Commonwealth Games Count Down Clock Surf Board
More than 70 additional frontline customer service staff have joined Queensland Rail’s ranks ahead of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018), ready to support thousands of domestic and international travellers as they flock to the Gold Coast for the major international event.
Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said the new recruits kick-started their intensive six-week customer service training this week, ahead of supporting Queensland Rail’s existing team of over 670 customer service staff during the biggest event Australia will see this decade.
“GC2018 is just around the corner, and our focus is on ensuring our customer service staff assist people to navigate the rail network as easily as possible during the Games,” Mr Bailey said.
“With Brisbane CBD and Gold Coast line stations’ opening hours to be expanded to up to 24 hours to support round-the-clock train services during the Games, we’re pulling out all the stops to cater for an increased number of travellers between Brisbane and Varsity Lakes.
“We have hired more than 70 new recruits on two-month fixed-term contracts specifically for the Games, many of whom offer multilingual skills to further enhance the more than 40 languages already spoken across our frontline workforce, making sure our visitors feel welcome, no matter where they come from.”
Executive General Manager Citytrain, Nick King, said Queensland Rail was thrilled that of the newest customer service recruits, six had been sourced through Multicultural Development Australia, an organisation that works with newly welcomed Australians from a variety of backgrounds to help them find engaging work opportunities and settle into their new communities.
“Giving these newly arrived Australians work experience not only builds their confidence in their new home, but fosters a welcoming environment, and brings fresh perspectives on problem-solving,” Mr King said.
“All of our new recruits will be deployed to key stations across the South East, with international visitors clearly able to identify all our multilingual station staff by badges worn throughout the Games stating language skills.
“To ensure successful cross-cultural interactions with customers travelling on the rail network, a further 210 customer service staff from key stations are set to complete multicultural customer services skills training over a three-week period in March, ready to support our international visitors.
“We are excited to welcome customers throughout GC2018, and assist them whether they come from near or far,” said Mr King.