Sydney Trains experienced its biggest growth in train crewing last year with a record 360 new drivers and guards now working on the network.
Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Andrew Constance and Sydney Trains Chief Executive Howard Collins today met the latest graduates at Sydney Trains Petersham Training centre.
There’s been a 64 per cent increase in new recruits in the past 12 months, with 125 new train drivers and 235 new guards graduating.
"This is a fantastic outcome and is a result of the huge interest we’ve had from people who can see a long term future in being a train driver or guard," Mr Constance said.
"It’s also a testament to the hard work Sydney Trains staff have done in the past 18 months to attract and recruit quality candidates.
"We’re experiencing unprecedented growth in train use, with 404 million journeys made in 2018. Five years ago that number was 300 million passenger journeys a year.
"This will increase by another 21 per cent by 2021, so the more drivers and guards we recruit today, the better we will be to cope with this growth.
"Sydney Trains’ training program has been a huge success and these record numbers of drivers and guards are proof of that."
Sydney Trains Chief Executive Howard Collins is particularly pleased to see more women joining the driving and guard ranks.
The number of female drivers who completed training school last year accounted for 18 per cent of total driver graduates compared to 9 per cent in 2017. New female guard graduates increased from 24 per cent to 28.
"Sydney Trains currently has 96 female drivers and 210 female guards working across the rail network, Mr Collins said.
"In an industry that has been historically dominated by men, female drivers and guards are breaking down these barriers and showing they have the skills and experience to succeed in this field."
2018 also saw 341 new trainee drivers and guards recruited, who will graduate progressively over the next 12 months.
