passenger benefits.
Lead image credit: Flickr CC BY-SA 2.0
