From Newsgroup: uk.railway

From the FT

The UKrCOs rail minister has ordered train companies to urgently hire more train drivers, saying he is rCLconcernedrCY by a looming shortage.

Rail minister Peter Hendy said train operators needed to step up
recruitment efforts to plug a gap that will be left by thousands of drivers retiring this decade.

rCLOne of the few input metrics I am really concerned about is the number of useful drivers on the network,rCY he told the Financial Times. rCLWe simply have to have more drivers. Very few of [train line operators] had enoughrCe.rCe.rCe.rCea number of the train companies are not recruiting the maximum.rCY

He added: rCLThey need to work harder and train more drivers. Now werCOre in charge, thatrCOs what we have told them to do.rCY

Hendy has tasked Alex Hynes, head of rail within the Department for
Transport, with helping solve the shortfall, he added.

There are about 27,000 train drivers licensed in Britain, excluding
Northern Ireland. Aslef, the union that represents 97 per cent of drivers,
said that roughly 22 per cent of passenger drivers and 40 per cent of
freight drivers would retire in the coming five years.

rCLWe feel the privatised companies only recruited the bare minimum of
drivers, to keep it ticking over,rCY said Mick Whelan, Aslef
secretary-general.

rCLEven at the rate werCOre working with the existing companies to recruitrCe.rCe.rCe.rCewe canrCOt keep up,rCY he said.

Drivers currently have to undertake a yearrCOs training, including aptitude tests that Whelan said roughly two-thirds of people failed on their first attempt.

British train services were already rCLaround a thousand [drivers] short of
the existing timetables they runrCY, he said.

Hendy said driver shortages were behind some of the rail disruption this summer, including the decision by South Western trains to launch an
emergency timetable that significantly reduced its service.

The franchise was one of the first to be nationalised under the Labour governmentrCOs plan to fold all lines into a new rCLGreat British RailrCY, a state operator that will own and run both the tracks and the trains,
reversing the structural separation introduced at privatisation.

The government will introduce a new railways bill in the coming weeks to
set up GBR, which will finalise the structure and operations of the new business.

Hendy rCo who is a former commissioner for Transport for London and also previously ran Network Rail rCo said he expected improvements from South Western and other nationalised lines rCLquicklyrCY.

South Western was only able to use a fraction of the 90 new trains they had ordered, because drivers were not qualified to operate the latest models,
he said. As a result, many were left sitting in sidings. He added: rCLThey inherited a crap situation rCo and you can print that.rCY

In May, ministers lowered the age at which people can train to be a driver
from 20 to 18 in an effort to broaden the pool of people who can apply and
to capture people who do not want to go to university. AslefrCOs Whelan said the average age of people joining the industry was 34.

Ministers are also seeking to resolve other issues across the network to
try and improve services, including a long-running dispute with train
guards on Northern Rail that has disrupted operations.

The Rail Delivery Group, which represents the train operators, said: rCLTrain operators actively recruit for drivers to make sure we can run a reliable service we know our customers want.rCY

It added: rCLChanges to the age limit on train drivers take effect from the turn of the year, which will mean opening the door to a career in the
railway to school leavers.

rCLThese changes will not only help us to recruit the next generation of drivers, lowering the average age of the workforce, but will also help to ensure a resilient railway for the years to come.rCY


--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.railway

On Mon, 6 Oct 2025 12:39:13 -0000 (UTC), Tweed
<usenet.tweed@gmail.com> wrote:

From the FT

The UKAs rail minister has ordered train companies to urgently hire more >train drivers, saying he is oconcernedo by a looming shortage.

Rail minister Peter Hendy said train operators needed to step up
recruitment efforts to plug a gap that will be left by thousands of drivers >retiring this decade.

oOne of the few input metrics I am really concerned about is the number of >useful drivers on the network,o he told the Financial Times. oWe simply
have to have more drivers. Very few of [train line operators] had >enough?.?.?.?a number of the train companies are not recruiting the
maximum.o

He added: oThey need to work harder and train more drivers. Now weAre in >charge, thatAs what we have told them to do.o

Hendy has tasked Alex Hynes, head of rail within the Department for >Transport, with helping solve the shortfall, he added.

There are about 27,000 train drivers licensed in Britain, excluding
Northern Ireland. Aslef, the union that represents 97 per cent of drivers, >said that roughly 22 per cent of passenger drivers and 40 per cent of
freight drivers would retire in the coming five years.

oWe feel the privatised companies only recruited the bare minimum of
drivers, to keep it ticking over,o said Mick Whelan, Aslef
secretary-general.

oEven at the rate weAre working with the existing companies to >recruit?.?.?.?we canAt keep up,o he said.

Drivers currently have to undertake a yearAs training, including aptitude >tests that Whelan said roughly two-thirds of people failed on their first >attempt.

British train services were already oaround a thousand [drivers] short of
the existing timetables they runo, he said.

Hendy said driver shortages were behind some of the rail disruption this >summer, including the decision by South Western trains to launch an
emergency timetable that significantly reduced its service.

The franchise was one of the first to be nationalised under the Labour >governmentAs plan to fold all lines into a new oGreat British Railo, a
state operator that will own and run both the tracks and the trains, >reversing the structural separation introduced at privatisation.

The government will introduce a new railways bill in the coming weeks to
set up GBR, which will finalise the structure and operations of the new >business.

Hendy u who is a former commissioner for Transport for London and also >previously ran Network Rail u said he expected improvements from South >Western and other nationalised lines oquicklyo.

South Western was only able to use a fraction of the 90 new trains they had >ordered, because drivers were not qualified to operate the latest models,
he said. As a result, many were left sitting in sidings. He added: oThey >inherited a crap situation u and you can print that.o

In May, ministers lowered the age at which people can train to be a driver >from 20 to 18 in an effort to broaden the pool of people who can apply and
to capture people who do not want to go to university. AslefAs Whelan said >the average age of people joining the industry was 34.

Ministers are also seeking to resolve other issues across the network to
try and improve services, including a long-running dispute with train
guards on Northern Rail that has disrupted operations.

