This is a blog written by a new recruit to 'One' railways in West Anglia (now National Express East Anglia) who joined the railway in March 2005 after several years in other jobs. The experiences are typical of what can be expected at a passenger TOC and cover his experiences from interview to passing out nearly a year later, then his first few months as a qualified driver. It was written both to illustrate the training process and to provide information and encouragement to other trainees and people considering train driving as a career.
Many thanks to the author for allowing me to display this blog
At last, some positive news coming from the Southern Rail disputes today. Finally, a fresh deal has been agreed between South and the train driver’s union.
Since the Southern rail disputes began last year, hundreds of thousands of commuters have suffered. Delays and cancellations, caused by strikes over driver-only trains, have brought chaos to the railway, and severely damaged the TOC’s reputation.
Now, Aslef leaders have claimed that they will recommend that their members accept the new agreement. The secretary of the union has stated that the new agreement has the full support of the negotiating team, and that they are confident it will provide a solution to their member’s concerns, and provide a safe service to the public.
Likewise, GTR (who own Southern) have stated that they too are pleased with the results of the talks, and that they have finally reached a deal. They acknowledged that the period has been extremely difficult for passengers and staff, and that it’s a relief to finally move forward.
Currently, a ballot is scheduled to be held amongst Aslef drivers, with the result to be revealed on the 3rd of April. Unfortunately, it’s not all good news, as the RMT Union remains locked in dispute with Southern over staffing issues. RMT have stated that they haven’t seen the details of the new deal, but have requested to receive a full and detailed copy. The latest RMT strike arrived on Monday, with action having an impact on areas as far north as Merseyside, where industrial action has taken place.
In recent months, MPs have been widely outspoken about the Southern rail disputes, including encouraging the government to strip Southern of the service. They pointed out that due to the strike action, hundreds of trains were failing to run, and therefore Southern and their staff were failing to deliver to their customers.
Overall, this is a step in the right direction. That being said, it was actually reported that an agreement had been reached some time ago, with that proposed agreement falling through. Therefore, take this with a pinch of salt!
Just when you thought it was safe to go back on the railways…
Bad news today, as there are yet more disputes between Southern Rail and their drivers. The recent dispute has come about over disagreements about drivers working overtime, from the 4th of June onwards. If you’ve been following the news, you’ll know that this is just one in the latest of a series of disputes between Southern Rail and their staff. In the past year, multiple strikes – caused by disagreements over driver-only trains – have crippled the railway. Commuters have suffered hugely, with delays and cancellations adding to a growing sense of anger over the state of the railway. While this dispute has recently been resolved, the new southern rail overtime disputes have led to further strike action.
On Wednesday 17th, ASLEF took action. 96% of drivers voted for action just short of striking, and it has been decided that they will enforce an overtime ban. The secretary of ASLEF claimed that, since Southern were refusing to budge, the staff will be refusing to work overtime from the end of the month.
In a further twist to the southern rail overtime disputes, RMT is also taking more action over driver-only trains. The union have announced that they are set to hold their 32nd day of strike action, on May 30th. Govia have announced that they are dismayed with this position, especially after appearing to finally reach an understanding, and five months of negotiations. Govia have stated that as a result of the changes, which were implemented in January, they have been running a significantly improved service. They have apologised to customers, but placed the blame firmly with RMT.
When asked about this, the secretary of RMT claimed that it was up to Govia and Southern to hold talks with the Unions, and to put the safety of their passengers at the top of the agenda.
As always, here at TrainDriver.org, we’ll be sure to update you with any future – and hopefully good – news!
Train companies in India are now utilising yoga as a way of making their staff more efficient, relaxed and productive. Specifically, Indian Railways. The Mumbai suburban railway is one of the busiest in the entire world, transporting over 7 million passengers every single day. Naturally, this puts the drivers – known as ‘motormen’ under huge pressure. Part of the stress of working on Indian railways is not just in keeping the trains on time, but in preventing accidents. Every single year, thousands of people die on Mumbai’s railway tracks. Mumbai trains are regularly carrying 2.5 more passengers than initially intended.
