Edition 23 \\ 20 June 2014
Maintenance crews take to the water for vital works on the Patterson River Rail Bridge
in Carrum, where we made special use of the vessel „Stay Calm‟ this week. Details page 2.
BRIDGE WORKS
FLOAT OUR BOAT
MOBILE COVERAGE BOUND FOR CITY LOOP
Metro customers will be able to
use their phones and internet in
the City Loop, after new plans
were announced by the State
Government this week.
On Monday, the Hon Premier
Denis Napthine revealed that the
Government would be working
with mobile carriers Optus, Telstra
and Vodafone to extend mobile
coverage to include Melbourne‟s
underground rail network.
“For the first time, Metro
passengers, through their mobile
phone carrier, will have
high-quality mobile coverage
throughout the City Loop tunnels
and underground stations.
“No longer will a passenger on a
mobile phone need to say „I‟m just
about to cut out, I‟m going through
the Loop‟,” Dr Napthine said
The multi-million dollar project
will be co-funded by state rail body
VicTrack and the mobile carriers,
and is scheduled to roll-out from
late 2014.
Head of Customer Services, Rob
Guest,
welcomed
the
Government‟s plans which will
further enhance the train travel
experience for Metro customers.
“Losing mobile coverage in the
City Loop is a common frustration
for our customers, so we are
pleased to see that the days of
mobile phone drop-outs are
numbered,” he said.
Page 1
Edition 23 \\ 20 June 2014
The vessel „Stay Calm‟ has enabled bridge inspectors to get a closer look at the Patterson River Rail Bridge.
Patterson River bridge works float our boat
From page 1...
This week, the Structures and
Facilities team completed
maintenance works on the
Patterson River Rail Bridge in
Carrum using a unique
approach to gain access to the
bridge…onboard a boat!
The vessel „Stay Calm‟, owned
by the contractor Fitzgerald Constructions, was used for the initial
bridge inspections as well as the
maintenance works.
According to Lou Gigliuto,
Structures and Facilities Bridges
Supervisor, „Stay Calm‟ has been
a crucial part of the Patterson
River Rail Bridge project.
“We‟ve been trialing different
ways to inspect rail bridges over
waterways to help us gain a
better understanding of the
maintenance works required.
“Historically we have relied on
binoculars and the construction of
temporary walkways, but this
had some obvious limitations.
“By utilising „Stay Calm‟ we have
been able to get much closer to
the action allowing us to identify
areas requiring attention which
might otherwise have gone
undetected,” he said.
The Patterson River Rail Bridge
was constructed in 1976 and this
is the first time it has been
maintained this way.
Reconstruction works carried out
this week include:
Removal of corrosion and
debris deposits from bridge
bearings
Replacement of corroded nuts
and bolts
Treatment of exposed metal
with epoxy-based paint,
suitable for use in splash and
tidal zones to prevent further
deterioration
Repair of concrete spalls on
the underside of the bridge
Maintenance works on the
Patterson River Rail Bridge were
completed this week.
Whilst this is not the first time a
railway bridge has been tended to
from a boat (last October the
Cremorne Railway Bridge was
inspected and painted from the
back of a barge), judging by the
success of these projects it
certainly won‟t be the last!
Page 2
Edition 23 \\ 20 June 2014
Treasurer of Victoria, the Hon Michael O‟Brien, joins CEO Andrew Lezala for a tour of Toorak Station.
Treasurer pops down to Toorak
The Bayside Rail Project (BRP)
is progressing along the
Frankston line, with the $115
million investment from PTV to
deliver significant benefits to
customers.
Metro CEO, Andrew Lezala,
together with GM Corporate
Relations, Leah Waymark, were
joined recently at Toorak station
by Treasurer of Victoria, the Hon
Michael O‟Brien and Member for
Prahran, Clem Newton-Brown.
The dignitaries toured Toorak
St at ion and chatted wit h
customers, who were updated on
the BRP project. Metro
Community Relations Advisor,
Christine Walker, was also on
deck to provide customers with a
free coffee as they prepared for
their commute into the city.
T he pr oj ect will enable
X‟Trapolis trains to operate on the
Frankston line and provide safer,
more comfortable stations through
improved lighting, additional
customer information,
more
sheltered areas, greater
accessibility, more seating and
additional myki readers at busy
locations.
The project will also deliver
signal upgrades, improvements to
the Glenhuntly tram square, new
power cabling, substation
upgrades plus train and
maintenance yard upgrades.
With compliments…
“The woman who works on the platform at Balaclava Station on weekday mornings is absolutely wonderful. Her
announcements are always so cheerful, warm and friendly, and really makes a difference to cold, early morning
starts. Please congratulate her on her great work...her announcements really brighten my day.
Thank you Metro!”
