We're removing the dangerous and congested level crossing at Ruthven Street, Macleod by building a rail bridge over the road.

We're also building a new walking and cycling path along Ellesmere Parade from Ruthven Street to Davies Street.

A new signalised and raised pedestrian crossing near the rail bridge will provide safer, more direct connections for everyone crossing Ruthven Street.

The new crossing and path are the missing link between existing paths. With this brand new connection, locals will be able to enjoy walking or cycling over 2kms on safe off-road paths from Macleod to Rosanna.

We’re building the new path next to the rail line along Ellesmere Parade, to connect with the new signalised pedestrian crossing on Ruthven Street and the existing paths to the south of Ellesmere Parade and McNamara Street.

The path will help locals get to places they love including Rosanna Parklands, Macleod Park oval, local shops and the Macleod Village Green.

Along the path we’ll plant new trees, shrubs, flowering plants and grasses, as close as possible to where vegetation will be removed. Tree and vegetation removal will start from mid July. Across the project we’ll plant 2 new trees for every tree we remove. Landscaping works will begin after construction in mid 2027.

About your new walking and cycling connection

• Approximately 700m of new walking and cycling path.
• 2kms of walking and cycling paths from Macleod to Rosanna.
• New raised and signalised pedestrian crossing on Ruthven Street.
• 25,500 new trees, shrubs, flowering plants and grasses.

New walking and cycling path

The new walking and cycling path will be 3m wide to provide space for pedestrians and bike riders as well as people using mobility aids, prams and scooters.

This means safer journeys and new ways to get around Macleod and Rosanna on foot or by bike providing health and wellbeing benefits.

The new path along Ellesmere Parade and the signalised pedestrian crossing on Ruthven Street have been designed to Australian Standards and the standards and guidelines of AustRoads, VicRoads and Banyule City Council.

The space between the rail corridor and Ellesmere Parade is narrow and includes essential utility services above and below the ground that the community use every day including power, water, drainage, communications and sewer services.

In addition to building the new rail bridge and the path, we’ll protect, upgrade and relocate these essential services.

To drain water off the road and along the path, new drainage infrastructure, including vegetated swales, underground pipes and drainage pits will be installed in line with standards and guidelines of Metro Trains and Banyule City Council.

Metro Trains standards do not allow road or path water to flow into the rail corridor meaning the road, path and the rail corridor require separate drainage systems. This requirement was not in place for the Rosanna Level Crossing Removal Project, which was built in 2018.

To support safe maintenance access, Metro Trains standards require combined service route maintenance pits be located next to the path, allowing crews to access them safely while keeping the path open for community use during maintenance.

In the approximately 10m between the road and the rail corridor, all utility services must be installed one metre away from existing high voltage underground power cables along Ellesmere Parade.

Tree removal is never undertaken lightly and only occurs when all other options are not feasible.

We need to remove vegetation on Ellesmere Parade to allow for excavation of the new combined service route, drainage pipes and swales, the path and construction access, which will impact tree root zones.

In addition, some overgrown trees along Ellesmere Parade and in the rail corridor will be impacted by the new rail bridge and/or overhead wiring. These trees need to be removed for safety reasons.

We've worked closely with independent arborists and sustainability specialists to develop designs and construction methods that retain as many trees and shrubs as possible.

All trees and vegetation that can be safely retained will be protected during construction, including protected Studley Park Gums.

Essential utility services considered in the project design include:

• Existing underground and overhead power lines that connect to the Macleod substation.
• Existing overhead wiring that powers the Hurstbridge Line.
• Relocation of the combined services route that supplies the train signalling system.
• New drainage infrastructure that will drain water from Ellesmere Parade and the new walking.
• and cycling path.

Landscaping along the new walking and cycling path

During vision and values and early design consultations, we heard you want more landscaping, with native or indigenous plantings that blend into the local environment.

You also told us you prefer a natural and integrated style of landscaping.

The project includes new landscaping along the new walking and cycling path on Ellesmere Parade and near the rail bridge with a diverse range of native and indigenous trees, shrubs and flowering plants to complement the existing landscaping and geology of the area.

Along the new walking and cycling path we’ll plant new trees, shrubs, flowering plants and grasses, as close as possible to where vegetation will be removed.

As part of the project we’ll plant 2 new trees for every tree we remove. Landscaping works will begin after construction in mid 2027.

We'll plant over 30 species of trees, shrubs, flowering plants and grasses, including:

• Purple Coral-pea
• Austral Indigo
• Wrinkled daisy-bush
• Dwarf Yellow Bloodwood
• Silver Banksia
• Black She-oak
• Black Wattle
• Sweet Bursaria
• Kangaroo Grass

Protected species

There are environmental significant species within the project area. We’ve worked to minimise and mitigate impacts to these species and have obtained the necessary approvals under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988.

Next steps

Early works are underway. To enable construction to begin later this year, we're moving utilities out of the way, installing temporary fencing and removing vegetation that is impacted by construction.

Construction for the new rail bridge and walking and cycling path will start later this year, with the boom gates gone for good and the trains running on the new bridge next year. Landscaping works for the new path and wider project area will begin after construction in mid 2027.

The new walking and cycling path will be complete in 2027.

Project timeline

2022

• Project announced

2024

• Site investigations

2025

• Site investigations
• Community consultation

2026

• Early designs released and further community consultation
• Final designs released
• Site establishment and early works
• Construction starts

2027

• Construction
• Trains running on the rail bridge
• Level crossing removed
• New walking and cycling path open
• Landscaping and tree planting
• Project complete

* Timeline subject to change.

More information

• Call us 24/7 on 1800 105 105
• Email levelcrossings@bigbuild.vic.gov.au
• Subscribe to the Ruthven Street, Macleod email updates
• Send us a private message on our Level Crossing Removal Project Facebook page