Sam McLean

Ms JENNY AITCHISON (Maitland—Minister for Regional Transport and Roads)—I wish to acknowledge XPT driver Sam McLean who drives the Sydney-Melbourne route. Sam is one of only four female long distance train drivers in NSW. She lives and works in Junee where she is the only female driver based at the NSW TrainLink depot there. Like many of our drivers, Sam loves her job, especially having a front-row seat for some amazing views such as sunrises, sunsets, shooting stars and lightning storms and she believes in the importance of regional rail. She told me about how her job driving trains has led her to fulfil a dream of living in the country after a post-COVID tree change in 2022. Sam said she believed in the importance of rail travel and one of the keys to having a flourishing regional community was to have a proactive rail network. Thanks for all the great work you do Sam getting our customers safely between Melbourne and Sydney!