The Rail Delivery Group, which represents the train operators, said: oTrain >operators actively recruit for drivers to make sure we can run a reliable >service we know our customers want.o

It added: oChanges to the age limit on train drivers take effect from the >turn of the year, which will mean opening the door to a career in the
railway to school leavers.

oThese changes will not only help us to recruit the next generation of >drivers, lowering the average age of the workforce, but will also help to >ensure a resilient railway for the years to come.o

Couple of comments:

1. The ASLEF comments (Mick Whelan) are interesting. In the past, did
the Unions not object to recruitment because of the effect on overtime opportunities?
2. Is '"Great British Rail", a state operator that will own and run
both the tracks and the trains' correct? I thought leasing was to
continue. Buying out all the leases would be very expensive. Was one
of the problems of the previous nationalisation (in 1948) not the cost
of compensating the former owners?
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.railway

Scott <newsgroups@gefion.myzen.co.uk> wrote:

On Mon, 6 Oct 2025 12:39:13 -0000 (UTC), Tweed
<usenet.tweed@gmail.com> wrote:

From the FT

The UK-As rail minister has ordered train companies to urgently hire more
train drivers, saying he is -oconcerned-o by a looming shortage.

Rail minister Peter Hendy said train operators needed to step up
recruitment efforts to plug a gap that will be left by thousands of drivers >> retiring this decade.

-oOne of the few input metrics I am really concerned about is the number of >> useful drivers on the network,-o he told the Financial Times. -oWe simply
have to have more drivers. Very few of [train line operators] had
enough?.?.?.?a number of the train companies are not recruiting the
maximum.-o

He added: -oThey need to work harder and train more drivers. Now we-Are in >> charge, that-As what we have told them to do.-o

Hendy has tasked Alex Hynes, head of rail within the Department for
Transport, with helping solve the shortfall, he added.

There are about 27,000 train drivers licensed in Britain, excluding
Northern Ireland. Aslef, the union that represents 97 per cent of drivers, >> said that roughly 22 per cent of passenger drivers and 40 per cent of
freight drivers would retire in the coming five years.

-oWe feel the privatised companies only recruited the bare minimum of
drivers, to keep it ticking over,-o said Mick Whelan, Aslef
secretary-general.

-oEven at the rate we-Are working with the existing companies to
recruit?.?.?.?we can-At keep up,-o he said.

Drivers currently have to undertake a year-As training, including aptitude >> tests that Whelan said roughly two-thirds of people failed on their first
attempt.

British train services were already -oaround a thousand [drivers] short of >> the existing timetables they run-o, he said.

Hendy said driver shortages were behind some of the rail disruption this
summer, including the decision by South Western trains to launch an
emergency timetable that significantly reduced its service.

The franchise was one of the first to be nationalised under the Labour
government-As plan to fold all lines into a new -oGreat British Rail-o, a
state operator that will own and run both the tracks and the trains,
reversing the structural separation introduced at privatisation.

The government will introduce a new railways bill in the coming weeks to
set up GBR, which will finalise the structure and operations of the new
business.

Hendy -u who is a former commissioner for Transport for London and also
previously ran Network Rail -u said he expected improvements from South
Western and other nationalised lines -oquickly-o.

South Western was only able to use a fraction of the 90 new trains they had >> ordered, because drivers were not qualified to operate the latest models,
he said. As a result, many were left sitting in sidings. He added: -oThey
inherited a crap situation -u and you can print that.-o

In May, ministers lowered the age at which people can train to be a driver >> from 20 to 18 in an effort to broaden the pool of people who can apply and >> to capture people who do not want to go to university. Aslef-As Whelan said >> the average age of people joining the industry was 34.

Ministers are also seeking to resolve other issues across the network to
try and improve services, including a long-running dispute with train
guards on Northern Rail that has disrupted operations.

The Rail Delivery Group, which represents the train operators, said: -oTrain >> operators actively recruit for drivers to make sure we can run a reliable
service we know our customers want.-o

It added: -oChanges to the age limit on train drivers take effect from the >> turn of the year, which will mean opening the door to a career in the
railway to school leavers.

-oThese changes will not only help us to recruit the next generation of
drivers, lowering the average age of the workforce, but will also help to
ensure a resilient railway for the years to come.-o

Couple of comments:

1. The ASLEF comments (Mick Whelan) are interesting. In the past, did
the Unions not object to recruitment because of the effect on overtime opportunities?
2. Is '"Great British Rail", a state operator that will own and run
both the tracks and the trains' correct? I thought leasing was to
continue. Buying out all the leases would be very expensive. Was one
of the problems of the previous nationalisation (in 1948) not the cost
of compensating the former owners?

1. I suspect that overtime is less attractive now that drivers are well
paid. Free time is increasingly valued by people. More drivers also means
more union members and thus more ASLEF income.

2. Leasing companies are not going to be nationalised. But itrCOs not
obvious, at least to me, how future train orders will be financed once GBR
is up and running. Maybe the leasing companies might simply wither away
over time.

--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.railway

Tweed <usenet.tweed@gmail.com> wrote:

Scott <newsgroups@gefion.myzen.co.uk> wrote:

On Mon, 6 Oct 2025 12:39:13 -0000 (UTC), Tweed
<usenet.tweed@gmail.com> wrote:

From the FT

The UK-As rail minister has ordered train companies to urgently hire more >>> train drivers, saying he is -oconcerned-o by a looming shortage.

Rail minister Peter Hendy said train operators needed to step up
recruitment efforts to plug a gap that will be left by thousands of drivers >>> retiring this decade.

-oOne of the few input metrics I am really concerned about is the number of >>> useful drivers on the network,-o he told the Financial Times. -oWe simply >>> have to have more drivers. Very few of [train line operators] had
enough?.?.?.?a number of the train companies are not recruiting the
maximum.-o

He added: -oThey need to work harder and train more drivers. Now we-Are in >>> charge, that-As what we have told them to do.-o

Hendy has tasked Alex Hynes, head of rail within the Department for
Transport, with helping solve the shortfall, he added.

There are about 27,000 train drivers licensed in Britain, excluding
Northern Ireland. Aslef, the union that represents 97 per cent of drivers, >>> said that roughly 22 per cent of passenger drivers and 40 per cent of
freight drivers would retire in the coming five years.

-oWe feel the privatised companies only recruited the bare minimum of
drivers, to keep it ticking over,-o said Mick Whelan, Aslef
secretary-general.

-oEven at the rate we-Are working with the existing companies to
recruit?.?.?.?we can-At keep up,-o he said.

Drivers currently have to undertake a year-As training, including aptitude >>> tests that Whelan said roughly two-thirds of people failed on their first >>> attempt.

British train services were already -oaround a thousand [drivers] short of >>> the existing timetables they run-o, he said.

