We’re removing the Bedford Road, Ringwood and Dublin Road, Ringwood East level crossings by building a rail trench under the roads and delivering a brand new Ringwood East Station.

Removing these 2 dangerous and congested level crossings will improve safety for more than 23,000 vehicles that drive through every day and ease congestion for local road users.

Construction works will start in early 2023, and we’ll need to start preparing the site by relocating utilities, setting up our site facilities and removing some vegetation that will be impacted by the works. We’ll also establish protection zones around existing trees and vegetation.

Preserving trees and vegetation

From our conversations and engagement with the community, we understand the importance of native vegetation and greenery to the local Ringwood community.

Some vegetation removal will be required to undertake construction of the rail trenches, new station and commuter car parks. Much of the impacted trees are in and around the existing railway corridor.

We’ll work to retain as many trees as possible and will plant around 60,000 new trees, shrubs and grasses as part of the project.

Assessing trees and vegetation

As part of our planning, independent arborists have conducted comprehensive assessments of every individual tree as well as vegetation within the project area at Dublin Road and Bedford Road.

This assessment helps us identify any potential impacts to trees that:

• pose a safety hazard to rail operations
• will be impacted by construction of the rail trench, new station and car park
• will be impacted by utility works and drainage within the tree root zone.

Arborists have assessed over 14,000 trees in the project area to help determine:

• structural integrity, including the size and location of tree roots
• health and life expectancy
• amenity and environmental value
• location of service in proximity to trees
• the presence of wildlife and habitat.

During the course of the project, we’ll continue reviewing design and construction methods and assess the health of the trees during our works to retain as many trees as possible.

Looking out for wildlife

Before tree and vegetation removal, we work with wildlife handlers who inspect and safely re-home any wildlife we may encounter.

We also engage wildlife handlers to be on site during any vegetation removal works to safely relocate any wildlife we may encounter unexpectedly.

Ringwood East Station trees

There are some trees along Patterson Street and in the surrounding area that are recognised as vegetation of special significance.

Most of these trees will be able to be retained, but some will be impacted by construction of the rail trench and access area into the new northern commuter car park.

To protect vegetation being retained during construction, we’ll separate vegetation from our construction works with no-go zones and physical barriers.

Replanting and reflecting the local landscaping

In response to community preferences, our extensive landscaping plans for Ringwood will include around 60,000 trees, shrubs and grasses.

The landscaping mix will complement the native and indigenous species found in the area.

Reflecting the local area

To complement the landscaping at Bedford Park, we’ll incorporate perforated screening on the rail trench with a graphic pattern of local plants, such as common correa, swamp daisies and dwarf greenhood.

Landscaping will take place once construction finishes in 2025 and we’ll provide more details as the project progresses.

Repurposing trees for the community

We’ll work with local community groups and Maroondah City Council to discuss how some of the removed vegetation can be used for local initiatives and projects.

Some of the programs we'll look to explore:

• donating logs to community organisations, gardens, schools, Indigenous organisations, and artists
• donating native seedlings to local nurseries for future planting
• mulch for landscaping and revegetation
• reuse of hollow tree logs for habitat

If you’re part of a group that could use timber for local community initiatives, email the project team at contact@levelcrossings.vic.gov.au or call 1800 105 105.