Crews recently completed a major construction blitz in Newport to prepare for the next stage of works on the new rail bridges over Maddox Road.
While trains weren’t running, crews worked around the clock along the rail corridor, completing signalling upgrades and removing 3000 tonnes of ballast, and 800 metres of track and 1 kilometre of overhead wiring on the Werribee Line.
Works were also progressed for the new pedestrian and cycling path being built over the rail line at Champion Road.
With these works complete, trains are operating on a single track between Newport and Laverton stations until late April 2026.
During this time, Werribee-bound services will operate via the Altona Loop, and all city-bound services will travel direct from Laverton Station to Newport Station. Passengers travelling to the city from Seaholme, Altona and Westona will travel by shuttle bus to Newport Station, where they can continue their journey to the city by train.
Running the trains in this way ensures passenger services on the busy Werribee Line can continue to operate during major works, reducing the need for bus replacement services.
The Maddox Road and Champion Road level crossings will be gone by 2026, and Akuna Drive will be extended to link to a boom gate free Maddox Road.
Five level crossings are going for good in Melbourne’s inner west, at Newport, Altona, Spotswood and Yarraville, making the Werribee line boom gate free by 2030.