Hendy said driver shortages were behind some of the rail disruption this >>> summer, including the decision by South Western trains to launch an
emergency timetable that significantly reduced its service.

The franchise was one of the first to be nationalised under the Labour
government-As plan to fold all lines into a new -oGreat British Rail-o, a >>> state operator that will own and run both the tracks and the trains,
reversing the structural separation introduced at privatisation.

The government will introduce a new railways bill in the coming weeks to >>> set up GBR, which will finalise the structure and operations of the new
business.

Hendy -u who is a former commissioner for Transport for London and also
previously ran Network Rail -u said he expected improvements from South
Western and other nationalised lines -oquickly-o.

South Western was only able to use a fraction of the 90 new trains they had >>> ordered, because drivers were not qualified to operate the latest models, >>> he said. As a result, many were left sitting in sidings. He added: -oThey >>> inherited a crap situation -u and you can print that.-o

In May, ministers lowered the age at which people can train to be a driver >>> from 20 to 18 in an effort to broaden the pool of people who can apply and >>> to capture people who do not want to go to university. Aslef-As Whelan said >>> the average age of people joining the industry was 34.

Ministers are also seeking to resolve other issues across the network to >>> try and improve services, including a long-running dispute with train
guards on Northern Rail that has disrupted operations.

The Rail Delivery Group, which represents the train operators, said: -oTrain
operators actively recruit for drivers to make sure we can run a reliable >>> service we know our customers want.-o

It added: -oChanges to the age limit on train drivers take effect from the >>> turn of the year, which will mean opening the door to a career in the
railway to school leavers.

-oThese changes will not only help us to recruit the next generation of
drivers, lowering the average age of the workforce, but will also help to >>> ensure a resilient railway for the years to come.-o

Couple of comments:

1. The ASLEF comments (Mick Whelan) are interesting. In the past, did
the Unions not object to recruitment because of the effect on overtime
opportunities?
2. Is '"Great British Rail", a state operator that will own and run
both the tracks and the trains' correct? I thought leasing was to
continue. Buying out all the leases would be very expensive. Was one
of the problems of the previous nationalisation (in 1948) not the cost
of compensating the former owners?

1. I suspect that overtime is less attractive now that drivers are well
paid. Free time is increasingly valued by people. More drivers also means more union members and thus more ASLEF income.

The unions have long advocated more drivers being recruited.

It strikes me that the government should sponsor the recruitment and
training of hundreds of new young drivers, to work on a new, much lower pay scale. A new, fully trained driver should be on ~-u40k for a 37 hour week, rising to -u50k with experience. But would the unions block this?

2. Leasing companies are not going to be nationalised. But itrCOs not obvious, at least to me, how future train orders will be financed once GBR
is up and running.

Almost certainly, theyrCOll continue to be leased.

Maybe the leasing companies might simply wither away over time.

Very unlikely. Note that the DfTrCOs IEP project uses leased trains. DRS also leases its new locos.



--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.railway

Recliner <recliner.usenet@gmail.com> wrote:

Tweed <usenet.tweed@gmail.com> wrote:

Scott <newsgroups@gefion.myzen.co.uk> wrote:

On Mon, 6 Oct 2025 12:39:13 -0000 (UTC), Tweed
<usenet.tweed@gmail.com> wrote:

From the FT

The UK-As rail minister has ordered train companies to urgently hire more >>>> train drivers, saying he is -oconcerned-o by a looming shortage.

Rail minister Peter Hendy said train operators needed to step up
recruitment efforts to plug a gap that will be left by thousands of drivers
retiring this decade.

-oOne of the few input metrics I am really concerned about is the number of
useful drivers on the network,-o he told the Financial Times. -oWe simply >>>> have to have more drivers. Very few of [train line operators] had
enough?.?.?.?a number of the train companies are not recruiting the
maximum.-o

He added: -oThey need to work harder and train more drivers. Now we-Are in >>>> charge, that-As what we have told them to do.-o

Hendy has tasked Alex Hynes, head of rail within the Department for
Transport, with helping solve the shortfall, he added.

There are about 27,000 train drivers licensed in Britain, excluding
Northern Ireland. Aslef, the union that represents 97 per cent of drivers, >>>> said that roughly 22 per cent of passenger drivers and 40 per cent of
freight drivers would retire in the coming five years.

-oWe feel the privatised companies only recruited the bare minimum of
drivers, to keep it ticking over,-o said Mick Whelan, Aslef
secretary-general.

-oEven at the rate we-Are working with the existing companies to
recruit?.?.?.?we can-At keep up,-o he said.

Drivers currently have to undertake a year-As training, including aptitude >>>> tests that Whelan said roughly two-thirds of people failed on their first >>>> attempt.

British train services were already -oaround a thousand [drivers] short of >>>> the existing timetables they run-o, he said.

Hendy said driver shortages were behind some of the rail disruption this >>>> summer, including the decision by South Western trains to launch an
emergency timetable that significantly reduced its service.

The franchise was one of the first to be nationalised under the Labour >>>> government-As plan to fold all lines into a new -oGreat British Rail-o, a >>>> state operator that will own and run both the tracks and the trains,
reversing the structural separation introduced at privatisation.

The government will introduce a new railways bill in the coming weeks to >>>> set up GBR, which will finalise the structure and operations of the new >>>> business.

Hendy -u who is a former commissioner for Transport for London and also >>>> previously ran Network Rail -u said he expected improvements from South >>>> Western and other nationalised lines -oquickly-o.

South Western was only able to use a fraction of the 90 new trains they had
ordered, because drivers were not qualified to operate the latest models, >>>> he said. As a result, many were left sitting in sidings. He added: -oThey >>>> inherited a crap situation -u and you can print that.-o

In May, ministers lowered the age at which people can train to be a driver >>>> from 20 to 18 in an effort to broaden the pool of people who can apply and >>>> to capture people who do not want to go to university. Aslef-As Whelan said
the average age of people joining the industry was 34.

Ministers are also seeking to resolve other issues across the network to >>>> try and improve services, including a long-running dispute with train
guards on Northern Rail that has disrupted operations.

The Rail Delivery Group, which represents the train operators, said: -oTrain
operators actively recruit for drivers to make sure we can run a reliable >>>> service we know our customers want.-o

It added: -oChanges to the age limit on train drivers take effect from the >>>> turn of the year, which will mean opening the door to a career in the
railway to school leavers.

