Meet Chris: Your Train, His Stage

What started as a job advertisement in a local newspaper turned into a 30-year career working on the trains for Metlink’s charismatic train manager, Chris.

Chris had left the Airforce in his early twenties when the ad recruiting for train drivers caught his eye. Eight months and multiple mechanical and signal exams later, Chris was driving trains up and down the lower North Island. By night, he was performing on a stage in Palmerston North, singing and dancing to his heart’s delight.

“I did everything – ballet, tap, jazz, rock’n’roll. In a way, driving a train was a performance, pulling levers, pushing buttons, in tune with the beeps and whistles as we sped down the tracks,” Chris says.

It was in Palmerston North that he met his wife, and after 12 years of driving trains, Chris changed tracks, deciding to take time off work to focus on his young family.

Like many kiwis, their family had a short stint in Australia before returning to Wellington in 2004, when he spotted yet another ad in the paper. Picking up where he left off, Chris has been working on the trains ever since. 

These days Chris’ stage looks a little different, with rows of seats and regular stops at various stations.

 “I quite like getting out there and having fun with people, performing to them,” Chris says. “The carriage becomes my stage.

“That’s what I do on the trains every day, walking up and down calling for tickets, having a laugh with them, talking to them, handing out compliments in exchange for a fare.”

Chris believes having friendly Metlink faces on the trains helps passengers feel safe, more secure, and ask questions if they are new to the region.

A day’s work depends on where it starts and ends, Chris says. When working from Masterton, a train manager becomes a jack of all trades, shunting carriages and checking the brakes, lights, and doors before signalling to the driver the train is ready to leave the station. In Wellington, it’s as simple as stepping on board.

What doesn’t change, is the spectacular views from Chris’ ‘office’ on our rail network.

“We’re lucky we’ve got a travelling office, especially when we get to enjoy the sunrises and sunsets along the Kāpiti coast.”

From driving in the cab to now jaunting up and down Metlink carriages, Chris has spent decades working on trains, which comes with extensive knowledge of what it takes to keep the network running smoothly.

“There’s a lot of work that goes into keeping the trains running – maintaining the tracks, refurbishing the carriages, replacing parts.

“With all the upgrades and rail improvements we’re doing, it can be frustrating for passengers when their journey is different to what they expected.

“I try to put myself in the passenger’s shoes. How are they feeling? How would I like to be treated? And help the best I can.

“We all like to be somebody, we all want to be seen. That’s what I aim for, making passengers feel like they’re somebody, having a bit of fun – that’s what life is all about.”

This International Train Day, Saturday 11 May, Metlink is celebrating a train manager who aims to make every passenger’s day a little brighter.