Happy birthday, Flagstaff Station!  It has been forty years (27 May, 1985) since Flagstaff officially opened to passengers, the final stage of Melbourne’s much-anticipated City Loop.   As Melbourne looks forward to the opening of the Metro Tunnel later this year, we take a walk down memory lane to rediscover our last city-shaping public transport project.   This will be the station’s last birthday before the Metro Tunnel opens, a project that will double the size of Melbourne’s underground rail networks.  When the City Loop opened, Passenger Service Resourcing Lead Geoff Jacks was a Stations Inspector – and he remains a Metro Trains employee to this day.   Geoff began with the Victoria Railways in 1972 as a Junior Station Assistant at Highett Station and is now in rostering as the Passenger Service Resourcing Lead, looking after the schedules of station staff. Geoff shared his memories of the opening day with ABC Melbourne. “I’ve been there for the opening of all three underground city loop stations,” he said. “It opened up the top end of the city all the way through.”

Metro is the Official Transport Partner of a major new creative commission as part of RISING, Melbourne’s premier winter arts festival. Swingers: The Art of Mini Golf is a mind-bending, playable art exhibition that will transform the Flinders Street Station Ballroom and upper level into a surreal, holey new world. With nine imaginative mini-golf holes dreamt up by some of the world’s most dynamic female-identifying artists, this is no ordinary game, it’s an artistic adventure waiting to be played.  Metro’s General Manager Passenger Information & Community Relations, Amanda Millar, said the historic Flinders Street Station is not only a transport hub, but a very special destination. “Flinders Street Station is where Melburnians come to connect,” she said. “This playful fusion of culture and fun will be a memorable event.” Opening on the first day of RISING (4 June) and running for an extended season until 31 August, the smashing lineup of artists is set to transform mini-golf into a joyful, and unexpected hands-on art experience. Acclaimed filmmaker, writer, and artist Miranda July (USA), following the release of the brilliantly offbeat All Fours, will take a swing, going ‘all fores’ on the course. Kaylene Whiskey (AU) tees up a vibrant fusion of pop culture and Anangu traditions while Tokyo’s Saeborg (JAP) unleashes a world of latex creatures with cartoonish menace.  The original mini golf game was dreamt up by 19th-century Scottish women who were banned from the ‘real’ golf courses but refused to sit on the sidelines. Over the centuries, the humble sport continued to be a game for rule breakers, fuelling a putt putt craze in prohibition-era Los Angeles, with rooftop courses and roadside attractions embracing whimsical, obstacle-filled designs, to later becoming one of the first desegregated public spaces in the USA by the 1940s.  This is the third time RISING has transformed the Flinders Street Ballroom. The iconic artist Patricia Piccinini was the first to use the space, showcasing her groundbreaking hometown exhibition, A Miracle Constantly Repeated in 2021.   To book your tickets, visit https://2025.rising.melbourne/program/swingers  

Congratulations to Shayne Tempest who has retired after an incredible 45 years with the Victorian railways. Born in country Victoria, Shayne started on diesel trains out of Seymour in 1980 before moving to Melbourne five years later to drive the electric trains. From Red Rattler to Harris trains, to the 4D (Double Decker train), Modified Harris Trains (known as Son of Comeng) to Comeng to HCMT, Siemens and X’Trapolis trains, Shayne has driven them all and seen many changes to the city’s rail network in the process.

After 10 years as the voice of Metro’s Passenger Control Centre, Pam Tasker is hanging up her headphones.   As a Centralised Customer Announcer, Pam’s role was delivering announcements to passengers every day from Metrol, our network control centre.  Her distinctive tone is familiar to passengers across the network, and she has even been recognised in public to the delight of her grandchildren.  Originally from Cambridge, England, Pam emigrated to Melbourne in 2007 with her family. In 2014, she landed a job as a Leading Station Assistant based at Flinders Street.  After 18 months Pam was given an exciting opportunity to become an announcer at Metrol.  Pam says her team at Metro’s Control Centre, and service to passengers, are what she has loved most about her role.   “It’s been a privilege and honour to serve the people of Melbourne and keep them updated,” she said. 

