Metro receives almost 2000 items to our lost property every month but recently, a truly remarkable item was handed in.   The team in lost property had World War II Service Medals handed in at Flinders Street Station in November last year, they are now hoping to reunite them with the owner’s family.  It has since been confirmed by the Australian War Memorial that they were awarded to a man named Herbert Hepburn, who served in the Australian military from January 1942 to March 1946.  Hepburn would be turning 122 in April and the only next of kin that could be located by the war memorial was his mother, meaning the team is now at a dead end.  Flinders Street Senior Station Master Gurbinder Dhillon is hopeful he can return the medals to its rightful owner.   “I am waiting for the day we can reunite it with its owner. That will be really joyful for us,” he said.  The team at lost property received more than 14,000 calls and emails in 2025 to reunite owners with their lost items.  Although Metro occasionally receives objects with deep emotional and historical value like the medals, most lost items are everyday objects such as mobile phones, wallets, headphones and handbags.  At present, the Flinders Street office is holding almost 1,700 items, including 90 mobile phones, more than 140 handbags and 110 sets of AirPods or headphones. Approximately 30 per cent of lost items were reunited with their owners last year.  The Metro Trains lost property office is located at Flinders Street Station. The opening hours are Monday to Friday 8am – 5pm. Passengers should direct all lost property queries to lost.found@metrotrains.com.au or call (03) 9610 7512. 

Metro’s Moving Melbourne Community Grants Program is open to not-for-profit organisations that are passionate about mental health.   Grants of $5k, $10k and $20k are available, and this year a new First Nations cultural grant is on offer.  With a total funding pool of $110k, along with a share of $100k worth of advertising at Metro train stations.  Submit applications at Metro Community Grants by 3 April.    Projects or initiatives must 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.     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.    Last year, Metro’s grants program helped community organisations such as the Camp Quality, The Royal Women’s Hospital, and Tandem to assist with their important initiatives. Over the past seven years, Metro’s community grants program has awarded more than $660,000 to community organisations.   Visit Metro Community Grants for more information and to apply.  

Metro is adding extra services as spring – and event season – gets Melbourne moving. With school holidays in full swing, this week also sees the start of the Melbourne Royal Show, running for 11 days from Thursday 25 September, and the AFL Grand Final, kicking off at the MCG on Saturday 27 September. Up to half a million visitors are expected through the gates of the Melbourne Royal Show, with many expected to take advantage of trains departing Flinders Street for Melbourne Showgrounds around every 15 minutes. On Friday 26 September, all public transport will run to a Saturday timetable, with extra train services operating for spectators keen to see the teams in the AFL Grand Final Parade. And for the big event on ‘the last Saturday in September’, there will be 60 train services added to metropolitan lines, getting fans to and from the MCG Precinct to watch the Brisbane Lions take on the Geelong Cats. Nathan Loriente, Head of Train Services, said the team at Metro works as one team to provide more services to more people. “September is always a busy month, and it’s a fantastic feeling to help passengers travel safely to and from their favourite events.”

Kicking off celebrations early, Metro is delighted to celebrate Victorian Seniors Month. Special guest Peter Hitchener drew in a fantastic crowd and helped us share important messages about safe and accessible travel across the network. Through our Community Education Program, we support older passengers to build confidence when travelling on public transport, from learning about […]

Hundreds of drivers are now trained and ready to take passengers through the Metro Tunnel ahead of the project opening later this year. Metro CEO Raymond O’Flaherty joined Minister for Transport Infrastructure Gabrielle Williams at Anzac Station to announce that nearly 500 drivers are ready to take passengers through the new twin tunnels and five underground stations. “Drivers are playing a critical role in the project’s trial operations phase, with trains running thousands of kilometres inside the tunnel to build reliability in the new systems,” O’Flaherty said.   “They’re a fantastic team and I’m so proud of the way they’re working systematically through the testing phase.” 

