FINALS FEVER From Left, Denis Fokchak, Robert Vaughan, Justin D Rosario, Steve Milanovski and Mel Hall. Metro s Hawks fans are gearing up for the big clash against the Dockers tomorrow at the G. Will the Hawks be flying away with the premiership?... Only time will tell. Hot pies, cold drinks and heaps of trains to the footy Are you ready for one of the biggest and most iconic Melbourne events of the year? Metro is! In what is considered as that one day in September for customers, is in fact hours of planning and coordination for Metro. It s a true effort of teamwork with all facets of our operations team collaborating to run a seamless service on the day. For Neil McKenna, Manager Major Events and Projects Operation Services, planning started in August. AFL Grand Final Day is one of the biggest events in Melbourne that we provide extra services for, next to the Spring Racing carnival. Despite having an effective standard program already in place, a considerable effort goes into ensuring a hassle free journey for customers on the day, Neil said. We run more than 30 extra services to and from the event, some of these on lines that already run at a 10 minute frequency. But this is required in order to cater for the sell-out crowd of more than 100,000 not to mention the additional 100,000 customers expected to attend city celebrations and the show. Tomorrow, 130 customer service staff and Authorised Officers have been rostered on to direct and manage customers at Richmond, Jolimont and Flinders Street. On top of this, extra station staff, train drivers and Metrol staff will all make a significant contribution to make sure the day runs as smoothly as possible. Page 1
The season that was We re just hours away from the 2013 AFL Grand Final and Metro is preparing special services to help the anticipated crowd of around 100,000 people get to the biggest game of the year. Customers can rest easy knowing that we are offering extra trains and great customer service to ensure a hassle free journey. In fact, during the 2013 AFL home and away season, Metro has provided safe and reliable transport to and from the Melbourne games for more than 1 million fans, with more than 1,100 extra footy trains woven in amongst the timetabled services. It will be all hands on deck tomorrow with drivers, station staff and Authorised Officers gearing up to herd the sea of brown, gold and purple in to the iconic MCG! Edition 39 \\ 27 September 2013 With compliments Tired and cranky from a long day at work to be pleasantly surprised by a great customer experience with the driver of the train who was pleasant and informative. He welcomed us on board, wished us a good evening and little things like reminded us to check and ensure we don't leave a n y t h ing b e h i n d a s w e disembark! What a professional. I felt like I was on a business class Qantas flight! Well done driver! Customer: Stephen Safety in code Metro s revised Alcohol and other drugs procedure has now been finalised. Are you familiar with the procedure? Why not check our the QR code below to learn more about the random drug and alcohol testing process. Simply scan the code below to watch the visual procedure. How to get started Step 1 Download a free QR Code Reader Application from the App Store. (CodeSafe recommend i-nigma ) Step 2 Scan codes to see content instantly. Page 2
High five for performance improvement The success of the Performance Improvement Teams, which are now firmly embedded in to each of the five operating groups, is speaking volumes. Each week the five performance improvement teams report the highlights and challenges of the week past. We are now frequently seeing new performance records set, days of 100% delivery and punctuality and performance during peak periods consistently exceeding targets. Below are the highlights of each group from their last weekly reporting period as well as the local 28-day rolling averages for performance. All of the weekly performance updates can be found on The Depot, by following Operations > Network Performance and Control > Performance Improvement. Burnley Group Weekly Report: Tuesday 17 Monday 23 September Punctuality 95.49% Delivery 99.46% It was another strong week for the Burnley Group with both reliability and delivery targets achieved. The Group achieved in excess of 95% reliability for the third week in a row and notched up three months of consistently meeting the weekly reliability targets. This is testament to the hard work being put in by everyone involved. Clifton Hill Weekly Report: Thursday 19 Wednesday 25 September Punctuality 95.86% Delivery 99.72% The Clifton Hill Group did a great job of delivering services to our customers this week with a new weekly record for service delivery being set. Only three services were cancelled in full out of 1,876 scheduled for the week a terrific achievement. This is the result of having great team work and reliable assets. Well done to everyone involved. Dandenong Group Weekly Report: Thursday 19 Wednesday 25 September Northern Group Weekly Report: Wednesday 18 Tuesday 24 September Punctuality 91.57% Delivery 99.22% Facing the challenges