-oThese changes will not only help us to recruit the next generation of >>>> drivers, lowering the average age of the workforce, but will also help to >>>> ensure a resilient railway for the years to come.-o

Couple of comments:

1. The ASLEF comments (Mick Whelan) are interesting. In the past, did
the Unions not object to recruitment because of the effect on overtime
opportunities?
2. Is '"Great British Rail", a state operator that will own and run
both the tracks and the trains' correct? I thought leasing was to
continue. Buying out all the leases would be very expensive. Was one
of the problems of the previous nationalisation (in 1948) not the cost
of compensating the former owners?

1. I suspect that overtime is less attractive now that drivers are well
paid. Free time is increasingly valued by people. More drivers also means
more union members and thus more ASLEF income.

The unions have long advocated more drivers being recruited.

It strikes me that the government should sponsor the recruitment and
training of hundreds of new young drivers, to work on a new, much lower pay scale. A new, fully trained driver should be on ~-u40k for a 37 hour week, rising to -u50k with experience. But would the unions block this?

2. Leasing companies are not going to be nationalised. But itrCOs not
obvious, at least to me, how future train orders will be financed once GBR >> is up and running.

Almost certainly, theyrCOll continue to be leased.

Maybe the leasing companies might simply wither away over time.

Very unlikely. Note that the DfTrCOs IEP project uses leased trains. DRS also leases its new locos.

ThererCOs currently no alternative, even for the state operated outfits. But that might change. It rather depends on how much the Treasury wants to
spend on outsourcing the risk to private capital. Leasing companies were
needed for two main reasons - someone to own the trains if the franchisee
was changed/went under, and someone to both organise the reallocation of
stock around the network and carry the can if the stock became unwanted.
They solve the problem of short term ephemeral lightly capitalised
franchisees and expensive long lifetime capital assets. But if GBR becomes anything like the old BR those problems go away. Then if the leasing
companies continue it becomes something akin to the PFI private finance initiative, which has cost the taxpayer dearly over the years.

--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.railway

On 06/10/2025 15:58, Recliner wrote:

The unions have long advocated more drivers being recruited.

It strikes me that the government should sponsor the recruitment and
training of hundreds of new young drivers, to work on a new, much lower pay scale. A new, fully trained driver should be on ~-u40k for a 37 hour week, rising to -u50k with experience. But would the unions block this?

Is that much better/different than ...

https://www.scotrail.co.uk/interested-becoming-train-driver

The Driver Training Programme can last up to 24 months. During this
training period, trainees earn -u31,398 per annum.

Newly Qualified Drivers earn -u43,645;
This increases to -u46,614 per annum 6 months after qualifying, and -u50,063 per annum 9 months after qualifying;
After the post qualifying period (3 years) the full-time salary is -u55,265 per annum.


--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.railway

On Mon, 6 Oct 2025 16:40:37 +0100
Nick Finnigan <nix@genie.co.uk> gabbled:

On 06/10/2025 15:58, Recliner wrote:

The unions have long advocated more drivers being recruited.

It strikes me that the government should sponsor the recruitment and
training of hundreds of new young drivers, to work on a new, much lower pay >> scale. A new, fully trained driver should be on ~-u40k for a 37 hour week, >> rising to -u50k with experience. But would the unions block this?

Is that much better/different than ...

https://www.scotrail.co.uk/interested-becoming-train-driver

The Driver Training Programme can last up to 24 months. During this
training period, trainees earn -u31,398 per annum.

How the hell can it take 2 years to learn to drive a train?? You can get a private pilots license in a year and a full HGV license in a 2 weeks!


--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.railway

<boltar@caprica.universe> wrote:

On Mon, 6 Oct 2025 16:40:37 +0100
Nick Finnigan <nix@genie.co.uk> gabbled:

On 06/10/2025 15:58, Recliner wrote:

The unions have long advocated more drivers being recruited.

It strikes me that the government should sponsor the recruitment and
training of hundreds of new young drivers, to work on a new, much lower pay >>> scale. A new, fully trained driver should be on ~-u40k for a 37 hour week, >>> rising to -u50k with experience. But would the unions block this?

Is that much better/different than ...

https://www.scotrail.co.uk/interested-becoming-train-driver

The Driver Training Programme can last up to 24 months. During this
training period, trainees earn -u31,398 per annum.

How the hell can it take 2 years to learn to drive a train?? You can get a private pilots license in a year and a full HGV license in a 2 weeks!

15 to 20 months in Switzerland, 12 to 18 months in Germany, according to Google. Up to might be hiding things. It would be more useful to know the average training period.

--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.railway

Nick Finnigan <nix@genie.co.uk> wrote:

On 06/10/2025 15:58, Recliner wrote:

The unions have long advocated more drivers being recruited.

It strikes me that the government should sponsor the recruitment and
training of hundreds of new young drivers, to work on a new, much lower pay >> scale. A new, fully trained driver should be on ~-u40k for a 37 hour week, >> rising to -u50k with experience. But would the unions block this?

Is that much better/different than ...

https://www.scotrail.co.uk/interested-becoming-train-driver

The Driver Training Programme can last up to 24 months. During this
training period, trainees earn -u31,398 per annum.

Newly Qualified Drivers earn -u43,645;
This increases to -u46,614 per annum 6 months after qualifying, and -u50,063 per annum 9 months after qualifying;
After the post qualifying period (3 years) the full-time salary is -u55,265 per annum.

It keeps rising as they gain more experience.

From
rCyIrCOm a train driver earning around -u70k rCo the worst part of the job is the
public perceptionrCO
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/jobs/career-advice/people-become-train-driver-87k-salary-love-working-alone/

I became a train driver in my late 30s after a career in facilities
management. I was desperate for a change.

IrCOve never been a train buff and if someone had told me when I was 18 years old that in 20 yearsrCO time IrCOd be driving the trains IrCOve always been riding, I would never have believed them.

I decided to apply because it was just so different. I also knew some
people in the industry who told me it was a fantastic job, especially as I enjoy working alone.

They warned me that it was difficult to get through the assessment days.
When a recruitment window opens up for train drivers, itrCOs usual for the railway company to get 8,000 to 10,000 applicants.

Train drivers generally get paid between -u53,000 and -u87,000 rCo some people do it for that salary. Others do it because theyrCOve always had a passion
for trains, and some just fancy doing something completely different from a normal job. But only about 2pc of those applicants are going to make it
through the assessment stage.

I had four assessment days. We were tested on situational awareness, fault-finding, concentration and memory. They are trying to assess what
sort of character you are and whether you have the high level of
concentration needed for the role.