Springvale Station Officer David Luketic’s impressive collection of Metro Melbourne and Australian passenger trains is like a living history of rail transport. Even more impressive is that David has made all of them himself.  David hand-builds his models from plastic, or designing and 3D printing them. The trains are then moulded, cast and painted. “I was around 16 when I started making models,” David said. “It was basic stuff back then. Now the models I make are mainly passenger cars and various locomotives from Melbourne and around the country.” The intricate models are detailed and incredibly accurate, down to the livery and body shell to the bogies and couplers. David keeps some of his models but sells others to collectors. His love of trains has also seen him travel on some of the world’s most iconic railways. “I’ve been on the Indian Pacific and the Shinkansen in Japan. But I’d love to travel on the TGV in France, the Ghan in Australia and the Andean Explorer in Peru.” David says he’s not tempted to recreate international trains. “All of my models are Australian, and I’m not looking into other countries,” he said.

Metro has announced the recipients of its 2025 Moving Melbourne Community Grants program, not-for-profit organisations doing important work to help improve people’s mental health.  Eight recipients share a grant pool of $100,000 with an additional $100,000 worth of advertising at selected Metro train stations shared between four organisations.    The full list of 2025 recipients are:  Footscray Community Arts Centre LTD – $20,000  Outside the Locker Room Charity LTD – $20,000  Body Safety Australia LTD – $20,000  Camp Quality LTD – $10,000  The Royal Women’s Hospital Sunflower Program – $10,000  Tandem INC – $10,000  Solve-Tad LTD – $5,000  Serbian Community Association of Australia INC – $5,000   The following recipients have been awarded advertising space at Metro stations:  Griefline – at Flinders Street Station  Safe Steps Family Violence Response Centre INC – Melbourne Central   Amaze INC – Flinders Street Station  Youth Projects LTD – Werribee Station  

For aspiring actor and student Lukas Duffy, travelling on public transport is ‘a pilgrimage’ to the life he is building – work placements, theatre opportunities and study.   Lukas is a student at Melbourne Polytechnic, undertaking a Work Education qualification designed for people with an intellectual disability, autism, or cognitive impairment.   During this course, he has worked closely with Metro’s Community Education team, developing skills in journey planning, using the PTV app, and managing myki cards. Lukas says public transport is “always there for you”.  

Metro has several shortlisted nominations in the 2025 Australasian Rail Industry Awards. These awards recognise individual and company achievements in the rail industry, and celebrate projects or initiatives that demonstrate leadership, innovation, and success. It is great to see our people, innovation and hard work being recognised by the industry and our peers. We congratulate our Metro finalists and wish them all the best for the Awards ceremony in September.   Finalist name, team, or submission Award Category Darcy Bourke, Infrastructure     Young Rail Professional Award – recognises individuals with less than 10 years’ experience, for contributions to their company and the wider rail industry. Projects Disruptions: Implementation of new systems for planned rail replacement services     Passenger Operations Excellence Award – celebrates leadership, innovation and industry growth that improves efficiency, enhances customer and stakeholder outcomes, and fosters collaboration. Community Connectors Program: Metro’s Community Investment Program in conjunction with South East Community Links, providing support at Dandenong and Frankston Stations   Safety Excellence Award – recognises a program, team, or individual implementing world class safety strategies. Metro Tunnel Transformation Communications Program     Employee Engagement Excellence Award – celebrates the spirit of cooperation and respect between an organisation and its employees. North East Link Project Overhead Line Remote Isolation System   (joint submission with Major Road Projects Victoria) Rail Innovation of the Year Award – recognises leadership through the practical application of innovative solutions resulting in a commercial, environmental and/or social benefit. Leading Sustainability Excellence, including Metro’s Circular Economy Strategy. Sustainability Excellence Award – recognises and promotes progress towards sustainability excellence and innovation in the rail industry.    

Metro Trains and the University of Melbourne are returning some of Victoria’s critically endangered native grasslands to their original glory. The Sunbury Line Biosite Connectivity Project has been researching the best way to restore native grasslands along rail lines.  It is re-using soil excavated from rail construction sites, and reintroducing plant species that existed there 40 years ago. This work is being done as part of the Sunbury Line Upgrade Project, and aims to enhance and connect more than three hectares of land on the Sunbury Line.

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.