CRAIGIEBURN FITNESS FRENZY Boxercise was on the menu at Craigieburn where employees work on improving their fitness. More on page 6. X TRAPS GET A MAKEOVER Our X Trapolis train fleet is undergoing a major internal refurbishment and graffiti removal program to help deliver a cleaner and more reliable service for our customers. The first train to be refurbished was unveiled to the media on Monday at Flinders Street. CEO, Andrew Lezala, said the interior of each X Trapolis train will be refurbished to remove all remnants of graffiti. We are taking a proactive approach to graffiti removal and rolling out a more rigorous cleaning and graffiti removal program for our fleet of 80 X Trapolis trains, he said. The program sees the introduction of an end-to-end solution involving our Rolling Stock team, Network and Security team, Authorised Officers, Station Staff and Drivers from cleaning and monitoring trains, identifying and apprehending vandals, and sustaining this new presentation standard. The refurbishment of each X Trapolis train will take one full day to complete and includes: a buff and polish of all internal wall panels (to remove graffiti shadowing) application of a new anti-graffiti More on page 2... Page 1
X Trapolis refurbishment program From page 1... coating to wall panels replacement of window protective films an upgrade of internal lighting (brighter lighting) introduction of new X Trapolis cleaning standards more frequent checks and monitoring of CCTV to remove new graffiti as quickly as possible. PTV CEO, Mark Wild, was also at Monday s event and added that vandalism is a huge and ongoing problem across the network and affects all customers. Vandalism not only costs money to repair the damage, it can prevent services from running and makes our trains look untidy, he said. From the end of next week, one refurbished train will be delivered to the network each day. The internal refurbishment program is expected to be completed in November 2015 and a similar program will commence with the Comeng fleet later this year. An X trapolis train before (below) and after (above) undergoing the refurbishment program. CEO Andrew Lezala and PTV CEO, Mark Wild, inspect a refurbished train at the media event on Monday. Page 2
Rail Safety Week: 10-16 August Monday marks the start of Rail Safety Week 2015 and we re encouraging all employees to join in the activities. This year marks the tenth anniversary of the TrackSAFE Foundation led week-long event, which aims to improve safety around railways. This year s theme is focused on the responsibility of individuals in rail safety. The Dumb Ways to Die (DWTD) characters are back to support the week and to highlight pertinent issues in the rail and station environment. A different safety topic will be the focus of each work day, starting with Slips, Trips and Falls. Other topics include Level Crossings, distraction, holding the handrail and forcing doors - all extremely important safety concerns. Keep an eye out for the DWTD characters online, in the paper and listen out for them on air. In addition to Marketing support, areas across the business will be supporting the week through station announcements, school visits and internally. For more information on nationwide activities taking place across the week, visit tracksafefoundation.com.au Page 3
Getting more mindful at Metro A recent report published by Safe Work Australia, the Government statutory agency established in 2009 to improve work health and safety across Australia, summarises findings from a survey undertaken in 2012 in terms of mindfulness (the conscious awareness) of work health and safety for businesses and employees. Safety Promotion and Communication Manager. Melissa Teo, advised that the Mindfulness of Work Health and Safety Report is quite an interesting read, especially in the lead up to our Rail Health & Safety Week. Our mindful theme for the week is two-fold, both in raising the awareness of mental wellbeing, but also in understanding that being mindful With compliments about our health and safety can lessen the rate of error and injury across the business, she said. So what exactly is mindfulness? The report states that mindfulness is a psychological state in which individuals engage in active information processing while performing their current tasks. In the context of work health and safety, mindfulness is the conscious awareness of factors that affect or may affect work health and safety. When we talk about mindfulness in health and safety, advised Melissa, we re looking at a way of developing an environment where employers and employees alike are continually conscious and aware of those factors that could cause injury or harm. Mindfulness increases as people become more conscious about the ways in which the system can be disrupted, what might go wrong, and who the disruptions are likely to harm. Major accidents can frequently be traced to failures in safety management systems, and given that mindfulness appears to minimise failures that can cause harm, this in turn may help to reduce incidents and