Customer: Steve
Page 3
Edition 23 \\ 20 June 2014
New train stabling at Calder Park
A $65 million project to build
new train stabling at Calder
Park is set to provide more
reliable, punctual and frequent
services for Sunbury line
commuters.
Marking the start of works onsite
on Thursday, Minister for Public
Transport Terry Mulder said the
new facility was a long-term
investment in high-quality public
transport.
“The new stabling facility
between Calder Park Drive and
Holden Road will provide stabling
for six trains on the Sunbury line,
in addition to the stabling facilities
at Sunbury and Watergardens
stations.
“Ensuring trains can be stored at
key locations across the network is
vital for the efficient and reliable
operation of our trains and
planning for more train services,”
he said.
Mr Mulder said the new Calder
Park Train Stabling Facility would
also improve on-time reliability of
Minister for Public Transport, Terry Mulder, gets work underway at the
site of the Calder Park train stabling facility.
Sunbury line services and help to
create additional capacity in the
timetable.
Stage 1 of the project involves:
Stabling roads, signals and
overhead lines to store six
trains
An amenities building and car
park for train drivers and
maintenance staff
An upgrade to the existing
power substation
An access road and security
lighting
CCTV coverage around the
yard and perimeter fence
The first stage of the project is
expected to be completed by
mid-2015.
Amy shines during
major disruption...
L-R: Train Services Operations Manager Ali Elbouch, with Driver Amy
Dijanesic, Group Train Driver Manager - Northern Marc D'antonio and
Depot Train Driver Manager - Northern Neil Attwell.
Congratulations to Driver Amy
Dijanesic who was presented
with a Certificate of Appreciation
for her support of a fellow driver
and his passengers during a
trespasser event that brought
about major disruptions on the
Upfield Line on Friday 6 June.
Train Services Operations
Manager, Ali Elbouch, stated:
“Amy is a true example of Metro's
values and behaviours at work,
providing excellent customer
service and support. We thank
Amy for her great work and the
assistance she provided during the
disruption,” he said.
Page 4
Edition 23 \\ 20 June 2014
L-R: Stationmasters Leigh Cartwright and Dominic D‟Lasselle, Authorised Officer Chantelle Singleton, Head of
Customer Services Rob Guest, Stationmaster Shalini Soeny (front), Station Officer Victor Man and Customer
Service Leader Jim Mandis.
Emerging leaders with heads in the books
Six Customer Service team
members are currently tackling
a
demanding
Certified
Customer Service Manager
training course offered by the
Customer Service Institute of
Australia.
The one-year course covers
seven modules, with each module
incorporating a major project to be
submitted for grading.
Some of the modules included in
the course cover topics as diverse
as „customer service for business
growth and excellence‟ and
„bringing a customer service strategy to life‟.
The course is part of a Diploma
in Customer Service which is
accredited to international
customer service standards.
One of the future enhancements
for the course is expected to be a
regular rotation through different
roles, which in turn will generate
experience in a broad range of
leadership scenarios.
Please offer the team your
encouragement when you see
them out on the network.
With compliments…
“I would like you to pass on my compliments to one of your station colleagues who works on the platforms at
Richmond. You'll know who he is - he has a wonderful manner, has always got a smile on his face and does a
great Denis Cometti! It almost makes a cold, wet and windy platform a nice place to be!”
Customer: Padam
Page 5
Edition 23 \\ 20 June 2014
Customers stop for some hip hop House Rules:
Special Report
Metro customers travelled to a
different beat recently with hip
hop performances at selected
stations across the network.
Metro brought a fresh sound to
stations through its partnership
with a state government funded
youth music program called The
Push.
The Push rolled out hip hop
performers to stations as part of
„Backing Tracks‟, a youth oriented
music program delivered
throughout regional Victoria and
metropolitan Melbourne.
The program, which reaches out
to up-and-coming performers
including school kids, unearthed
some rare talent and the quality
was high throughout the two week
event.
Customers heard live hip hop
performances at Box Hill,
Dandenong, Cheltenham,
Preston, Coburg, Sunshine,
Prahran and Fairfield stations.
The final event will take place at
Melbourne Central tonight
between 5pm-7pm.
You can check out some of the
performers doing their thing at:
http://youtu.be/7LYqpMtjjdo
Metro’s Lisa Lamond, HR
Manager Projects, continues her
journey
on
Channel
7
blockbuster House Rules.
MetroExpress informant, the
Rat, takes up the story…
Lisa and Adam are still in the mix
as the show moves into a yard blitz
phase. The four remaining teams
have split into two, with just over
three days to complete either a
front or back yard makeover plus
house exterior renovations.
Lisa and Adam are tackling an
extensive front yard in Perth.
Whilst attempting to build a
retaining wall, the excavators hit
both a sewerage pipe and a water
pipe. Nice work if you can get it!
Lisa is holding it together as
always, although Adam is starting
to wonder if he‟s on Mars.