of two significant infrastructure incidents, the Group failed to meet its daily punctuality target for the first time in 5 weeks. Despite this, the Group s performance remains in a good position. Cross City Group Weekly Report: Friday 20 Thursday 26 September Punctuality 91.33% Delivery 97.33% Punctuality 94.02% Delivery 99.72% It was a fantastic week for the group with both its reliability and delivery targets being well exceeded. In fact, since the commencement of the Improvement Team, weekly records have been achieved for both delivery and punctuality. In terms of delivery, only two services were cancelled in full out of 1,648 scheduled for the week. This sets a new benchmark for the Group and demonstrates the results that can be attained with reliable assets and operational discipline. After a run of solid performance, two significant incidents yesterday greatly impacted the weekly performance of the Cross City Group. An overhead wire entanglement on the Altona Loop yesterday caused major disruptions as did the storm which knocked out signalling power at Flinders Street Station in the morning. This resulted in 71 full service cancellations for the day. Page 3
Road over rail works on track at Springvale Works are progressing at Springvale with the new road deck in place. Since 9 September the Springvale Level Crossing Removal team has literally been working day and night to pile the foundations for the new rail cutting while Platform 2 has been closed to trains. With the new road deck in place, the next step is to excavate the 70,000 cubic metres of soil, install the new track and install the new station building. A big thanks to the train drivers, Operations and Customer Service staff, Corporate Relations and Metro Projects staff who ensured our customers were kept updated with the changes at Springvale during this time. A big thanks to our customers too for their patience! Keeping customers in the loop on RRL works Poster girls: Divya (left) and Mya (right) keep customers informed about upcoming RRL works A small team of contract support staff wallpapered City Loop stations this week to help raise awareness among Sunbury line customers of the next RRL major shutdown which commences next Thursday. Armed with 40 posters and a l m o s t 5, 0 0 0 i n f o r m a t i o n brochures, the small team targeted customers heading home during the evening peak at Parliament, Flagstaff and Melbourne Central this week with Flinders Street and Southern Cross stations being targeted next week. Page 4
Welcoming some new faces to Metro Varni Petrovic Projects Safety Manager Started: Monday 2 September 2013 Located at: Level 28, 80 Collins Street Travels on: Sunbury Line What are you responsible for at Metro? Managing the implementation of the projects safety and environment management plan whilst driving strategy and developing people and systems capability. In your new role - what are you looking forward to most? I m looking forward to partnering with all the great minds in Projects and taking safety to the next level in our journey. First impressions of Metro? A great group of people really passionate about the railway. Sean Ellis Customer Service Manager - Stations Life before Metro? Previous to joining Metro I worked in the mining, rail, tunnelling and renewable industries as a health and safety professional. Started: Monday 9 September 2013 Located at: Level 3, Flinders Street Travels on: Werribee Line What are you responsible for at Metro? My top priority over the coming weeks is to meet every single employee we have working in our premium stations and host locations. First impressions of Metro? We are a big business big in terms of moving 500,000 people a day as well as the scale of the geography we cover from Sunbury to Pakenham. Life before Metro? Working with many international airlines including Emirates, Alitalia and Qantas, my aviation experience also extends to Jetstar and Virgin as well as the former Australian Airlines, Compass Airlines and Impulse Airlines. Page 5
Colin, on Craigieburn and Comeng This week s Rolling Stock behind the scenes article introduces Colin Burns, Metro s newly appointed Craigieburn Train Maintenance Facility (CTMF) Manager. Colin began his rail career as an Electrical Fitter at the now defunct Spencer Street workshops when he was 17 years old. Colin s ongoing enthusiasm, dedication and energy has been a driving force for many small and large scale Rolling Stock Projects over the years, and he played a pivotal role in updating and implementing Comeng and X Trapolis training programs which are still used today. In fact one of Colin s career achievements is substantially reducing the time taken to conduct a regular D examination. This exam duration is still used as a benchmark today. Colin was instrumental in initially setting up the CTMF. He continues to work hard to keep the facility running smoothly to ensure Metro s newest and largest train maintenance depot is able to meet, and exceed, its targets with regards to growing customer patronage and subsequent reliability measures. Colin said that one of the biggest changes he has seen in the industry