People have this idea that a train driver just sits in the cab and pushes a button to drive the train rCo thatrCOs really not the case. We control everything about the train: from the speed to the braking to the headlights
to the doors. ItrCOs an intense job. You need to be able to focus and react
to things quickly, whether thatrCOs a signal failing or someone on the track.


One of my assessment days started out with a group of about 30 of us, and
by the end of the day we were down to seven people. After I made it through
the assessment period I had two interviews where I talked about what I was
like as a person and how I coped with being alone. Finally, after the
second interview, I was told I was being taken on to do my training.

The training is intense and takes nine months to a year. It is Monday to Friday, nine to five. We studied the rule book rCo it has 65 chapters that
you have to know inside and out rCo which covers everything from the state
you have to be in when you show up for work to what happens if a train
fails.

ThererCOs a huge amount of classroom learning before you get in a simulator, which is your first taste of driving a train. ItrCOs a bit like a video game. Then you are assigned a driving instructor who takes you out in a train.

You learn all the elements of train driving rCo how to slow down, speed up, stop, start, release the doors rCo as well as the things you donrCOt plan for on a daily basis.

The final exam lasts a week and it consists of day driving, night driving
and a simulator session. I was elated when I passed. I had set my mind to something and IrCOd achieved it.

Then, six weeks later, I had a freight train fail in front of me. It was at
a junction and nothing could bypass it.

The signaller said to me: rCLOK, werCOre going to do a wrong directional move.rCY
(I had been told during training that this never happens.)

I had to go from my front cab to the back cab and drive the train in the
other direction back to the station I had come from so I could get all the passengers out. It was a baptism of fire but I got all of them off the
train safely.

Six years on, IrCOm still driving trains in London. I do the same route every day. I can understand why people would think it is boring, but IrCOm never bored. ThererCOs always something new on the railway rCo whether thatrCOs the football, special events, weekends.

Every journey is different. There are different risks: that could be a passenger running through the doors to get on the train, or fallen leaves
on the track which make it slippery.

I receive my roster six months in advance. I work a week of early shifts
(that can start as early as 4am) and a week of late shifts (starting late morning or in the afternoon). Every eight weeks, I do one week of night
shifts which start around 11pm.

You do have to balance your life around the railway; itrCOs kind of like a marriage. IrCOve had to leave family events early to make sure IrCOm rested enough for work the next day. ItrCOs not a normal job; if IrCOm fatigued, the consequences could be disastrous.

--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.railway

On 06/10/2025 16:14, Tweed wrote:

Recliner <recliner.usenet@gmail.com> wrote:

Tweed <usenet.tweed@gmail.com> wrote:

Scott <newsgroups@gefion.myzen.co.uk> wrote:

On Mon, 6 Oct 2025 12:39:13 -0000 (UTC), Tweed
<usenet.tweed@gmail.com> wrote:

From the FT

The UK-As rail minister has ordered train companies to urgently hire more >>>>> train drivers, saying he is -oconcerned-o by a looming shortage.

Rail minister Peter Hendy said train operators needed to step up
recruitment efforts to plug a gap that will be left by thousands of drivers
retiring this decade.

-oOne of the few input metrics I am really concerned about is the number of
useful drivers on the network,-o he told the Financial Times. -oWe simply >>>>> have to have more drivers. Very few of [train line operators] had
enough?.?.?.?a number of the train companies are not recruiting the
maximum.-o

He added: -oThey need to work harder and train more drivers. Now we-Are in
charge, that-As what we have told them to do.-o

Hendy has tasked Alex Hynes, head of rail within the Department for
Transport, with helping solve the shortfall, he added.

There are about 27,000 train drivers licensed in Britain, excluding
Northern Ireland. Aslef, the union that represents 97 per cent of drivers,
said that roughly 22 per cent of passenger drivers and 40 per cent of >>>>> freight drivers would retire in the coming five years.

-oWe feel the privatised companies only recruited the bare minimum of >>>>> drivers, to keep it ticking over,-o said Mick Whelan, Aslef
secretary-general.

-oEven at the rate we-Are working with the existing companies to
recruit?.?.?.?we can-At keep up,-o he said.

Drivers currently have to undertake a year-As training, including aptitude
tests that Whelan said roughly two-thirds of people failed on their first >>>>> attempt.

British train services were already -oaround a thousand [drivers] short of
the existing timetables they run-o, he said.

Hendy said driver shortages were behind some of the rail disruption this >>>>> summer, including the decision by South Western trains to launch an
emergency timetable that significantly reduced its service.

The franchise was one of the first to be nationalised under the Labour >>>>> government-As plan to fold all lines into a new -oGreat British Rail-o, a >>>>> state operator that will own and run both the tracks and the trains, >>>>> reversing the structural separation introduced at privatisation.

The government will introduce a new railways bill in the coming weeks to >>>>> set up GBR, which will finalise the structure and operations of the new >>>>> business.

Hendy -u who is a former commissioner for Transport for London and also >>>>> previously ran Network Rail -u said he expected improvements from South >>>>> Western and other nationalised lines -oquickly-o.

South Western was only able to use a fraction of the 90 new trains they had
ordered, because drivers were not qualified to operate the latest models, >>>>> he said. As a result, many were left sitting in sidings. He added: -oThey >>>>> inherited a crap situation -u and you can print that.-o

In May, ministers lowered the age at which people can train to be a driver
from 20 to 18 in an effort to broaden the pool of people who can apply and
to capture people who do not want to go to university. Aslef-As Whelan said
the average age of people joining the industry was 34.

Ministers are also seeking to resolve other issues across the network to >>>>> try and improve services, including a long-running dispute with train >>>>> guards on Northern Rail that has disrupted operations.

The Rail Delivery Group, which represents the train operators, said: -oTrain
operators actively recruit for drivers to make sure we can run a reliable >>>>> service we know our customers want.-o

It added: -oChanges to the age limit on train drivers take effect from the
turn of the year, which will mean opening the door to a career in the >>>>> railway to school leavers.

-oThese changes will not only help us to recruit the next generation of >>>>> drivers, lowering the average age of the workforce, but will also help to >>>>> ensure a resilient railway for the years to come.-o

Couple of comments:

1. The ASLEF comments (Mick Whelan) are interesting. In the past, did
the Unions not object to recruitment because of the effect on overtime >>>> opportunities?
2. Is '"Great British Rail", a state operator that will own and run
both the tracks and the trains' correct? I thought leasing was to
continue. Buying out all the leases would be very expensive. Was one
of the problems of the previous nationalisation (in 1948) not the cost >>>> of compensating the former owners?