Metro’s Moving Melbourne Community Grants Program is open for 2025, supporting not-for-profit organisations across Melbourne doing important work to help improve mental health.     Grants of $5k, $10k and $20k are on offer to projects or initiatives that fall into one of the following focus areas:  Wellness – preventative care to reduce the risk of poor mental health.   Education – activities that inform and promote awareness of good mental health.  Support services – assistance like counselling, psychiatric support or crisis care that directly supports people experiencing mental health challenges.  We are also offering an additional $100,000 worth of advertising at Metro train stations, to be shared between four organisations.  Metro CEO Raymond O’Flaherty said any not-for-profit helping to improve people’s mental health can apply – it could be a local sporting club, school, community centre or local health service.  “It’s a privilege for Metro to support local organisations who are actively working towards improving mental health outcomes in Melbourne’s community,”  he said.  Last year, Metro’s grants program helped community organisations such as the Orygen Foundation, Second Chance Animal Rescue, Blind Sports and Recreation Victoria and The Project Rockit Foundation to assist with their important initiatives which included:  

Metro Trains has awarded 15 scholarships to help kick-start careers in the rail industry, and we’re proud to contribute to the development of aspiring rail professionals. The scholarship recipients have been chosen to undertake the Australasian Railway Association’s (ARA) ‘Professional Certificate in Rail’. The scholarship initiative was part of Metro’s 15-year celebrations. We received over 500 applications for the scholarship program and recipients were chosen because of their passion to enter the rail industry. The recipients come from diverse industries and backgrounds, and will bring unique skill sets and perspective to the rail industry. Reasons given for applying to the program include: Junita’s interest in the railway industry was ignited upon moving to Australia, where she first saw a women driving a train – something she had never seen in her home country. Jayden’s grandfather was an electrician in the rail sector. He said, “carrying on this family legacy is a matter of great pride”. Tom is inspired to work in the rail industry as his sister “has Down syndrome and is legally blind, and the freedom that the train system has given her and her friends with other disabilities is remarkable to see”. Metro Trains thanks the ARA for their support of the scholarship program. Each scholarship covers the costs of completing Australasian Railway Association’s ‘Professional Certificate in Rail’ course – a 25-week online program (approx. 2-hours per week) which is industry-designed and recognised. The ARA Professional Certificate in Rail combines the ARA’s five industry-leading courses with a live webinar and an optional site-visit, and provides the tools to succeed in today’s rapidly evolving rail environment.    

International Women’s Day allows us to recognise the women who help keep Melbourne moving. Women at Metro work in every role at every level of the organisation. Metro is striving to be a workplace where all employees can access equal resources and opportunities, and people of all genders and backgrounds feel safe and supported to bring their whole selves to work. Five of our frontline female employees share a bit about their journey and what it’s like working at Metro, and what International Women’s Day and the 2025 theme, ‘March Forward’, means to them.

Metro has celebrated its first female 50-years service milestone, along with a host of other impressive achievements on Friday night. The annual Milestones dinner hosted these employees along with special guests from Government, rail industry and external stakeholders.   More than 380 employees who have reached significant service milestones between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2024 attended the event at Melbourne’s Crown Palladium, along with Minister for Public and Active Transport Gabrielle Williams, Metro’s executive team and board of directors.

New technology is keeping trains moving with state-of-the-art motion sensors on rail bridge beams and CCTV cameras.  Some of Metro’s 180 rail bridges over roads are struck on average almost every week, so the new technology was installed at three bridge strike hotspots – including Racecourse Road in Newmarket, Huntingdale Road in Jordanville and Warrigal Road in Holmesglen.  New CCTV released, shows that when an overheight vehicle touches one of the bridges, the motion sensors and CCTV cameras are triggered, alerting Metro’s Security Operations Centre and Infrastructure Department with the time of the impact and images from the scene.    This allows Metro’s Infrastructure team to immediately review the incident, including the type of vehicle that has hit the bridge, and decide whether trains need to be slowed or stopped until an on-site assessment of the damage can be undertaken.  Previously the notification of bridge strikes was solely reliant on an incident report being filed – by the person who caused the incident, a member of the public, emergency services, or by a Metro team member.  Bridge Inspector Liam Fetherston said what would normally take up to an hour for travelling to site for a bridge inspection, assessment and clearance, now only takes 10 to 15 minutes. “This technology has saved hours of time and less disruption for thousands of our passengers,” he said.  

