[1] Operated by Metro Trains Melbourne, it is the city's seventh longest metropolitan railway line at 36.7 kilometres (22.8 mi).

Since the 2010s, due to the heavily utilised infrastructure of the Hurstbridge Line, significant improvements and upgrades have been made.

[5] The first section of the Hurstbridge Line opened between Victoria Park (then named Collingwood) and Heidelberg in May 1888.

[8] The section to Victoria Park runs through two tunnels under a low ridge just east of the city, but most of the line runs on an embankment that carries the line above numerous main roads and suburban side streets.

A more direct connection, between Princes Bridge and Victoria Park (as Collingwood was renamed at the same time) was opened in October 1901.

[11] In April 1921, automatic signalling was implemented between Princes Bridge and Clifton Hill Station, and a few months later, the line (from Princes Bridge) was electrified to Heidelberg, followed by electrification to Eltham in April 1923, and Hurstbridge in August 1926.

[12] In September 1926, the single-track section between Clifton Hill and Westgarth was converted to Lever Locking and Track Control signalling, followed by Alphington Station to Heidelberg in June 1927.

[13] That section remained single tracked until 2018 when it was duplicated as part of the Level Crossing Removal Project at Lower Plenty Road near Rosanna Station.

[16] Prior to the timetable change, the shuttle service was provided by a double ended motored Tait train, and after their withdrawal in 1984, the shuttle service was provided by a 3 car Hitachi or Comeng train.

The new stock features three doors per side on each carriage with the ability to seat 432 passengers in each six-carriage configuration.

The first stage involved:[20][14] Construction was coordinated on the level crossing removals and duplication so both projects would be delivered more efficiently, with fewer disruptions to passengers while work is carried out.

Early works on the duplication began in June 2016, with major construction started in March 2017.

The new elevated Rosanna Station opened with the duplication of the single-track section completed on 30 April 2018, with 35 new and extended weekly train services between Eltham Station and the city loop introduced on 26 August of that year.

When announced, the second stage originally involved:[5] Under this plan, the heritage listed Eltham Trestle Bridge would be retained as that section of track did not need to be duplicated due to other improvements on the line.

[22] This was to avoid affecting an endangered Eltham copper butterfly habitat near Montmorency Station that was not discovered during prior environmental assessments of the project.

The 6-week 24/7 major construction blitz began on 16 March 2023 with the closure of the rail corridor to allow duplication works to ramp up.

[28] In the lead up to the 2022 Victorian state election, the incumbent Andrews government announced the construction of a rail bridge to remove the level crossing at Ruthven Street near Macleod Station by 2027.

[30] Train services on the Hurstbridge line are also subjected to maintenance and renewal works, usually on selected Fridays and Saturdays.

Sections of the line have been elevated onto a rail bridge or lowered into a cutting to eliminate level crossings.

[45] In compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act of 1992, all stations that are new-built or rebuilt are fully accessible and comply with these guidelines.

[52] Until early 2013, the Hurstbridge line was the last electrified railway in Melbourne to use a token system of safeworking.

In conjunction with these systems, trains through Greensborough, Eltham, and Hurstbridge stations continued to be controlled by some semaphore signals.