Metro rolls out the blue carpet for NFL history
Metro rolls out the blue carpet for NFL history
Melbourne welcomed a new sporting spectacle last week as the NFL arrived in Australia for the first regular season game played on Australian soil.
As more than 100,000 fans made their way to the MCG for the clash between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers, Metro’s teams were hard at work helping people get to the action while transforming the journey into part of the game-day experience.
Extensive planning went into supporting passenger journeys across the network. A Night Network ran overnight to help passengers, event staff and visitors get where they needed to be ahead of kick-off, whilst more than 30 extra services were ready to move passengers after the final buzzer.
No major sporting event would be complete without a little friendly rivalry, and Metro proudly got behind the Rams while Yarra Trams backed the 49ers. The rivalry played out across social media and a special collaboration between Metro CEO Raymond O’Flaherty and Yarra Trams CEO Vincent Destot. While both CEOs had different views on who would claim victory on the field, they shared a common goal of helping fans get safely and smoothly to the game.
Metro also embraced the excitement of game day. Staff at Flinders Street, Richmond and Jolimont stations welcomed customers wearing official Rams scarves and were ready to assist interstate and international visitors, while Rams magnets supplied by the NFL were distributed at selected outer-suburban stations.
Fans were also greeted by a new immersive artwork installation at Richmond designed to make them feel as though they were walking out onto the field themselves.
The excitement also reached a national audience through a live Channel Seven Sunrise Weather cross aboard a moving train, where Chief Operating Officer Aline Frantzen joined weatherman Sam Mac to showcase the preparations undertaken by the whole Metro team.
For Metro, supporting the NFL was about more than football. It was an opportunity to showcase the role public transport plays in connecting people to the moments that matter. Whilst our blue friends at the Rams didn’t win on the day, we couldn’t be more proud of our team at Metro.
Whose house? Metro’s house!
