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Manchester Victoria Routes

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Firepig

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I have an interview for driver position with Northern at Victoria next week, If anyone could give me some information on the drivers routes from Victoria it would be much appreciated.
 
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Eccles1983

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It depends on what link you go in.

But could be Liverpool, Chester both ways, wigan, Southport, Kirkby, Preston, Blackpool, Leeds both ways, Huddersfield, Clitheroe, Blackburn, Airport.
 

Llama

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Starting fairly North and going clockwise:
Blackburn & Clitheroe via Darwen, Blackburn via Todmorden & Copy Pit, Newton Heath TMD, Leeds via Bradford, Leeds via Elland, Stalybridge, Huddersfield (only a few and all from Picc since May), Ashburys/Guide Bridge/Denton (for some ECS to/from Newton Heath), Picc to Chester via Stockport, Manchester Airport, Chester via Warrington BQ (only ECS for now but from May the Chester via WBQ service starts), Liverpool via Chat Moss, Wigan via Atherton/Bolton, Kirkby, Southport, Preston & Blackpool North.

Traction 142/150/153/155/156/158/195*/319/331*
(* - when they get round to them)

Three business links. Basically you either do Chester or Leeds, with all the other routes & traction.

Earliest start 0300, latest finish about 0235. No nights.

Edit: sorry Eccles1983, I didn't see your post somehow!
 
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geoffk

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Starting fairly North and going clockwise:
Blackburn & Clitheroe via Darwen, Blackburn via Todmorden & Copy Pit, Newton Heath TMD, Leeds via Bradford, Leeds via Elland, Stalybridge, Huddersfield (only a few and all from Picc since May), Ashburys/Guide Bridge/Denton (for some ECS to/from Newton Heath), Picc to Chester via Stockport, Manchester Airport, Chester via Warrington BQ (only ECS for now but from May the Chester via WBQ service starts), Liverpool via Chat Moss, Wigan via Atherton/Bolton, Kirkby, Southport, Preston & Blackpool North.

Traction 142/150/153/155/156/158/195*/319/331*
(* - when they get round to them)

Three business links. Basically you either do Chester or Leeds, with all the other routes & traction.

Earliest start 0300, latest finish about 0235. No nights.
And you don't need to work Sundays.
 

Marc637

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Hey firepig, just out of interest when did you receive confirmation regards to a interview? I also applied in December but only received a email saying should hear back within 2 weeks and that beginning of January. Thanks
 

Firepig

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Hey firepig, just out of interest when did you receive confirmation regards to a interview? I also applied in December but only received a email saying should hear back within 2 weeks and that beginning of January. Thanks
I also received the 2-4 week email and received interview email 1st Feb. Good luck.
 

Llama

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And you don't need to work Sundays.
Sundays outside the working week yes, but they are 'committed' and you will struggle to find cover for them while rest day working is sanctioned.
 

geoffk

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Sundays outside the working week yes, but they are 'committed' and you will struggle to find cover for them while rest day working is sanctioned.
I wasn't having a go at train crews. My main target is the DfT. They were aware of similar issues with the old Central Trains franchise and its successors.
Many of us would like to know whether, given that DfT was aware of the Sunday working situation on other franchises, the new franchise for Northern required a solution, particularly as Arriva's "offer" included enhanced Sunday services on some routes. If so, were the franchise agreements priced accordingly?
 

Llama

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By 'struggling to find cover', I meant that if you have a (booked) rostered Sunday, you are 'committed' to work it if no volunteers are available to work it as an 'extra' Sunday - ie you will struggle to find [a volunteer to] cover. At the moment you are probably going to find that you will have to work these booked Sundays more often than not, because drivers are generally working their rest days which pay more than a Sunday. Also if a driver works both rest days in a given week they are quite likely going to need the following Sunday off as per 'Hidden 18' recommendations. It has only recently become this way because the company is so dependent on rest day working.

Northern have a franchise commitment to harmonise terms and conditions, negotiations for this are very slowly rumbling on. This will probably include taking Sundays inside the working week for ex-FNW drivers which will cost money in recruitment as things stand, both in recruiting the extra drivers needed to run the Sunday services that are now all run on overtime, and to replace those drivers who love the fixed rest-day pattern so much that it is the only thing keeping them from leaving Northern to go and work at another TOC.

An attempt to harmonise drivers was made ten years ago under the old Northern franchise, that was eventually dropped because it would have seen ex-FNW drivers basically absorbed into ex-ATN conditions which was unacceptable to ex-FNW drivers.
 