A new initiative putting mental health and social support practitioners in the heart of Frankston’s city centre has launched, making community wellbeing and safety a priority for 2025. Frankston City Council, Metro Trains and South East Community Links (SECL) have partnered on a new outreach initiative, called Community Connectors. The need for support services at Frankston Station and Young Street Precinct was identified in Council’s Young Street Action Plan. Metro CEO Raymond O’Flaherty says the program follows a successful pilot at Dandenong Station and is aimed at assisting community members and passengers who frequent the station precinct and face complex challenges. “Our experience with the Community Connectors Program in Dandenong showed that it works and expanding the trial out to Frankston will mean this service can benefit more Melburnians along with our staff who work at the station,” he said. SECL CEO Peter McNamara said that in addition to providing support to those in need, the program will help passengers feel safer at Frankston railway station.

Metro Trains is using award-winning laser technology at Richmond and Parliament Stations to manage crowd safety during major Melbourne events.  The People Movement Analytics initiative uses Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology sensors at stations to capture passenger density on platforms and monitors crowd sizes to provide real time feedback to station staff. It cannot be used to identify individuals.  Staff can access the data through a tablet, and the information helps with platform crowd management and alerts staff of any trespassers jumping into the station pit and onto the tracks.  General Manager Performance Planning and Reporting Michael Jewell says an extensive trial period convinced his team of the LiDAR technology’s benefits.   “We know it has already helped Stations and Authorised Officer teams during busy special events when the platforms become very crowded,” Michael says.    “We have worked so hard over the past two years on this initiative, and it is fantastic to see it in use at two of our busiest stations.” 

Metro Trains Melbourne, a joint venture between MTR Corporation, John Holland and UGL, is proudly marking 15 years as the franchise operator of Melbourne’s metropolitan railway network. To celebrate, Metro Trains Melbourne has announced 15 scholarships, to help kick start a career in the rail industry. The scholarship covers the costs of completing Australasian Railway Association’s ‘Professional Certificate in Rail’ course – a 25-week online program (approx. 2-hours per week) which is industry-designed and recognised. The ARA Professional Certificate in Rail combines the ARA’s five industry-leading courses with a live webinar and an optional site-visit.

Metro Trains has made a $100,000 donation to Foodbank Victoria which will provide 200,000 meals to Melbournians who need assistance. Metro employees were asked to nominate a charity to receive the donation with Foodbank Victoria coming out as the top choice. The donation recognises the challenging conditions many Melburnians face each day with the rising cost of living. Metro Trains colleagues who nominated Foodbank Victoria had the opportunity to visit the facility and hear from the people who work every day to help people in Melbourne who need food assistance. Metro Trains CEO Raymond O’Flaherty says, “This was a donation led by our people. Foodbank Victoria strongly aligns with our values to support Melburnians who are doing it tough right now due to the rising cost of living. “Metro is proud to support Foodbank Victoria to provide assistance to thousands of community members doing it tough.” Metro Trains Compliance Manager Michelle Jones nominated Foodbank Victoria to receive the donation. “I have been lucky enough to have volunteered at the Yarraville warehouse several times now with the local legends who keep those pallets stacked and the trucks loaded with basic necessities. “Foodbank does a phenomenal job feeding Victorians every day when so many can’t afford to feed themselves.  I have the utmost respect for Foodbank Victoria’s CEO Dave McNamara, the Foodbank staff and volunteers – a bunch of unsung heroes.”

With more women than ever joining the rail industry, Metro Trains Melbourne is investing $1 million to upgrade female facilities across the network.   CEO Raymond O’Flaherty said said the new facilities would help encourage more women to join the rail industry.   “This investment will have a further positive impact for our female employees. As one of the largest public transport operators in Australia, we are committed to achieving a 40% female workplace by 2027,” he said.    Metro’s investment will be used to ensure locations around the network provide adequate toilets, showers and change rooms to accommodate the growing female workforce.  Minister for Public and Active Transport Gabrielle Williams said the new facilities would help encourage more women to join the rail industry.   “Metro’s investment demonstrates a commitment to recruiting more women into the railways, taking up fulfilling, flexible opportunities,” she said.