Construction works update

Major construction is underway to remove the level crossings at Maddox Road and Champion Road, Newport.

In early April a new direct link between Champion Road and Maddox Road will open at Akuna Drive.

From Friday 10 April, crews will work 24 hours during a 14-day construction blitz.

Two new rail bridges will be completed over Maddox Road.

Champion Road level crossing will be permanently closed and the new pedestrian and cycling bridge will open at Champion Road.

Works will then shift to completing the third and final rail bridge – ready to take freight trains in late 2026.

The Maddox Road level crossing will be removed and the project will be complete in late 2026.

Whilst road closures are in place, please detour via Kororoit Creek Road, Mason Street or Melbourne Road.

Following the construction blitz, passenger services will use the new elevated bridges and trains will be back on the Altona Loop.

Why these level crossings need to go

• Up to 48 trains pass through the level crossings during the morning peak
• Boom gates down for around 50 minutes of the morning peak
• More trains will run on the Werribee Line thanks to the Metro Tunnel, with additional services to run during peak hour in the morning and evening
• Improved safety for drivers, bike riders and pedestrians

We're getting rid of 5 level crossings in Melbourne's inner west – at Newport, Altona, Yarraville and Spotswood. Getting rid of the boom gates at these locations will save people more than 220 minutes of boom gate down time in the morning peak.

Akuna Drive link road opening soon!

We’re putting the final touches to the new link road to connect Champion Road to Maddox Road at Akuna Drive.

The extended Akuna Drive will open to vehicles and pedestrians in early April, before Champion Road is closed permanently.

We're creating 80 new car spaces at Akuna Drive and will soon open an additional 50 car spaces at Park Drive, making it easier to find a park.

Kororoit Creek Road intersection upgrade

In early March, we will complete the upgrade of the Kororoit Creek Road and Maddox Road intersection.

New features include:

• extending the dedicated right-turn lane for smoother traffic flow
• adjusting traffic signals to allow more drivers through the intersection
• installing a dedicated U-turn to give drivers safe access without blocking traffic.

The new Akuna Drive link road provides a new access from Champion Road to Maddox Road. On average, most local journey times will only increase by an extra 2 minutes.

Champion Road’s pedestrian and cycling bridge is almost here

The pedestrian and cycling bridge is taking shape over the rail line at Champion Road and will be ready for the community to enjoy in mid April.

Paying tribute to the area’s natural beauty and industrial heritage, the bridge features resting points on both ends and features themes of coastal mangroves from the nearby Jawbone Flora and Fauna Reserve and imagery of the Newport Railway Workshops.

The bridge will keep the community connected and moving safely around the area.

Community shuttle bus

From Friday 10 to mid April, pedestrian access across the rail line at Champion Road will be temporarily closed while we lift the structure of the new pedestrian and cycling bridge into place and prepare it for the community to use.

During this time, we will provide a shuttle bus to transport locals safely from the north and south side of the rail line at Champion Road as the closest pedestrian crossing is at Newport Station – approximately a 17 minute walk away.

Our shuttle bus will safely keep pedestrians and locals moving around the area while we complete these works.

When the pedestrian and cycling bridge opens in mid April, locals will be able to access the bridge on either side of Champion Road via stairs or ramps from the Market Street Reserve or the ramp from the south side of the rail line.

More information including the bus route and timetable will be shared closer to the date.

Beaming at Newport

Our teams are working hard constructing the 3 rail bridges for the passenger and freight trains that will go over Maddox Road.

Works on the 2 passenger rail bridges are nearly complete, with the beams and U troughs now in place. Once the passenger rail bridges are built and trains are running on them in April, there will be enough space for us to safely build the new freight rail bridge.

The rail bridges at Maddox Road will be taking passenger trains after our construction blitz in April.

Did you know?

At project completion, we’ll plant over 5,000 large plants and 30,000 shrubs and grasses and 230 native trees across the project area.

Planting and landscaping will start in mid 2026 around Champion Road and later in the year for the rest of the project area.

Changes to how you travel

There will be changes to the way you travel around Newport in the coming months

Roads

• The level crossing at Champion Road will close on Friday 10 April permanently to vehicles.
• From Friday 10 April to Saturday 25 April, both Maddox Road and Champion Road will be closed. Please detour via Kororoit Creek Road, Mason Street or Melbourne Road. There will be signage around the area.

Rail

• Buses replace trains between North Melbourne, Werribee and Williamstown from 8.30pm, Friday 10 April to last service Tuesday 14 April.
• Buses replace trains between Newport and Werribee from Wednesday 15 April to 5am, Saturday 25 April.
• Timetable changes to the Werribee Line until Saturday 25 April.

Thank you for your patience

Since November, Werribee Line trains have been running on a single track between Newport and Laverton stations. This is called single line running.

Timetable changes, which have been in place since November, will continue until Saturday 25 April.

Following our construction blitz, passenger trains will use the newly constructed rail bridges from Saturday 25 April, with trains back up and running on the Altona Loop.

Stay up to date on travel changes by visiting Transport Victoria or via passenger information displays at your station.

Progress photos

Works have been ramping up over the last few months on both Maddox Road and Champion Road.

We’ve been:

• Installing beams and embankment walls for the passenger rail bridges.
• Backfilling embankments with recycled hardstand.
• Assembling the pedestrian and cycling bridge truss structure.
• Completing major signalling preparation works, including hand tracing over 3,000 individual wires in Newport South and Altona Junction.

Thank you for supporting local

As our works are on, traders are still open as usual. We encourage the community and our workforce to continue to support businesses in the area.

Thank you for supporting your local traders!

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Check out Newport’s Trader Hub

Get to know some of your local traders and browse the Trader Directory on our online Trader Hub.

Project timeline

Late 2022

• Project announced

2023

• Vision and values engagement
• Early site investigations and planning

2024

• Planning consultation and community surveys
• Stakeholder liaison group established
• Concept designs released
• Early works begin

2025

• Updated designs released
• Major works begin
• Final designs released

Early 2026

• New link road opens
• Champion Road level crossing closed
• Pedestrian and cycling bridge opens
• Park Crescent on-street parking opens

Late 2026

• Maddox Road level crossing removed
• Landscaping complete
• Project completion

*Timeline subject to change