Firepig

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Ok thank you. Do you currently work for the Fire Service...with you being called Firepig? lots have left for the trains. Goodluck with your interview.
Yes Fire service up until very recently, Firepig was my gamer tag from a long time ago and I have just sort of stuck with it online.
 

Llama

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You will probably recognise a lot of ex fire service drivers if you get the job! Good luck.
 

owen306

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Yes Fire service up until very recently, Firepig was my gamer tag from a long time ago and I have just sort of stuck with it online.
I work for the Fire Service, but hoping to join the trains. goodluck with the interview, let us know how you get on.
 

keynet10

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Same here, applied for Manchester Victoria and Manchester Piccadilly trainee driver back in December. Received email 1st February with interview this Thursday, no online assessment, straight to structured interview. If successful at 1st interview stage a date will be provided for the Train Driver psychometric assessment. Wish me luck. Let the research begin............
 

owen306

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Same here, applied for Manchester Victoria and Manchester Piccadilly trainee driver back in December. Received email 1st February with interview this Thursday, no online assessment, straight to structured interview. If successful at 1st interview stage a date will be provided for the Train Driver psychometric assessment. Wish me luck. Let the research begin............
Good luck with your interview....I applied just before xmas, hopefully i will hear back soon.
 

galaxynew

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I have an interview for driver position with Northern at Victoria next week, If anyone could give me some information on the drivers routes from Victoria it would be much appreciated.
How did your interview go, i got an email today asking me to attend an interview this week so really short notice.

Like you not done any assessments so structured interview is the first stage for me
 

Firepig

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How did your interview go, i got an email today asking me to attend an interview this week so really short notice.

Like you not done any assessments so structured interview is the first stage for me
My Interview is Thursday, Good Luck
 

keynet10

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Had interview today for Manchester Victoria driver. Hardest interview questions ever and I have been grilled by some cut throat sales managers in the past.
Researched and rehearsed all my answers to the most common questions you expect to be asked at a DMI. Well not one of those questions were asked!!!
Worst interview performance ever.
Ended up using the answers I had rehearsed regardless of whether those answers were relevant to the question.
Forget every competency question you have been told they will ask because they don't.
 

galaxynew

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1 Sep 2017
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Had interview today for Manchester Victoria driver. Hardest interview questions ever and I have been grilled by some cut throat sales managers in the past.
Researched and rehearsed all my answers to the most common questions you expect to be asked at a DMI. Well not one of those questions were asked!!!
Worst interview performance ever.
Ended up using the answers I had rehearsed regardless of whether those answers were relevant to the question.
Forget every competency question you have been told they will ask because they don't.

Sorry you don't think it went well but keep the faith, i know many people who have thought they have had terrible interviews and ended up getting the job (not just referring to the railway).

I too have been reading about the types of interviews for trainee driver roles and seems strange what you are saying, everyone seems to say that you will be asked non technical competency based questions which should be answered using the STAR method and then maybe some general questions about the TOC.

Now wondering if a different interview style has been adopted for this latest recruitment?
 

keynet10

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Sorry you don't think it went well but keep the faith, i know many people who have thought they have had terrible interviews and ended up getting the job (not just referring to the railway).

I too have been reading about the types of interviews for trainee driver roles and seems strange what you are saying, everyone seems to say that you will be asked non technical competency based questions which should be answered using the STAR method and then maybe some general questions about the TOC.

Now wondering if a different interview style has been adopted for this latest recruitment?

The questions were non technical competency based questions,
I had a list of about 8 competency based questions I was convinced would be asked, had the answers all ready, all using the STAR method,
However, these were completely different questions but they were non technical competency based questions, just much more complicated.
Not just, for example teamwork, communication, emergency;
The DM even said "No one expects these questions".
 

galaxynew

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Sounds like they may have changed the interview and the 8 x NTS that have been widely mentioned in various posts on here have been updated or at least phrased very differently.

My personal view of this type of interview has always been that it does not actually determine the best people for the job, an outgoing and highly confident person who has a skill of memorising questions and answers can easily cope with these interviews for these reasons alone and in my opinion does not actually mean they will be better at the job than someone who is not as good at these particular attributes. This does not mean that person is going to be good at the job and it logically makes no sense whatsoever, how can the same interview technique and questions (eg NTS using STAR) be as effective for a railway job as it would be for an area sales reps job?

Are we saying that before this modern interview technique was adopted by HR's across the country and in many sectors that they were consistently recruiting the wrong staff because of how they interviewed them, i think not.
 
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