ENABLING A BETTERCONNECTED TOMORROW
As a recognised, world-class operator of sustainable rail transport services, MTR Corporation is a leader in safety, reliability, customer service, and efficiency. We learn more with Property and International Business Director, David Tang
Writer: Ed Budds | Project Manager: Eddie Clinton
Throughout history, railways have contributed to the growth of cities by allowing people to travel further and faster, thus fostering the tight connection between people and the community. This connectedness enables people to live further from their places of work, visit their loved ones, explore new places, and experience diverse communities. It serves as a vital link to enhance connectivity and promote social cohesion within the city.
As a company that is fully aware of the importance that rail travel plays in society, the Mass Transit Railway Corporation (MTR) was established in 1975 with a resolute mission to construct and operate under safety and reliability, and act as the backbone of Hong Kong’s public transport system while building and connecting communities with quality caring services.
Over the past decade, MTR’s unique ‘Rail plus Property’ integrated development model not only
“The Rail plus Property model is effective in using the income from property development to fund the construction, maintenance, and upkeep of railway projects. This model allows us to maintain highquality rail services without the need for government subsidies, resulting in financial sustainability in the long run,” opens David Tang, Property and International Business Director at MTR.
David Tang, Property and International Business Director
seamlessly connects railway services with people, but also creates fully integrated new communities comprising residential, commercial, and retail facilities, which promotes the growth and development of the city, and is environmentally sustainable in the long run.
Today, MTR is recognised as one of the best-performing and highestquality rail operators in the world. With more than 50,000 dedicated staff around the globe, MTR carries over 11.5 million passenger journeys worldwide every weekday in Hong Kong, Australia, the UK, Sweden, China, and Macau.
Australia is one of MTR’s key markets. The nation is focused on passenger outcomes, deploying new technology, and remains abundantly clear that highly experienced metro
operators are the preferred partner of choice for Australian clients who are looking to maximise their investments and grow communities around transport infrastructure.
“It is exciting to see the scale of rail transportation investment over the last 15 years across Australia, and we are excited about the strong pipeline going forward,” he enthuses.
CELEBRATING 15 YEARS OF SERVICE EXCELLENCE IN AUSTRALIA
MTR is thrilled to be celebrating its 15th year of dedicated service in Australia. Having first started local operations in 2009, MTR is now the joint venture lead for the Metro Trains Melbourne (MTM) and Metro Trains Sydney (MTS) franchises, and is delivering the trains and systems package for the next automated metro in Sydney.
“The company has made an enduring impact on public transport in Australia, and we are excited to share our journey and commitment to shaping a bright future for rail travel,” introduces Tang.
As a vital component of MTR’s global network, the Australian operations aim to deliver global best practices and continually improve transport options to better serve the communities around them.
MTR’s Australian journey began with MTM, which has over 7,000 employees who help to operate more than 60,000 train services each month. MTM is an essential part of Melbourne’s urban fabric, and in the last 15 years has seen significant improvements in service reliability and performance, passenger satisfaction, and gender diversity.
In Sydney, MTS has set new standards for transport options with its fully automated metro services that boast an on-time performance rating of over 99 percent and passenger satisfaction exceeding 99 percent.
In 2014, MTR partnered to deliver
SUPPLY CHAIN OUTLOOK: HOW DO YOU EMPOWER YOUR STAFF AND RECOGNISE THE VALUABLE CONTRIBUTIONS THEY MAKE?
David Tang, Property and International Business Director: “Our people are the most important asset to the company and its success. Therefore, our leaders’ responsibility is to serve their team and steadily groom new talent to propel our business forward.
“Personally, I see a true leader putting the needs of others first, showing empathy during challenging times, and helping the people around them develop their skill sets and perform as highly as possible. To make that happen, I love giving our people more accountability and opportunities to take the lead in their respective positions. For example, they are given room to practice a trial-anderror approach to their leadership methods.
“Subsequently, the faith you instil in them genuinely inspires people to be leaders on their own and unleash their full potential, hence employees at different levels of our company are mobilised to work collectively towards one common goal, which is to keep cities moving.”
“IT IS EXCITING TO SEE THE SCALE OF RAIL TRANSPORTATION INVESTMENT OVER THE LAST 15 YEARS ACROSS AUSTRALIA, AND WE ARE EXCITED ABOUT THE STRONG PIPELINE GOING FORWARD”
- DAVID TANG, PROPERTY AND INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS DIRECTOR, MTR CORPORATION
the groundbreaking Sydney Metro Northwest project and successfully brought fully automated passenger services to Australia in 2019.