If they can make swift repairs and
still find time to go the extra mile
with their landscaping, our dynamic
duo from VIC can hang in there for
another week.
Go Lisa. Go Adam. You‟re an
inspiration to us all.
Customer service team
celebrates long service
A celebratory event was held at
the dome in Flinders Street to
recognise the long service
achievements of our customer
service staff.
Pictured are Field Operations
Manager Shane Parker, Customer
Service Manager Northern Group
Tony Chiera
and Community
Education Manager Mario Stanisic
who celebrated over 25 years of
service in the railways.
Metro thanks them for their
valuable service over the years.
Page 6
Edition 23 \\ 20 June 2014
HVAC upkeep
now in-house
Simon Robison (third from left) with members of the ASIS events team
AO team hosts
ASIS info night
The
Au t h o r i s e d O f f i c e r
Department recently hosted an
information evening for the
Victorian members of ASIS
International.
ASIS International is the
pre-eminent organisation for
security professionals dedicated to
increasing the effectiveness and
productivity of security
specialists. It has more than
38,000 members worldwide and
advocates the role and value of
broad security interests.
Compliance & Protocol
Coordinator and AO Projects
Officer, Simon Robison, hosted
the evening and gave a
presentation on the role of Metro
AOs. In his presentation, Simon
discussed the new operating
model, current and future
challenges faced by AOs and
fielded questions about education,
standards and certification.
The presentation was very well
received and Metro applauds
Simon for highlighting the
important role our AOs play in
enforcing ticketing law, improving
customer safety and providing
excellent customer service.
Metro is pleased to report that
the maintenance of all train
heating,
ventilation
and
air-conditioning (HVAC) units
has been brought in-house,
helping to improve overall fleet
availability.
The HVAC maintenance works,
previously carried out by external
contractors,
are
now
being
completed by Metro employees
who have been armed with all the
new skills required to perform the
task.
With over 207 trains in the
network, HVAC maintenance was a
costly exercise until now, and
according to Michael Contreras,
Depot Manager at Bayswater, cost
savings is not the only benefit.
“Quality control is also a big
winner. By managing HVAC
maintenance in-house, we can
ensure that the works are
completed to the consistently high
standard we pride ourselves on .
“Furthermore,
having
fewer
external
contractors
operating
inside our depot is beneficial from
a safety perspective too,” he said.
Loida reunites
worried tourist
with lost property
Well done to Station Officer, Loida
Munoz, who was recently awarded
with
a
Certificate
of
Appreciation for her outstanding
efforts in helping to reunite a very
thankful international tourist with
her lost wallet which contained a
large amount of cash.
L-R: Customer Service Leader Don De La Motte with Station Officer
Loida Munoz and Melbourne Central Stationmasters Harsimran Virk and
Michael Thompson.
Page 7
Edition 23 \\ 20 June 2014
In Brief
Major Events Pardon our
Progress…..
AFL - Round 14
Metro
Performance
We‟re running extra trains to get
fans to and home from:
28-day average as at
Friday 20 June 2014
Richmond v Sydney
Friday 20 June, 7.50pm
MCG
Collingwood v Hawthorn
Saturday 21 June, 2.10pm
MCG
Essendon v Adelaide
Saturday 21 June, 7.40pm
Etihad
North Melbourne v Melbourne
Sunday 22 June, 4.40pm
MCG
St Kilda v West Coast
Sunday 22 June, 3.20pm
Etihad
Sunbury, Upfield, Werribee,
Craigieburn, Williamstown
lines.
Saturday 21 - Sunday 22 June
While we upgrade the track, trains
will not run in the City Loop.
Trains will run between North
Melbourne and Flinders Street via
Southern Cross only.
Visit metrotrains.com.au for more
details
MetroRecruit
Current Vacancies
Closing 29 June:
Recruitment Specialist,
Spring Street
Closing 30 June:
Safety Compliance Coordinator
- Electrical Networks, E-Gate
Safety Compliance Coordinator
- Track, E-Gate
Safety Compliance Coordinator
- Signals and OCS, E-Gate
99.4% Delivery
93.8% Punctuality
With compliments…
“I wanted to let you know that the
driver for the 7.06am Frankstonbound train on Tuesday 17 June,
was fantastic. As we departed
Richmond, he advised all
passengers that it was an express
train and advised passengers for
the Sandringham line, as well as
those wanting to disembark at
Malvern, Armadale, Toorak or
Hawksburn stations, to catch a
connecting service at South Yarra.
He continued to give updates until
we arrived in Cheltenham,
advised passengers to take care
when disembarking the train, due
to rain, and he wished all
passengers a pleasant evening. I
just wanted to let you know that it
was great to hear him offrer such
great customer service. It's this
type of customer service that
make train rides enjoyable. Please
pass my commendations to him.”
Customer: Aleng
All vacancies can be found on
MetroRecruit on the Intranet.
Page 8