This creates enormous tension for the motormen running the trains, who are also subject to dealing with frequent customer complaints, rudeness and track failures.
So, with all of that, why yoga? Well, primarily, there are the mental benefits of yoga. Yoga is often seen as a fantastic way to de-stress, along with being a very popular form of exercise. The mental relief that exercises like yoga bring can make a huge difference to companies whose employees are overworked or in positions where concentration is a top priority, especially when it involves safety. Yoga has a major benefit on the day-to-day lives of its participants, helping them to focus, and reducing tension from an extremely difficult role.
Physically, yoga also makes a big difference. It’s well known that keeping physically fit can have a huge impact on your mental health. Yoga helps with elements such as posture, losing weight and even blood circulation, which in turn keeps the mind sharp – a quality which is vital for train drivers.
There are over 1174 drivers on the Mumbai suburban railway line. By regular standards, this is an astronomical figure for a single line, meaning that Indian Railways are hard pressed to provide a good working environment and level of care for all of their drivers. By utilising yoga, the company appears to have found an activity which is not limited to only certain drivers, and can be practiced by every employee.
Great news coming from the UK today, as it has emerged that rail passengers who are travelling on the East Grinstead line will finally be able to take trains directly to London. The move comes as part of a wider effort to make the East Grinstead line a major part of the Thameslink route.
As mentioned, the move is part of a wider changes effort, on the part of Govia. The changes will take place from 2018 onwards. Further changes include various other Thameslink services being added to the Southern line, which already accommodates for Oxted and Upper Warlingham.
Essentially, the current route would be replaced and extended, with the new route being run by Thameslink, going on to areas such as Blackfriars, St Albans and Bedford. That being said, the East Grinstead line to Victoria, and the Uckfield line, will still run under the control of Southern.
Speaking about the plans, the CEO of Govia claimed that with passenger journeys doubling in recent years, it’s essential for the company to take a transformative approach. He claimed that by improving tracks and stations, and introducing new trains and routes, Govia can ensure that they are providing customers with a railway which exceeds their expectations, and carries them into the future.
Consultations for the plans started in 2016, and were one of the most detailed/biggest ever conducted by Govia. The company took into account all possible passenger views about the potential new routes, and on the timetables for these routes.
That being said, not everyone is happy about the plans. Some customers have admitted to being sceptical about how well the proposed changes can work, and claimed that having a tighter timetable does not necessarily translate to good results. Many passengers have pointed out that Govia’s track record of delays is evidence of their inability to run an efficient service – something that simply changing timetables will not fix. It has also been noted that driver-only services can be inefficient for certain passengers, who are perhaps less able or mobile. Since there are no staff members on board trains, there will be nobody to help people with mobility issues, in the event that they decide to turn up last minute and travel.
So, what conclusions can be drawn from this? Well, it’s safe to say that this IS positive news. The bottom line is that Govia are making a sustained attempt at improving their East Grinstead line services. Whether they are capable of making these improvements work is another matter, but the desire for change and improvement can only be a positive thing. Now, it’s up to Govia to prove to their passengers that these aren’t empty promises, and that they truly can match up to the standards they have laid out in these plans. If they can, then we will surely see a healthier, stronger and more efficient railway, which every single passenger can benefit from.
Interesting news coming from Scotland today, as campaigners have begun a sustained effort to introduce ‘women-only’ shortlists for Scottish train driver recruitment. The campaign follows the shocking reveal from Aslef that only 4% of train drivers in Scotland are female.
As it stands, there are 1566 train driving posts in Scotland. Of this number, only 62 are women. This means that Scotland has a lower percentage figure of female train drivers, than the entire UK – which stands at 6%. Obviously, these are pretty shocking statistics, and it only gets worse. Aslef also revealed that, in the whole of Scotland, there is just one female freight train driver – with 154 currently serving freight drivers.