injuries. Some things you might do to increase your mindfulness include keeping a healthy alertness and lively awareness of the possibility of errors and failures, or in other words, always being vigilant in your current task about the broader health and safety risks you control. And lastly, and most importantly, is always report and speak up about any safety concerns you have, she said. @metrotrains give your 8:07am train driver that departed from Springvale a pat on the back! Did not expect such a warm welcome on commute. Customer: Emily (via Twitter) And he's back! The witty amazing train driver on the 4:55pm North Melbourne to Werribee! Mate, you're a legend! @metrotrains #witty #legend. Customer: Carsten (via Twitter) I just wanted to say the train driver of the 3:25pm train to South Morang was very positive and funny. I was having a bad day but his announcements made me happy and laugh. I felt very welcome and the train ride was an enjoyable experience. Thanks to this awesome train driver - it was an enjoyable experience that I will remember and tell others. Customer: Kelli Page 4
The boom gates are up and the level crossing removal projects are underway. Over the past few months alliances have been formed for the removal of the first eight level crossings, with our Projects division a key partner, along with VicRoads and PTV. The John Holland and KBR consortium is already getting on with the job to remove level crossings and rebuild stations at Centre Road in Bentleigh, North Road in Ormond, McKinnon Road in McKinnon and Burke Road in Glen Iris. Construction has started at Burke Road near Gardiner Station and the removal of crossings on the Frankston line, at Centre Road and McKinnon Road, have been fast tracked to be done at the same time as North Road, Ormond. Project Director, Rob Vaughan, said the State Government is committed to removing 50 of the worst level crossings on the Melbourne metropolitan rail network at an estimated cost of around $6 billion. The Level Crossing Removal Authority has commenced an extensive community engagement campaign and feedback from recent sessions shows positive support for the projects, regardless of disruptions these works will create. The past few weeks has seen us actively engaged in workshops with the two short-listed proponents for the multi-billion dollar package project to remove all nine level crossing between Caulfield and Dandenong. This package of works involves the rebuild of Carnegie, Murrumbeena, Hughesdale and Clayton stations in tandem with the purchase of 37 high-capacity Edition 31 \\ 7 August 2015 Getting on with level crossing removal An artists impression of the rebuilt Heatherdale Station trains and upgrades to power and signalling infrastructure. The removal of these crossings should commence early in 2016. These works will boost capacity on the Pakenham/ Cranbourne line Melbourne s busiest by 42%, creating space for 11,000 extra passengers during peak hour, he said. Meanwhile, the preferred alliance of Leighton Contractors, Aurecon and Hyder Consulting, with VicRoads, PTV and our Projects division, is in the process of mobilising for the second package of works at Main and Furlong roads in St Albans, Heatherdale Road in Mitcham and Blackburn Road in Blackburn. Heatherdale Road and Blackburn Road works will start later this year. At each location, the rail line will be lowered under the road. St Albans, Ginifer and Heatherdale stations will be re-built with platforms below street level and Blackburn will be upgraded. Mike Leslie, our Project Manager for this package of works, and Customer Service Leader, Bruno Dimasi, have been acting as the interface with both alliance project teams on planning works that will impact the stations, Rob added. Next month work will start at St Albans. On Saturday 12 September, the customer service facility at St Albans station will be relocated to the temporary buildings near Platform 1 in preparation for major works in October. Platform 2 will remain in operation with a new temporary entrance at the down end of the platform. Sunbury line customers can expect disruptions throughout October at St Albans and Ginifer stations due to works associated with this project. For more information visit: economicdevelopment.vic.gov.au/ transport/major-projects/levelcrossing-removal-project/whatshappening Page 5
Extended services on the Sunbury line From Monday 10 August, Sunbury and Diggers Rest station customers will benefit from one additional morning and afternoon peak service with the extension of select weekday Watergardens services. In the morning peak, an extended service will depart Sunbury at 7.36am and Diggers Rest at 7.40am, before forming the 7.47am service at Watergardens, stopping all stations to Flinders Street. In the afternoon peak, the 5.04pm Watergardens service from Flinders Street will be extended, stopping Diggers Rest at 5.50pm and arriving Sunbury at 5.56pm. This will give Sunbury and Diggers residents more choices on when to travel on our network. Craigieburn Fitness Frenzy From page 1... Wellness advocates, Natalie Ferranti and Zeina Abdulhadi, whipped up a health frenzy at Craigieburn Maintenance Depot. Employees participated in boxing exercises and got some tips on healthy eating for shift work, before they all sat down together to enjoy a nutritious lunch. Welcome to our new Trainee Station Staff: (back row) George Newcome, Brendan Thornton, Max Bishop, Peter Elezovic, Damien Vella and David Anderson, with (front row) Cameron Matthews, Belen Lim, Emily Rainey, Paula Ragavanis and Neha Jena. Page 6