1. I suspect that overtime is less attractive now that drivers are well
paid. Free time is increasingly valued by people. More drivers also means >>> more union members and thus more ASLEF income.

The unions have long advocated more drivers being recruited.

It strikes me that the government should sponsor the recruitment and
training of hundreds of new young drivers, to work on a new, much lower pay >> scale. A new, fully trained driver should be on ~-u40k for a 37 hour week, >> rising to -u50k with experience. But would the unions block this?

2. Leasing companies are not going to be nationalised. But itrCOs not
obvious, at least to me, how future train orders will be financed once GBR >>> is up and running.

Almost certainly, theyrCOll continue to be leased.

Maybe the leasing companies might simply wither away over time.

Very unlikely. Note that the DfTrCOs IEP project uses leased trains. DRS also
leases its new locos.

ThererCOs currently no alternative, even for the state operated outfits. But that might change. It rather depends on how much the Treasury wants to
spend on outsourcing the risk to private capital. Leasing companies were needed for two main reasons - someone to own the trains if the franchisee
was changed/went under, and someone to both organise the reallocation of stock around the network and carry the can if the stock became unwanted.
They solve the problem of short term ephemeral lightly capitalised franchisees and expensive long lifetime capital assets. But if GBR becomes anything like the old BR those problems go away. Then if the leasing companies continue it becomes something akin to the PFI private finance initiative, which has cost the taxpayer dearly over the years.

Well as a frequent user of Govia-Thameslink services, which has just
about the highest proportion of cancelled services in the country, most
of them ascribed to "shortage of staff" - well I'd say "about bloody time".

But actually there are two problems
(1) Not enough drivers overall to run the current timetable,

(2) Most of drivers are not required to work on Sundays or Bank Holidays
and the managers obviously have trouble finding enough volunteers, which
means that on such days, especially in the summer, there are huge
numbers of cancelled trains. With the impending state take-over is it possible to insist on contracts being changed so that weekend working is
no longer voluntary?
--
Clive Page

--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.railway

On Mon, 6 Oct 2025 15:48:43 -0000 (UTC), boltar wrote:

How the hell can it take 2 years to learn to drive a train?? You can get
a private pilots license in a year and a full HGV license in a 2 weeks!

It's not really a fair comparison - a private pilot license doesn't let
you do much more than fly yourself on pleasure trips. By the time you've
got IFR rating, and commercial and airline licenses, you've spent a lot
more than a year on it. And getting a HGV license in 2 weeks doesn't
include getting the car license first - never mind the much lower
standards required for road drivers.

Mike
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.railway

On Mon, 6 Oct 2025 17:57:25 -0000 (UTC)
Mike Humphrey <mail@michaelhumphrey.me.uk> gabbled:

On Mon, 6 Oct 2025 15:48:43 -0000 (UTC), boltar wrote:

How the hell can it take 2 years to learn to drive a train?? You can get
a private pilots license in a year and a full HGV license in a 2 weeks!

It's not really a fair comparison - a private pilot license doesn't let
you do much more than fly yourself on pleasure trips. By the time you've

I imagine the fact that you have to not only learn to operate the aircraft
but learn navigation and meteorology makes it somewhat more difficult than learning to push a lever back and forth and check which aspect a signal is showing. Its not as if they're much good at trouble shooting either - every time a train has an issue thats it, game over, everyone off.

got IFR rating, and commercial and airline licenses, you've spent a lot
more than a year on it. And getting a HGV license in 2 weeks doesn't

Some airlines will train people up from scratch to fly an airliner, albeit
as first officer. Don't know how long that takes but can't be much longer
than 2 years to do a far more complex job.

include getting the car license first - never mind the much lower
standards required for road drivers.

Car license - say a month or 2 doing lessons. Sorted.


--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.railway

Clive Page <usenet@page2.eu> wrote:

On 06/10/2025 16:14, Tweed wrote:

Recliner <recliner.usenet@gmail.com> wrote:

Tweed <usenet.tweed@gmail.com> wrote:

Scott <newsgroups@gefion.myzen.co.uk> wrote:

On Mon, 6 Oct 2025 12:39:13 -0000 (UTC), Tweed
<usenet.tweed@gmail.com> wrote:

From the FT

The UK-As rail minister has ordered train companies to urgently hire more
train drivers, saying he is -oconcerned-o by a looming shortage.

Rail minister Peter Hendy said train operators needed to step up
recruitment efforts to plug a gap that will be left by thousands of drivers
retiring this decade.

-oOne of the few input metrics I am really concerned about is the number of
useful drivers on the network,-o he told the Financial Times. -oWe simply
have to have more drivers. Very few of [train line operators] had
enough?.?.?.?a number of the train companies are not recruiting the >>>>>> maximum.-o

He added: -oThey need to work harder and train more drivers. Now we-Are in
charge, that-As what we have told them to do.-o

Hendy has tasked Alex Hynes, head of rail within the Department for >>>>>> Transport, with helping solve the shortfall, he added.

There are about 27,000 train drivers licensed in Britain, excluding >>>>>> Northern Ireland. Aslef, the union that represents 97 per cent of drivers,
said that roughly 22 per cent of passenger drivers and 40 per cent of >>>>>> freight drivers would retire in the coming five years.

-oWe feel the privatised companies only recruited the bare minimum of >>>>>> drivers, to keep it ticking over,-o said Mick Whelan, Aslef
secretary-general.

-oEven at the rate we-Are working with the existing companies to
recruit?.?.?.?we can-At keep up,-o he said.

Drivers currently have to undertake a year-As training, including aptitude
tests that Whelan said roughly two-thirds of people failed on their first
attempt.

British train services were already -oaround a thousand [drivers] short of
the existing timetables they run-o, he said.

Hendy said driver shortages were behind some of the rail disruption this >>>>>> summer, including the decision by South Western trains to launch an >>>>>> emergency timetable that significantly reduced its service.

The franchise was one of the first to be nationalised under the Labour >>>>>> government-As plan to fold all lines into a new -oGreat British Rail-o, a
state operator that will own and run both the tracks and the trains, >>>>>> reversing the structural separation introduced at privatisation.

The government will introduce a new railways bill in the coming weeks to >>>>>> set up GBR, which will finalise the structure and operations of the new >>>>>> business.

