Plan ahead: disruptions to travel on roads and rail

There are closures on the train lines this weekend.

By Danielle Kutchel

Part of the Monash Freeway will be closed this weekend as works continue to widen the arterial.

The Pakenham Bypass will be closed between the Old Princes Highway and Cardinia Road outbound each night until Saturday 12 December and on Monday 14 December and Tuesday 15 December between 8pm and 6am.

The closures are in place to enable workers to install beams above Cardinia Creek to widen the bridge so new lanes can be added.

Motorists can detour via Cardinia Road and Princes Highway.

Further up the Monash, the freeway in Hallam will be closed in both directions between the South Gippsland Freeway and Princes Highway from 10pm on Sunday 13 December until 4.30am on Monday 14 December, while crews install a gantry as part of a new traffic management system.

Drivers can detour via South Gippsland Freeway and Princes Highway.

Meanwhile, maintenance works will see buses replace trains on the Pakenham, Cranbourne and Frankston lines between Flinders Street station and Oakleigh/Moorabbin on Saturday 12 December between 12.45am and 6.15pm.

Renewal works, signal maintenance, vegetation management cleaning and repairs will be undertaken during this time and travellers are advised to allow an extra 45 minutes travel time.

Similarly, on the Gippsland line, coaches will replace trains between Southern Cross and Pakenham on Saturday 12 December until 5.30pm while maintenance works are conducted on the metropolitan line.

Travellers should allow an additional 60 minutes travel time.

More disruptions are expected in the coming months as works ramp up on Monash Freeway upgrades and on level crossing removals.