MTR’s involvement in operations and maintenance, construction, and financing has been integral to this benchmark-setting railway that the city now enjoys. The automated services between Tallawong and Chatswood are consistently on-time, and recent data shows incredible levels of passenger satisfaction, making MTS the overall leader in the Australian rail industry.
A TRANSFORMATIVE EXTENSION TOWARDS THE HEART OF SYDNEY
This year, the high-performing MTS team is preparing for the opening of the Sydney Metro City and Southwest line which will see MTS operate the first ever automated trains under the Sydney Harbour into Sydney’s Central Business District.
“As we prepare for the Sydney Metro City and Southwest project, MTS leverages MTR’s global expertise
in operational readiness and new line openings, as demonstrated by the successful opening of eight metro lines in recent years around the world,” Tang enthuses.
The Sydney Metro City and Southwest project represents a transformative milestone where MTR’s Australian presence extends from operator to trains and systems integration, delivered by a 150-strong team of local and international experts ensuring successful execution. Additionally, the company’s Rail plus
Property model aims to enhance the value of developments, fostering interconnected communities.
“We are excited to share our progress at the Sydney Metro City and Southwest project, where our involvement goes beyond our operations and maintenance responsibilities, as we deliver the trains and systems package. In addition, we also act as the overall systems integrator, harnessing the expertise of our global experience,” he adds.
Sydney Metro - Bella Vista Station
MTR construction teams delivering the trains and systems package on Sydney Metro City and Southwest line
Supply
APAC Outlook sits down with Heaton Rail founder and Managing Director, Stefan Heaton (left)
Chain Outlook sits down with Heaton Rail founder and Managing Director, Stefan Heaton (left)
Where did the idea for Heaton Rail come from?
I began consulting in the rail industry in a variety of roles heavily focused on the setup, transformation, and scale-up of businesses and divisions.
As the business grew, we started focusing on the provision of personnel. Being a technical and process-driven business, we quickly iterated on our offering and converted what we do into a science.
With the rail industry facing a talent shortage, how is Heaton Rail bridging this gap and providing the right talent?
Robust processes leveraging people, technology, and data has helped us create a high-performing recruitment engine that delivers results even in the current market
As rail specialists, we speak our clients' language, understand their needs, and possess the asset and operational knowledge that other recruiters and agencies typically lack. This lets us see beyond job descriptions which rarely represent the actual role and identify candidates that best fit a role or assignment.
Headhunting makes up a large portion of our recruitment strategy and we have a large existing network of candidates we’ve established rapport with At times, a candidate may not be fit for a specific role, but we keep in touch, provide feedback, and go back when a suitable role comes up This means that we’re often able to identify perfect matches before our clients start looking.
How does Heaton Rail harness technology in how it does business?
Technology plays a big part in how we do business. We have our own in-house software development and technical team.
Being a people business, we see technology as an enabler. It helps us integrate our people with our processes so we can provide a positive service to our candidates and clients.
What advice would you give to companies struggling to find qualified candidates?
Be clear and realistic about your requirements before you go out to market. Establish your must-haves and nice-tohaves rather than listing down everything as mandatory This will open up your pool of candidates.
Speed and quality of experience are important. We aim to have our recruitment process wrapped up in 1-2 weeks maximum, with candidates exposed to a tailored and engaging recruitment journey that sells the role.
Finally, there are amazing candidates out there that may not meet 100% of your requirements. I recruit for passion, critical thinking, communication, and technical competence in that order
What strategies are businesses using to manage fluctuating workload demands?
Contingent workers, particularly contractors and consultants, increasingly form a large part of our service offering
The benefit of a contingent workforce is that companies can quickly scale their teams to work around workload peaks and troughs.
On the flip side, workers are wanting more interesting, diverse, and flexible work This includes people at the end of their careers who bring a wealth of experience. Equally, we are seeing a growing trend of junior and mid-level professionals moving into more contract or gig-based work
What’s in store for Heaton Rail in 2024?
Since 2016, we've grown organically and aim to continue this by expanding services for existing clients, acquiring new clients, and further improving our service
Candidate experience is a top priority for us Beyond being ethically imperative, our data and experience indicate that a positive candidate experience yields both short-term (engagement, lower drop-off) and long-term (integration, retention) benefits.
We’re experts in the provision of engineering, management and specialist talent within the
Our Services
Keep up with projects, varying workloads, or staff shortages with our skilled and vetted contingent professionals for one-off requirements or entire workforce solutions on both short- and long-term assignments
Our permanent placement services target top passive and active candidates using our extensive network, along with tried and tested tools, technology, and techniques to help companies build high performing teams
Specialisations
Our web-based platform, RoleSpot, vets and aggregates top professionals, enabling companies to hire top talent in the fastest way possible, 24/7 Our system handles all admin, contracts, payments, and invoicing
For this impressive undertaking, MTR utilises a dedicated team of professionals working diligently to blend local and international expertise, creating a synergy of construction and system integration skills. This approach is crucial to the successful execution of this intricate project.
