Welcome to another edition of Fast Five – our series where we ask Victoria’s most influential and exceptional business leaders five questions to get a behind-the-scenes look at some of Australia’s most dynamic businesses.

As Melbourne’s metropolitan rail service operator, Metro employs a workforce of 7,000 rail professionals including train drivers, mechanical and electrical engineers, network operations specialists and customer service representatives.

In this edition we spoke to Metro Trains Melbourne Chief Executive Officer, Raymond O’Flaherty. With extensive experience in transport and infrastructure, Mr O’Flaherty joined Metro in 2009 and became its CEO in 2018, leading its largest ever transformation on the city’s network.

1: How has COVID-19 impacted the running of the metropolitan rail network over the past few years?

It’s been an unprecedented time for people living in Melbourne over the past two-and-a-half years.

Patronage on the metropolitan rail network fell to as low as 10 per cent of pre-pandemic levels at different times as Melburnians followed public health orders and stayed at home.

Similar record patronage declines were seen across the world during lockdown periods. Patronage on the London Tube dropped by 95 per cent, and on the New York Subway by 96 per cent – the lowest patronage recorded in a century.

Despite our low passenger numbers during one of the longest lockdowns in the world, Melbourne’s metropolitan rail network ran ‘full steam ahead’ as we continued to deliver the normal timetable for essential workers.

Now at the end of 2022, there’s a feeling of normality, both here and around the world, that is starting to come back – currently at around 60 per cent. You can feel that Melbourne is springing back to life, and it is evident in our passenger numbers – particularly on weekends, where our patronage levels are almost on par with pre-COVID-19 levels.

During the recent AFL Grand Final in September, Metro Trains carried around 40,000 footy fans to the packed MCG. During the Melbourne Cup Carnival in November, we transported over 175,000 people and ran 1,000 extra train services over an eight-day period.

People are back in their offices and normal daily routines, and out at restaurants and major events. It feels good to see Melburnian’s getting back on our trains and reconnecting with their city.

2. What have been some key milestones for Metro Trains this year?

While it has been quieter on the network over the past few years, we have continued to move at pace and achieved some amazing milestones that we are incredibly proud of.

In July this year, we welcomed our 500th female driver to Metro Trains – the highest number of female drivers on any rail network in Australia.

In 2009, there were just 26 women driving trains on our network. Now, women represent 37 per cent of all Metro Trains drivers, and we are excited to see this number continuing to grow.

This year we were also endorsed as an organisation by Work180 as an ‘Employer of Choice for Women’.

Employers looking to be endorsed by Work180 are screened against a set of 20 criteria to demonstrate that the organisation is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion.

In a traditionally male-dominated industry, we are working very hard every day to break down barriers for women and create a flexible working environment where everyone feels welcomed and supported.

And we are working at this from the very roots of our organisation.

Now in its ninth year, 87 per cent of graduates who have completed our Engineering Graduate Program are still employed by Metro Trains.

We are incredibly proud of our graduate program and its success over the years in attracting and retaining talent in the industry, and of our graduates, who will shape the future of Australia’s rail networks.

We strongly feel that as an organisation we are heading in the right direction when it comes to bedding down a culture that is inclusive, supportive and welcoming to all.

3. There’s a lot being invested in rail infrastructure at the moment here in Melbourne. How is Metro Trains a part of this transformation?

We are proud to be a part of the planning and delivery for some of Melbourne’s biggest city-shaping projects, such as the Level Crossing Removal, Metro Tunnel and Melbourne Airport Rail projects.

Since February 2020 when people started working from home, our organisation has been instrumental in the removal of 36 level crossings and re-building of 18 new stations around the network.

The total tally now stands at 67 level crossings removed and 38 stations rebuilt since 2015 when the Level Crossing Removal Project kicked-off.

Truly mind-boggling when you consider that this huge rail transformation has taken place in just seven years, almost three of which have been during a global pandemic, and while running a live, fully operational rail network.

We are now gearing up for the opening of the dual nine-kilometre tunnels and five new underground stations as part of the Metro Tunnel project in 2025.

Our latest fleet of new High-Capacity Metro Trains have begun entering service and will eventually run through the Metro Tunnel from Pakenham/Cranbourne all the way to Sunbury, allowing more trains, more often.

More level crossings will be removed, and works will ramp up on the new Melbourne Airport Rail.

These projects will keep our city busy for years to come and cement public transport as the lifeblood of moving people around our city.

As we all strive for a more sustainable future, it is encouraging that Victorians continue to be committed to this journey to transform the rail network, and we at Metro Trains are incredibly proud to be a part of it.

4. What’s the biggest challenge Metro Trains is facing at the moment?

Trespassing continues to be our biggest challenge – last year there were more than 3,000 incidents of trespassing recorded on Melbourne’s metropolitan rail network.

These incidents regularly cause delays to our train services – some trespassing incidents that occur during peak travel times can impact approximately 50,000 passengers.

These incidents can also be very traumatic for Metro’s drivers, station staff and passengers.

This continues to push us to innovate to protect our people and our network from trespassing.

In August, Metro’s Train Services team was recognised at the Australasian Rail Industry awards for our Train Driver Trauma Recovery Guidebook.

The guidebook was developed to support rail industry workers involved at the scene of an incident on the rail network and provides drivers with important information about what to expect and the support services available.

The guidebook has been issued to every qualified and trainee driver on the Metro Trains network and has been shared widely across the industry to support the wellbeing of rail workers – because no one should feel alone or unsupported

5. What are Metro Trains’ priorities over the next few years?

At Metro, we will continue to focus on safety, diversity and inclusion, sustainability and wellbeing.

Certainly, the safety and wellbeing of our people and passengers will always be the foundation of our organisation.

The rail industry is vast and interesting and there are opportunities for anyone who wants to join, and we will continue to be committed to fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion.

That’s our key focus – to continue to transform this industry.

We will also continue to deliver the huge program of work that is transforming Melbourne’s rail network. The new Metro Tunnel will open, level crossings will continue to be removed and we will shift our focus to the new Melbourne Airport Rail project.

It’s going to be a busy time for us here at Metro Trains!