Hendy -u who is a former commissioner for Transport for London and also >>>>>> previously ran Network Rail -u said he expected improvements from South >>>>>> Western and other nationalised lines -oquickly-o.

South Western was only able to use a fraction of the 90 new trains they had
ordered, because drivers were not qualified to operate the latest models,
he said. As a result, many were left sitting in sidings. He added: -oThey
inherited a crap situation -u and you can print that.-o

In May, ministers lowered the age at which people can train to be a driver
from 20 to 18 in an effort to broaden the pool of people who can apply and
to capture people who do not want to go to university. Aslef-As Whelan said
the average age of people joining the industry was 34.

Ministers are also seeking to resolve other issues across the network to >>>>>> try and improve services, including a long-running dispute with train >>>>>> guards on Northern Rail that has disrupted operations.

The Rail Delivery Group, which represents the train operators, said: -oTrain
operators actively recruit for drivers to make sure we can run a reliable
service we know our customers want.-o

It added: -oChanges to the age limit on train drivers take effect from the
turn of the year, which will mean opening the door to a career in the >>>>>> railway to school leavers.

-oThese changes will not only help us to recruit the next generation of >>>>>> drivers, lowering the average age of the workforce, but will also help to
ensure a resilient railway for the years to come.-o

Couple of comments:

1. The ASLEF comments (Mick Whelan) are interesting. In the past, did >>>>> the Unions not object to recruitment because of the effect on overtime >>>>> opportunities?
2. Is '"Great British Rail", a state operator that will own and run >>>>> both the tracks and the trains' correct? I thought leasing was to
continue. Buying out all the leases would be very expensive. Was one >>>>> of the problems of the previous nationalisation (in 1948) not the cost >>>>> of compensating the former owners?

1. I suspect that overtime is less attractive now that drivers are well >>>> paid. Free time is increasingly valued by people. More drivers also means >>>> more union members and thus more ASLEF income.

The unions have long advocated more drivers being recruited.

It strikes me that the government should sponsor the recruitment and
training of hundreds of new young drivers, to work on a new, much lower pay >>> scale. A new, fully trained driver should be on ~-u40k for a 37 hour week, >>> rising to -u50k with experience. But would the unions block this?

2. Leasing companies are not going to be nationalised. But itrCOs not
obvious, at least to me, how future train orders will be financed once GBR >>>> is up and running.

Almost certainly, theyrCOll continue to be leased.

Maybe the leasing companies might simply wither away over time.

Very unlikely. Note that the DfTrCOs IEP project uses leased trains. DRS also
leases its new locos.

ThererCOs currently no alternative, even for the state operated outfits. But >> that might change. It rather depends on how much the Treasury wants to
spend on outsourcing the risk to private capital. Leasing companies were
needed for two main reasons - someone to own the trains if the franchisee
was changed/went under, and someone to both organise the reallocation of
stock around the network and carry the can if the stock became unwanted.
They solve the problem of short term ephemeral lightly capitalised
franchisees and expensive long lifetime capital assets. But if GBR becomes >> anything like the old BR those problems go away. Then if the leasing
companies continue it becomes something akin to the PFI private finance
initiative, which has cost the taxpayer dearly over the years.

Well as a frequent user of Govia-Thameslink services, which has just
about the highest proportion of cancelled services in the country, most
of them ascribed to "shortage of staff" - well I'd say "about bloody time".

But actually there are two problems
(1) Not enough drivers overall to run the current timetable,

(2) Most of drivers are not required to work on Sundays or Bank Holidays
and the managers obviously have trouble finding enough volunteers, which means that on such days, especially in the summer, there are huge
numbers of cancelled trains. With the impending state take-over is it possible to insist on contracts being changed so that weekend working is
no longer voluntary?

GTR has always been state-controlled. ASLEF would demand a high price for a change of contract rCo a shorter working week, fewer working days and higher pay.

--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.railway

On 06/10/2025 16:48, boltar@caprica.universe wrote:

On Mon, 6 Oct 2025 16:40:37 +0100
Nick Finnigan <nix@genie.co.uk> gabbled:

On 06/10/2025 15:58, Recliner wrote:

The unions have long advocated more drivers being recruited.

It strikes me that the government should sponsor the recruitment and
training of hundreds of new young drivers, to work on a new, much
lower pay
scale. A new, fully trained driver should be on ~-u40k for a 37 hour
week,
rising to -u50k with experience. But would the unions block this?

-aIs that much better/different than ...

https://www.scotrail.co.uk/interested-becoming-train-driver

The Driver Training Programme can last up to 24 months. During this
training period, trainees earn -u31,398 per annum.

How the hell can it take 2 years to learn to drive a train?? You can get
a private pilots license in a year and a full HGV license in a 2 weeks!

You can get a ppl in 3 weeks if doing the course full time. It used to
be popular to get your ppl in the States where they ran such courses at
a much cheaper cost (including accomodation) than doing it here.

Doing an HGV licence assumes you have a car licence already.
--
Graeme Wall
This account not read.


--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.railway

Recliner <recliner.usenet@gmail.com> wrote:

Nick Finnigan <nix@genie.co.uk> wrote:

On 06/10/2025 15:58, Recliner wrote:

The unions have long advocated more drivers being recruited.

It strikes me that the government should sponsor the recruitment and
training of hundreds of new young drivers, to work on a new, much lower pay >>> scale. A new, fully trained driver should be on ~-u40k for a 37 hour week, >>> rising to -u50k with experience. But would the unions block this?

Is that much better/different than ...

https://www.scotrail.co.uk/interested-becoming-train-driver

The Driver Training Programme can last up to 24 months. During this
training period, trainees earn -u31,398 per annum.

Newly Qualified Drivers earn -u43,645;
This increases to -u46,614 per annum 6 months after qualifying, and
-u50,063 per annum 9 months after qualifying;
After the post qualifying period (3 years) the full-time salary is
-u55,265 per annum.

It keeps rising as they gain more experience.

No it doesn't. Within any one TOC (some TOCs still have historical subdivisions), once you reach the end of the three year post-qualifying
period, you're paid the same as someone who's done 50 years and is retiring tomorrow.

The only exceptions are things like driver instructor or assessor
(different names on different TOCs) which generally carry an uplift of a
few thousand pounds per year.

Meanwhile in Switzerland, the pay increases with age - a newly-qualified 50 year old driver will be paid more than a 35 year old driver with ten years experience.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.railway

Clive Page <usenet@page2.eu> wrote:

Well as a frequent user of Govia-Thameslink services, which has just
about the highest proportion of cancelled services in the country, most
of them ascribed to "shortage of staff" - well I'd say "about bloody time".

