Werribee Line
Metropolitan railway from Werribee through to Flinders Street. Trains now continue from there to Sandringham. A further extension past Werribee toward Geelong was not built. Werribee station remains the end of the line.
At a glance
Reviewed 2026-11-01.
Status: Operating
Zone. 1 and 2, depending on the station
Werribee, Hoppers Crossing, Williams Landing and Aircraft are Zone 2. Laverton, Westona and Altona are Zone 1 and Zone 2. Seaholme through Flinders Street are Zone 1.
Recorded 2026-10-27. Metro Trains Melbourne
What is changing
The Level Crossing Removal Project says the line will be level crossing free by 2029. On 22 October 2026 the state government awarded a contract for the Anderson Street and Hudsons Road crossings. The community update of the same day says Anderson Street closes to vehicles in 2028, and that two pedestrian and cycling underpasses open in 2029. Newport’s major works are already finished. The package-by-package account is in the infrastructure section.
Since the Metro Tunnel opened, trains run from this line through to Sandringham via Flinders Street, according to the October 2026 Newport update. Separately, Big Build’s Geelong Fast Rail page says the Commonwealth has withdrawn funding for that project and the Victorian Government is working to conclude it.
Route map
The line runs from Werribee through Hoppers Crossing, Williams Landing and Aircraft to Laverton, where the Altona loop begins. The loop serves Westona, Altona and Seaholme before rejoining the direct line at Newport. From Newport the line runs through Spotswood, Yarraville, Seddon, Footscray, South Kensington, North Melbourne, Southern Cross, and Flinders Street.
Stations on the line
Metro’s line guide, checked on 27 October 2026, lists the stations in this order, from Werribee through to Flinders Street. Werribee and Footscray are the two with pages in this directory.
Services and connections
Before the through-running, the line was paired with the Frankston line. When the Frankston line returned to the City Loop on 1 February 2026, Werribee trains briefly terminated at Flinders Street. Through-running to Sandringham began on 23 August 2026, which is the service the Newport update describes.
The guide marks bus connections at most stations, tram connections at Footscray and Southern Cross, and timetables from city and to city for each station. Metro’s guide is the live source for times and disruptions.
Suburbs and areas served
Suburbs in this directory: Footscray, Werribee
The covered suburbs are Footscray, in the inner west, and Werribee, at the terminus. How the terminus sits against Wyndham’s growth, and against the rail package being built closer to the city, is the west is changing faster than the old infrastructure.
Infrastructure projects and upgrades
Works under way
At Newport, the Maddox Road boom gates were removed in 2026 by elevating the rail line on three bridges, and Champion Road was closed at the crossing. A community update of 2 October 2026 describes major works there as complete, with Maddox Road reopened to traffic on 11 September 2026 and finishing works due in early 2027.
The June 2023 program sheet still describes Maidstone Street, Altona, as a road bridge by 2027. The October 2026 notices below do not restate that date.
On 22 October 2026 the Premier’s office said an alliance of Acciona, WSP, Metro Trains Melbourne and VIDA Rail had been awarded the contract to remove the boom gates at Anderson Street, Yarraville, and Hudsons Road, Spotswood. The release says the new Spotswood station will open in 2028, that final designs will be released and construction will start next year, and that the project will be complete in 2029. The June 2023 sheet had described the Spotswood station as elevated. The October release does not repeat that.
Anderson Street is a road closure, not a bridge. The community update of 22 October 2026 says the street closes to vehicles in 2028, and that two pedestrian and cycling underpasses open in 2029, one at Anderson Street and one near Murray and Goulburn streets. The Premier’s release describes the Anderson Street underpass as stairs and two lifts on each side, and the other as stairs and ramps. The update marks the timeline as subject to change. A June 2023 sheet had put a Yarraville closure at 2030. That is not the date in the October 2026 notice.
Not yet committed
Geelong Fast Rail, which would have upgraded this corridor for faster Geelong services, has lost its Commonwealth funding. In October 2026 the mayors of Wyndham and Greater Geelong proposed a trial of existing Warrnambool services through Werribee. Neither proposal is a funded project. The state’s position is under Future proposals.
Never built
The extension beyond Werribee toward the Geelong corridor was never built, and no cost or completion year is recorded for it.
