The Narre Warren station is now open, the first trains gracing its new elevated platforms on the morning of Thursday 28 March.
After the removal of the level crossing at Webb Street in late 2023, the Minister for Transport Infrastructure, Danny Pearson announced that the station is ready to cater to roughly 1000 passengers a day.
However, that’s only a step completed in the southeast, with more upgrades to come.
“We’re transforming Melbourne’s booming southeast by delivering a level crossing free Pakenham line next year, making roads safer and less congested for thousands living along the corridor,” Mr Pearson said.
The elevated station now houses an upgraded ticket office, with stair and lift access available on both platforms.
Additional lifts, a new air-conditioned room and some new toilet facilities are expected to be installed in the coming months.
For Narre Warren North MP Belinda Wilson, the new station is a big boon for locals, public transport goers and drivers passing through Webb Street.
“The dangerous and congested Webb Street level crossing is gone for good and locals now have access to an elevated station in the heart of Narre Warren Village,” she said.
Works will continue outside of the station, with the project looking to add 672 new car parking spaces, as well as planting more than 300 new trees and 63,000 plants to revitalise the area’s green space.
Before the new station, the boom gates at Webb Street were down for 33 per cent of the morning peak, causing congestion for 13,200 vehicles every day, with an additional 19 near misses at the crossing since 2012.
Narre Warren South MP Gary Maas is more than welcoming of the new station, saying that “Narre Warren is the latest community to benefit from a new station, which will provide better connections for the local community and make public transport more accessible”.
The level crossing is the 14th removed by the Labor Government on the Pakenham line, with more work underway on another eight to make the line boom gate-free by 2025.
These works also contribute to the new metro tunnel also set to open in 2025, which would see more services delivered in the Pakenham line and create a new, continuous line to the west in Sunbury.
As for crossing levels in Pakenham, works continue with a 2.5-kilometre rail bridge and two new stations being built and geared open later this year.