Elsewhere, to date, MTM’s focus on diversity has been nothing short of transformative.
“We’ve made vast strides in improving gender diversity, with 550 female train drivers among our 1,300-strong team. Meanwhile, passenger satisfaction has surged to over 75 percent, and on-time performance has significantly improved, surpassing 92 percent,” Tang acclaims.
Regarding equality and enhanced opportunity, in 2009, there were just 26 women driving trains on Melbourne’s network; now, there are more than 550. MTR’s focus on breaking down barriers for women has included facility upgrades at Flinders Street Railway Station, inclusive uniform sizes and styles, and gender-neutral protective equipment.
“WE AIM TO BECOME RECOGNISED AS THE BEST AND MOST UNIQUE RAIL OPERATOR BY FOCUSING ON DELIVERING WHAT CUSTOMERS REALLY WANT”
– DAVID TANG, PROPERTY AND INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS DIRECTOR, MTR CORPORATION
Additionally, MTM has been a key partner in the Victorian Government’s Big Build programme, ushering in a modern rail network with new trains, enhanced timetables, the removal of 72 level crossings, and the construction of a new tunnel and stations, benefitting the entire city.
Over the 15 years that MTR has been operating and constructing in Australia, it has built strong relationships with local supply chains and technology innovators. This ranges from selecting the strongest suppliers to deliver new metros to recruiting the best talent and continuing to develop them into home-grown industry leaders.
MTR also invests heavily in technology that delivers improvements to its global operations. Its
technology arm, MTR Labs, delivers innovation across its rail and property portfolio, including artificial intelligence (AI) tools to reduce the company’s carbon footprint, as well as smart mobility tools. The teams also work with local technology providers to deliver benefits for local clients. In Australia, this is providing gamechanging performance tools through data management as well as in the UK through datadriven performance and operation optimisation tools.
EXPERTISE FOR THE FUTURE
Moving forward, MTR Australia will continue to share knowledge from the global network it belongs to and ensure that the vision and values laid out by its parent company are deployed locally.
2024 marks the 45th anniversary of MTR, a significant milestone for a corporation that has played a vital role in connecting and growing communities over the past decades.
“We aim to become recognised as the best and most unique rail operator by focusing on delivering what customers really want through leveraging our worldleading performance in providing integrated railway services to capture construction, operation, and maintenance opportunities, as well as adapting our business models to suit the Australian context,” Tang excites.
As a low-carbon transport provider serving the public with the purpose of keeping cities moving, MTR strives to contribute to the sustainable development of society.
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On behalf of the Transport Analytics Team at Toustone, Congratulations to MTR on your 15 years in Australia!
Toustone feels privileged to be part of your journey through our data partnership and advanced analytics work. Thank you for your commitment to servicing the Australian transport industry and community.
We are Toustone, an Australian-owned advanced analytics firm specialising in the transport industry. Our expertise lies in seamlessly connecting, analysing, and extracting insights from diverse transport data sets, like operations, asset performance, energy consumption, and patronage.
We deliver live streaming of transport data based on the SIRI protocol, machine learning, predictive insights, and reports that empower transport leaders with the tools to identify opportunities swiftly and make informed decisions.
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Reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is one of the three environmental and social objectives of the company. As such, over the past year, MTR has actively implemented a series of green initiatives in transport services, property businesses, and new railway development projects to reduce GHG emissions. Meanwhile, MTR is supporting Hong Kong in achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.
Furthermore, the company’s commitment to excellence is evident in its proactive approach to knowledge sharing and collaboration. Global sharing sessions are allowing the business to harness the collective intelligence of its international teams to solve real-world problems by the teams who are facing them.
As MTR continues to evolve, these sessions serve as a testament to the power of global collaboration in driving innovation and operational excellence.
By facilitating the exchange of ideas and experiences, MTR is not only strengthening its internal capabilities but also contributing to the broader advancement of the transportation industry. As the company looks towards the future, the lessons learned from these global sharing sessions will undoubtedly continue to shape MTR’s journey towards excellence on a global scale.
With vast expertise spanning various aspects of public transport, a global network for knowledge sharing, and a commitment to shaping the future of Australian public transport, MTR remains enthusiastic regarding its plans to continue to share prosperous collaboration across the sector.
“Together, we’ll continue to make a positive impact on Australia’s public transport system, and we look forward to continuing successful partnerships and collaborating with clients to realise their visions well into the future,” he finishes proudly.