But actually there are two problems
(1) Not enough drivers overall to run the current timetable,

(2) Most of drivers are not required to work on Sundays or Bank Holidays
and the managers obviously have trouble finding enough volunteers, which means that on such days, especially in the summer, there are huge
numbers of cancelled trains. With the impending state take-over is it possible to insist on contracts being changed so that weekend working is
no longer voluntary?

Bank holidays - wrong. Bank holidays have been a normal working day for traincrew for a long as I remember, and AFAIK that's the same across all
TOCs. It's compensated by an equivalent number of additional days of leave.

Of course, if you're relying on overtime and rest day working to run your normal service, you're going to be very short of volunteers on a bank
holiday - and additionally you can expect every annual leave allocation to
be used, unlike a Wednesday in September.

Sundays - I believe that the majority of drivers in the country (ie at
least 51%, no I don't know how many) now have either Sunday in the working
week or a commitment to work Sundays [*]. I imagine the remainder of the
TOCs are being encouraged to negotiate it in future pay deals (that's
certainly what's happening on my TOC).

It's worth a reminder that Sunday in the working week has been ASLEF policy
for decades, it's the TOCs who have preferred the current arrangements.



[*] which is the worst of both worlds and can make it almost impossible to
get a Sunday off.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.railway

On 06/10/2025 23:56, Graeme Wall wrote:

On 06/10/2025 16:48, boltar@caprica.universe wrote:

On Mon, 6 Oct 2025 16:40:37 +0100
Nick Finnigan <nix@genie.co.uk> gabbled:

On 06/10/2025 15:58, Recliner wrote:

The unions have long advocated more drivers being recruited.

It strikes me that the government should sponsor the recruitment and
training of hundreds of new young drivers, to work on a new, much
lower pay
scale. A new, fully trained driver should be on ~-u40k for a 37 hour
week,
rising to -u50k with experience. But would the unions block this?

-aIs that much better/different than ...

https://www.scotrail.co.uk/interested-becoming-train-driver

The Driver Training Programme can last up to 24 months. During this
training period, trainees earn -u31,398 per annum.

How the hell can it take 2 years to learn to drive a train?? You can
get a private pilots license in a year and a full HGV license in a 2
weeks!

You can get a ppl in 3 weeks if doing the course full time. It used to
be popular to get your ppl in the States where they ran such courses at
a much cheaper cost (including accomodation) than doing it here.

I had a few friends who took that option when I was learning to fly.
The appeal was partly the cost, but probably even moreso the much more predictable weather, which meant a lot less time hanging around in the
club bar waiting for the clouds to break.

Of course, the joke's on them: for most of us, hanging around in the
club bar was the whole point...
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.railway

On Mon, 6 Oct 2025 21:56:49 +0100
Graeme Wall <rail@greywall.demon.co.uk> gabbled:

On 06/10/2025 16:48, boltar@caprica.universe wrote:

On Mon, 6 Oct 2025 16:40:37 +0100
Nick Finnigan <nix@genie.co.uk> gabbled:

On 06/10/2025 15:58, Recliner wrote:

The unions have long advocated more drivers being recruited.

It strikes me that the government should sponsor the recruitment and
training of hundreds of new young drivers, to work on a new, much
lower pay
scale. A new, fully trained driver should be on ~-u40k for a 37 hour
week,
rising to -u50k with experience. But would the unions block this?

-aIs that much better/different than ...

https://www.scotrail.co.uk/interested-becoming-train-driver

The Driver Training Programme can last up to 24 months. During this
training period, trainees earn -u31,398 per annum.

How the hell can it take 2 years to learn to drive a train?? You can get
a private pilots license in a year and a full HGV license in a 2 weeks!

You can get a ppl in 3 weeks if doing the course full time. It used to
be popular to get your ppl in the States where they ran such courses at
a much cheaper cost (including accomodation) than doing it here.

Doing an HGV licence assumes you have a car licence already.

True, but getting a car license could in theory be done in a few weeks if you have the aptitude though thats not taking into account the ridiculous wait now between finishing lessons and getting a test date.


--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.railway

On 07/10/2025 09:59, boltar@caprica.universe wrote:

On Mon, 6 Oct 2025 21:56:49 +0100
Graeme Wall <rail@greywall.demon.co.uk> gabbled:

On 06/10/2025 16:48, boltar@caprica.universe wrote:

On Mon, 6 Oct 2025 16:40:37 +0100
Nick Finnigan <nix@genie.co.uk> gabbled:

On 06/10/2025 15:58, Recliner wrote:

The unions have long advocated more drivers being recruited.

It strikes me that the government should sponsor the recruitment and >>>>> training of hundreds of new young drivers, to work on a new, much
lower pay
scale. A new, fully trained driver should be on ~-u40k for a 37 hour >>>>> week,
rising to -u50k with experience. But would the unions block this?

-aIs that much better/different than ...

https://www.scotrail.co.uk/interested-becoming-train-driver

The Driver Training Programme can last up to 24 months. During this
training period, trainees earn -u31,398 per annum.

How the hell can it take 2 years to learn to drive a train?? You can
get a private pilots license in a year and a full HGV license in a 2
weeks!

You can get a ppl in 3 weeks if doing the course full time. It used to
be popular to get your ppl in the States where they ran such courses
at a much cheaper cost (including accomodation) than doing it here.

Doing an HGV licence assumes you have a car licence already.

True, but getting a car license could in theory be done in a few weeks
if you have the aptitude though thats not taking into account the
ridiculous wait now between finishing lessons and getting a test date.

That implies waiting time for a test is new. When I took my car test (in
the 70s) applied in May for dates in December - so worse or the same
delay as now.
--
Colin

--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: uk.railway

In message <10c32g9$uitj$1@dont-email.me>, ColinR <rail@greystane.shetland.co.uk> writes

That implies waiting time for a test is new. When I took my car test
(in the 70s) applied in May for dates in December - so worse or the
same delay as now.

Sounds familiar. September 1978, my driving instructor told me to apply
for a test date, with the expectation of getting a date in December. He
was rather surprised when I got a date in March 79.

Adrian
--
To Reply :
replace "bulleid" with "adrian" - all mail to bulleid is rejected
Sorry for the rigmarole, If I want spam, I'll go to the shops
Every time someone says "I don't believe in trolls", another one dies.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2