The issues above have been submitted for discussion at the Scottish Trades Union Congress, which is to be held on October 31st of this year (2017). The secretary of Aslef has claimed that that by introducing ‘women-only’ Scottish train driver shortlists, rail companies can address the obvious balance issue here. He states that the problem comes largely from male managers, who continuously hire male staff over female, and from male staff conducting the interviews. Aslef have asserted that such woefully low statistics are not acceptable in the 21st century, and that Scotland have fallen well behind England and Wales when it comes to female freight drivers.
In response, a spokesman for the Scottish government claimed that ministers have taken steps to improve gender equality, and called upon Scottish rail operators to promote equal opportunities wherever possible. Meanwhile, both ScotRail and the Freight Transport Association (FTA) have spoken out about the figures, claiming that they are working hard to ensure a gender-balanced workforce, and openly encourage women to apply for their job positions. While they acknowledged that both the freight and rail industry are traditionally male-dominated, they also pointed out that times are changing, and that every candidate is treated equally – regardless of their gender.
A couple of news stories to report back on today, from the world of UK Trains:
First of all, more news from Southern, as rail drivers are set to be balloted over a deal to end the Southern dispute. Although this might not sound like anything new, as they’ve been balloted in the past, the new proposal includes a five-year pay deal, which is worth 28.5% more than what drivers currently earn.
Along with the increased pay, the new proposal also ensures that trains will have a second safety-trained individual on every single vehicle. The introduction of driverless UK trains has been the main sticking point for striking drivers over the past year or so, and therefore for Govia to back down slightly on this represents a big step! The safety trained individual will be fully competent in all of the skills necessary to help or evacuate passengers in an emergency – which on the face of it seems to resolve all of the issues…but we’ll see what happens. Remember, we’ve had cause for optimism before, only to have disagreements emerge immediately following an preliminary agreement – so don’t get your hopes up yet!
The result of the ballot will be announced on the 8th November 2017.
In the past few days, it has emerged that since railway privatisation began 20 years ago, train drivers pay has trebled! Whether you think this is a good or a bad thing, the rise in UK trains wages has been placed largely with unions, whose constant action and activity have kept train companies on their toes. Later this year, a record pay increase could even see train drivers across the country earning more than £58,000 on average, a year. This is an astronomical figure, especially when compared with the average UK salary of £27, 271.
As you can imagine, not everyone is best pleased with this news. Certain MPs have accused the unions of ‘holding the public to ransom’. Other MPs have demanded that once the salary increase goes ahead, the strikes stop at once.
Whichever side of the rails you fall on, it must be said that right now becoming a train driver is a very appealing option. With the increasing wages, and union power behind them, train driving roles are certainly on the up – and will only become more in demand as a result.
If you are an apprentice train driver in the UK, then Virgin are offering a fantastic and unique opportunity. A new scheme has recently been introduced, offering a year-long training course for potential virgin trains apprentice drivers!
Virgin have recently announced that they are taking on a brand-new set of apprentice drivers. In order to do this, they’ll be offering successful candidates a year-long training course, which will aim to teach the new drivers everything they need in order to actually join Virgin as a driver. Driving trains for Virgin is an extremely profitable role. Virgin train drivers earn around £50,000 per year – which is high even in the rail industry.
When asked why candidates should apply for their brand new scheme, Virgin trains emphasised that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. They claimed that this apprenticeship scheme will give candidates the chance to work alongside some of the very best drivers in the train industry, gain practical insight into train driving and fully understand the business. Overall, it represents a fantastic chance for any aspiring drivers!
Naturally, with such a great offer on the table, places are extremely limited! So limited, in fact, that there are just THREE places available! Virgin have said that they expect over 1000 applications for the scheme, so the competition is fierce. Furthermore, applications close in early March, so there’s not much time left! The places will be allocated to candidates from London, Wolverhampton and Glasgow. Whilst training on the scheme, which takes 2 years, you will earn a salary of £15,000 per year. Once that training is completed, your salary will escalate considerably, and you’ll also earn a fantastic NVQ in train driving.
So, if you want to try your hand at driving a Virgin Train, then you can apply HERE!
Good luck, and stay warm!
[other days in blog in the same style as above]