Community flocks to Level Crossing Removal info session The Level Crossing Removal Authority and local MP, Nick Staikos, hosted a public information forum last week for the level crossing removal projects at North, Centre and McKinnon roads. The project team presented the designs for Ormond, Bentleigh and McKinnon stations, which will be rebuilt as part of these level crossing removals. The presentation was well received by over 400 community members who attended the forum. Key features of the new stations include lowering the rail line and platforms beneath the roads, improved access to lifts, ramps and stairs, as well as improved station facilities. Robust discussions were had on topics such as loss of car parking at stations and disruptions to train services during construction. Community feedback gathered on the night will play a key role in shaping final designs. Follow up information sessions will be held at Bentleigh and Ormond in late August. Over 400 residents attended the public information sessions held at the McKinnon Secondary College to seek more information on North, Centre and McKinnon Road level crossing removal project. Preparing for night shift through nutrition Our bodies are controlled by an internal daily body clock, also known as our circadian rhythms. Fatigue Risk Management Advisor, Bronwyn Clulow, explains that these circadian rhythms run over a period of approximately 24 hours and are strongly influenced by the natural cycles of light or dark. At night, many of the processes that are active during the day start to slow down as our bodies prepare for sleep. Therefore, if you work at night you are trying to function when your body naturally wants to sleep. There are many things you can do to help best prepare your body for night shift and eating certain types of foods is one of them. Food is truly our body s fuel and what we choose as our fuel is going to impact the performance of our bodies. Ideally you should try to maintain a similar eating pattern to the one you follow during the day. The first step is to have a full meal and drink plenty of water before you get to work so that you are not starting your shift feeling hungry or dehydrated. Halfway through the shift have a meal similar to lunch, and finally if you feel hungry when you get home, enjoy a meal higher in carbohydrates but low fat before trying to sleep, she said. Foods for a boost Foods high in protein and low in fat help to keep you alert. These foods include: poultry, lean beef, pork, tuna, salmon, eggs, beans, legumes, tofu, cheese and milk Foods to help you snooze Eating foods that are easy to digest can also help you sleep. These foods include: rice, toast or crackers, green leafy vegetables, fresh fruit, scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes and yoghurt Page 7
In Brief MetroRecruit Closing Sunday 16 August: Plant and Resource Manager Stationmaster 6 - Parliament Full details on The Depot Metro Performance 28-day average as at Friday 7 August 2015 98.7% Delivery 92.0% Punctuality Pardon our Progress Frankston line Friday 7 * Sunday 9 August While works are being carried out as part of the Bayside Rail Project, buses will replace trains between Moorabbin and Frankston. *Late night services Friday only. Pakenham, Cranbourne, Frankston, Sandringham, South Morang and Hurstbridge lines Saturday 8 & Sunday 9 August While we undertake electrical infrastructure upgrades, trains will not run in the City Loop. Services will run direct to and from Flinders Street. Full details at metrotrains.com.au Major Events We re running extra trains to get customers to and home from: AFL Round 19 Collingwood v Carlton Saturday 8 August, 1.45pm, MCG (L-R): AO and member of the CEU, David Hogarty, Project Engineer, Stefan Heaton, Rolling Stock Project Manager, Ida Sternbro, and Diversity and Inclusion Manager, Barbara Glimmerveen. Careers Expo 2015 We recently hosted a stand at the Careers Expo 2015, held at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. Diversity and Inclusion Manager, Barbara Glimmerveen, said a team of employees talked to thousands of Expo delegates about the benefits of working for Metro and the rail industry. It was great to see so much enthusiasm from the team and I d extend them a special thank you for their help across the weekend, she said. Western Bulldogs v Port Adelaide Saturday 8 August, 2.10pm, Etihad Melbourne v North Melbourne Sunday 9 August, 1.10pm, MCG St Kilda v Fremantle Sunday 9 August, 4.40pm, Etihad VRC Racing Rewards Raceday Saturday 8 August Flemington Racecourse gates open 11.10am Page 8