in recent times wa s having a t im etable s p ec if ically d es ig n e d f or maintenance. It s positive to see our maintenance reg ime now becoming more and more focussed towards providing customer service, Colin said. With regard to my career, one of the biggest and exciting challenges has been improving the Comeng fleet s reliability. I m proud of what we ve achieved, especially considering many of the team were new to the rail industry and we were working with an ageing fleet that requires a p r o a c t i v e a p p r o a c h t o maintenance. Don t be out of touch A reminder to all employees, that when travelling that you must touch-on and touch-off your myki. Not touching-on your myki can cause considerable issues at the end of your journey particularly at gated locations where queuing has become an issue. It also sets a very bad example to fellow customers who might think you are fare evading and getting away with it. Staff are further reminded that all gated locations now have their gates closed at all times, this includes unstaffed gates at select premium stations. Touching-on will ensure that you may exit with no issue. If you have any queries on this or need any further clarification please email myki@metrotrains.com.au. Page 6
Injecting a little colour at Richmond With compliments 20 September 2013 Congratulations to Richmond Station Officer, Peter Isaacs who has been recognised for his efforts to keep Richmond customers smiling. Peter is the caretaker of the notice board in the Richmond ticket office, which he uses to post inspirational quotes and friendly messages for the many customers coming in and out of the station. Following a string of customer compliments, Peter has been recognised for his enthusiasm and great customer service. Keep up the great work, Peter. Pictured top left: The team at Richmond were delighted that Peter s had work and creative spirit have been recognised. (From left) Stationmaster Ian Young, Peter Isaacs, Customer Service manager Central, Nick Mills and Richmond Station Officer Michael Sudano. Pictured bottom left: an example of the colourful messages Peter displays for the customers at Richmond. The lady who works at Balaclava station in the mornings is wonderful! She is super helpful and so friendly. Thanks to her, I start every day with a smile on my face. Please let her know that her passengers think she is fantastic. Customer: Karen Thank you: Customer Service Manager Central, Nick Mills (left), and Stationmaster Gerald Rivers-Brown (right) recently presented service recognition awards to Ya-Wen Huang who celebrated a 10 year milestone and Nova Kellas for her 5 year milestone. Page 7
Have you nominated a safety champion for the 2013 Safety Recognition Awards? Well, now s your chance! There are four categories for nominations. Best Solution to a Workplace Safety Concern Best Demonstration of Safety Leadership HSR of the Year Best OHS Committee To make a nomination, visit the Depot and follow the link from the homepage With compliments 18 September 2013 Just wanted to acknowledge the driver of the train 4.23 at Parliament travelling to Cranbourne. His humour and communication was very refreshing and entertaining and put a smile on many faces Customer: Michelle 26 September 2013 Please pay a compliment to the train driver of the 5:45 train f r o m P a r l i a m e n t t o Greensborough. Really pleasant and informative Customer: Meagan Page 8
In Brief MAJOR EVENTS AFL Grand Final Hawthorn v Fremantle Saturday 28 September - MCG - First Bounce: 2:30pm We re running extra services to get you to and from the game as well as from the post-match entertainment. Additional services can be viewed at: metrotrains.com.au by going to Service Updates and clicking Extra Services. Pardon our Progress Sunbury Line Regional Rail Link works. Thursday 3 Sunday 13 October From Thursday 3 October until the last service on Sunday 13 October, works on the Regional Rail Link project will be taking place. These upgrade works will include: Major works at the new West Footscray railway station, including the opening of the new station footbridge, ahead of the operational opening of the new station, and demolition works at the existing West Footscray railway station Continued works to remove two level crossings at Anderson Road, Sunshine Significant bridge works at Nicholson Street, Footscray and Hopkins Street, Footscray Ongoing construction works to upgrade Sunshine and Footscray railway stations Structural work on the freight flyover in Footscray Extensive retaining wall works and utility installation works Remote upgrades to train control systems During this time, travel on the Sunbury line will be disrupted and replacement bus services will operate. MetroRecruit Current Vacancies Closing Thursday 3 October Trains Services Operations Manager PA to Head of Train Services Manager Business Support Manager Compliance and Assurance Manager Closing Friday 4 October Reliability Engineer (Mechanical) All vacancies can be found on MetroRecruit on the Intranet. Metro Performance 28-day average as at Friday 27 September 2013 99.0 % Delivery 93.5 % Punctuality Page 9