More than 250 successful applicants have been selected for trainee guard positions at Queensland Rail, exceeding the recruitment target by 25%. Deputy Premier and Minister for Transport Jackie Trad said the Palaszczuk Government was delivering on the Strachan Inquiry recommendations.
“Getting recruitment back on track at Queensland Rail is central to our plan to fix the trains and we are already seeing great outcomes,” Ms. Trad commented “The Strachan Inquiry recommended QR develop and maintain a structural surplus of train crew, so I’m delighted we’ve achieved this significant milestone. Queensland Rail has now selected 255 successful candidates for trainee guard positions, with almost 40 guards already fully trained and serving commuters. This is in addition to our trainee drivers where we have already recruited 106 drivers, past the halfway mark of our target of 200.”
The Minister went on to explain that with so many new recruits we have expanded classroom sizes, introduced mentors and have started using a new state of the art simulator to ensure we can train guards and drivers faster. This is a huge step forward and means Queensland Rail will be better prepared for operational changes and challenges into the future.

Queensland Rail Chief Executive Officer Nick Easy said the trainee guards were already progressing through training schools.
“We have a rolling program of training schools for both drivers and guards and since October, we’ve already had 39 guards complete their training and out servicing commuters on the network,” Mr. Easy commented.
Queensland Rail Chair Phillip Strachan said reaching this recruitment milestone for guards demonstrated strong steps forward in implementing his recommendations.
“Through undertaking my report, it was clear that QR should be aiming for an oversupply of train crew and they are making significant inroads to ensure they have a steady pipeline of trainees to achieve this,” Mr. Strachan commented.