Projects in this directory: Werribee line extension
History and network changes
The railway reached Werribee in 1857, built by the Geelong and Melbourne Railway Company as part of its Newport to Geelong line; through running to Melbourne began in January 1859. A private branch to Altona opened in 1888 to sell land, closed in 1890, and was revived by the Victorian Railways in the 1910s. Electrification reached Werribee in September 1983, and the Altona loop took its present form when the line was extended to Westona and Laverton in 1985.
In 2015 the Regional Rail Link diverted Geelong line trains away from the Werribee corridor, onto its own tracks through Wyndham Vale. Direct passenger trains between Werribee and Geelong, which had run for more than 150 years, stopped at the same time.
Future proposals
Neither current proposal is funded. In October 2026 the mayors of Wyndham and Greater Geelong proposed a trial rerouting of existing Warrnambool services through Werribee, using tracks that still carry freight. The state government says it has no plans to return Geelong or Warrnambool services to the line, because of the frequency of existing Werribee trains. Geelong Fast Rail, which would have upgraded this corridor for faster Geelong services, lost its Commonwealth funding.
Recent verified changes
- 22 October 2026. The state government awarded the Anderson Street and Hudsons Road package to Acciona, WSP, Metro Trains Melbourne and VIDA Rail. The community update of the same day says Anderson Street closes to vehicles in 2028 and the two underpasses open in 2029, and that the timeline can change.
- 8 October 2026. The mayors of Wyndham and Greater Geelong wrote to the Public Transport Minister proposing a trial of direct Werribee-Geelong passenger services.
- 2 October 2026. The Level Crossing Removal Project reports major works at Newport complete, Maddox Road resurfaced and reopened to traffic on 11 September 2026, and finishing works due in early 2027.
- 23 August 2026. Werribee line trains began running through to Sandringham, after the Frankston line’s return to the City Loop in February 2026.
Official resources and further reading
Metro publishes the station list, the zone for each station, and the timetables on the Werribee line guide. The Level Crossing Removal Project publishes its Werribee line program on Big Build, and the Anderson Street update of 22 October 2026.
Sources and related entities
- Werribee line, Metro Trains Melbourne. Station order, zones by station, and from-city and to-city timetables. Checked 27 October 2026.
- Werribee Line level crossing removals, Victoria’s Big Build. Seven crossings, the new Spotswood Station, and the 2029 crossing-free target.
- Contract awarded to remove level crossings in the west, Premier of Victoria, 22 October 2026. The Acciona, WSP, Metro Trains Melbourne and VIDA Rail contract for Anderson Street and Hudsons Road; the stated 2028 opening of the new Spotswood station; final designs and construction to start next year, with the project complete in 2029.
- Anderson Street community update, 22 October 2026, Victoria’s Big Build. Anderson Street closes to vehicles in 2028; two pedestrian and cycling underpasses open in 2029; the timeline is subject to change. Page last updated 23 October 2026.
- Maddox and Champion roads community update, 2 October 2026, Victoria’s Big Build. Newport major works complete, Maddox Road reopened 11 September 2026, and the Newport-Sandringham through-running.
- Making the Werribee Line level crossing free, Victoria’s Big Build, 26 June 2023. The Altona road bridge by 2027, and the description of an elevated Spotswood station. Its Yarraville closure date of 2030 is superseded by the 22 October 2026 notice.
- Geelong Fast Rail, Victoria’s Big Build. The Commonwealth has withdrawn funding, and the state is working to conclude the project.
- Better connecting Wyndham and Geelong, Geelong Independent, 11 September 2025. The 2015 severing of direct Werribee-Geelong services, the councils’ memorandum of understanding, and the state’s position.
- Werribee-Geelong Rail Reconnection Derailed, Wyndham TV, October 2026. The mayors’ 8 October 2026 letter to the Public Transport Minister and the state government’s response.
- Werribee line, Wikipedia. The 1857-1859 opening, the Altona branch, the 1983 electrification, the 1985 Altona loop, and the February and August 2026 service changes.
- Map: OpenStreetMap contributors, via Wikimedia Maps, retrieved 27 October 2026. The highlight is the geometry Wikimedia attaches to the Werribee line.
Stations in this directory: Footscray Station, Werribee Station