BRIDGE WORKS BRIDGE WORKS FLOAT OUR … · Patterson River bridge works float our boat ......

Edition 23 \\ 20 June 2014

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 carr ie r , wi l l 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

G u e s t , w e l c o m e d t h e 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.

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 BRIDGE WORKS FLOAT OUR BOATFLOAT OUR BOAT

MOBILE COVERAGE BOUND FOR CITY LOOP


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 Con-structions, 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

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!

Patterson River bridge works float our boat

From page 1...

The vessel „Stay Calm‟ has enabled bridge inspectors to get a closer look at the Patterson River Rail Bridge.

Maintenance works on the Patterson River Rail Bridge were completed this week.


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

Stat ion and chatted with customers, who were updated on the BRP pro jec t . Me t ro 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.

The project wi l l enable X‟Trapolis trains to operate on the Frankston line and provide safer,

more comfortable stations through improved lighting, additional customer information, more s he l t e r e d a r e as , g r ea t e r 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 cab l ing , substat ion upgrades p lus t ra in and maintenance yard upgrades.

Treasurer pops down to Toorak Treasurer of Victoria, the Hon Michael O‟Brien, joins CEO Andrew Lezala for a tour of Toorak Station.

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


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.

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.

Amy shines during major disruption...

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

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.

New train stabling at Calder Park

Minister for Public Transport, Terry Mulder, gets work underway at the site of the Calder Park train stabling facility.


Six Customer Service team members are currently tackling a dem and i ng Cer t i f i ed 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 strat-egy 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.

Emerging leaders with heads in the books

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

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.


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.

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 de l ivered throughout regional Victoria and metropolitan Melbourne.

The program, which reaches out

Customers stop for some hip hop

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 , Che l t enham, 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

Customer service team celebrates long service

Metro’s Lisa Lamond, HR Manager Projects, continues her jour ney 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.

House Rules: Special Report

http://youtu.be/7LYqpMtjjdo


Well done to Station Officer, Loida Munoz, who was recently awarded w i t h a C e r t i f i c a t e o f 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.

The Author ised Of f icer 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 p r o d u c t i v i t y o f s e c u r i t y specialists. It has more than 38,000 members worldwide and advocates the role and value of

broad security interests. Comp l iance & Pr o toco l

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.

AO team hosts ASIS info night

Loida reunites worried tourist with lost property

L-R: Customer Service Leader Don De La Motte with Station Officer Loida Munoz and Melbourne Central Stationmasters Harsimran Virk and Michael Thompson.

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.

HVAC upkeep now in-house

Simon Robison (third from left) with members of the ASIS events team

In Brief Metro Performance

28-day average as at Friday 20 June 2014

99.4% Delivery 93.8% Punctuality


AFL - Round 14 We‟re running extra trains to get fans to and home from:

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

Major Events Pardon our Progress…..

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

All vacancies can be found on MetroRecruit on the Intranet.

With compliments… “I wanted to let you know that the driver for the 7.06am Frankston-bound 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

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