Not entirely sure that's accurate re Plymouth as I know an on board host who has just been offered trainee driver for the mainline at PLymouth , but as you say many new starters are going to be depot manouverers before getting chance to go mainline after a period of time.
Thanks for the clarification, much appreciated
I don't know at the moment I'm afraid.
Because we are short of drivers on the depot, hence why trainees are not needed for the mainline at present. Once they've stocked the depot with depot drivers perhaps they will take on some more for the mainline, but the depot is a very good place to cut your teeth.
Makes sense if they are short I was just aware mainline drivers were short too! Still sounds like it would be great though and as you say, a really good place to start.
Not sure if it was just a last minute thing, but one group were recruited as mainline and told when they started their rules course they’d actually be Depot Drivers instead. It did seem very last minute and I’d like to think it’s not the norm.
The contract says “Trainee Train Driver” (I think). And it’s only for the duration of you’re traineeship therefore there’s nothing specific ro mainline driving in it.
I don’t know, but they obviously can because they did
Yeah this wasn't mentioned in my dmi and they said the same as you mention. Either way though it would still be a very welcome call that i would grab with both hands.
Very interesting thing. There was no mentioning on my DMI(last week of december 2020)...however it is a career and long term so.probably most will take it either way. Interesting is a question....If you are depot driver can you apply as a qualified train driver somewhere else?
That's a good question actually. If you didn't have to do a full rules course (like most Depot Drivers at other TOCs), you'd have to start as a trainee and apply as such. Not sure if that differs in this case? You'd definitely not have to re-take the psychometric assessments however.
That’s what I assume to be the case too, although I fear it may be different if going to another TOC?. At SWR though, the reason they have to start again is because they don’t do any rules (they’re a driver grade, but in all but name really, and as such all they won’t have to redo are psychometric assessments...even then I have a friend who had to randomly redo them after three years depot driving at SWT/R).
I'd expect to have the whole process again if a depot driver moving tocs from us as I assume they don't get a European drivers licence for the depot!? Might be wrong!
Depot Drivers at GWR and SWR both have ETDLs as they’re driver grades, however, at SWR they’d obviously have to do the full rules course to transfer to mainline, and likewise if they switched TOC, they’d have to basically start again. Because GWR depot drivers do a full rules course (note; Manos don’t as they’re the same as at SWR basically), then technically all they’d have to do is the handling hours and routes to go mainline?
No, in fact, my licence was at depot in the first half of 2020 (the only reason I didn’t collect it was that I was staying away from depot in principle
)....I assume once you do the ORR paperwork it gets processed straight away. They dish licences out to any old Tom, Dick or Harry these day, clearly Ah good, that bodes well for me in that caseNo, in fact, my licence was at depot in the first half of 2020 (the only reason I didn’t collect it was that I was staying away from depot in principle
If you want to go Mainline but are offered a depot position, I’d take that job if I were you. I guess you’d just apply through the internal channels if a vacancy arises and go from there. Being a depot driver you’re already 3/4 there.
Time not on your side? If you are 40 and get a depot job you'd probably be on the mainline by aged 43 with another 24 odd years to go if you so wish, how long a career do you want!!??
I wouldn't worry mate. I became a guard from outside the railway at 37, expected to wait 5-10 years to become a driver but became a trainee driver at 39. There's no reason (if it's depot to driver to start) you won't be mainline at 42/3 years old with 20+ years in one of the best offices there is
Exactly right. Excuse the euphemism but... if you're trying to get to London but the only train available is to Woking it's better to get on that and be most of the way there than sat in Pompey having gone nowhere! I've always been told that TOCS prefer to recruit/promote from within where possible and if depot driver had been offered to me because mainline wasn't a certainty, 100% I'd have taken it
Especially during times of disruption
Luckily there's hardly ever disruptionEspecially during times of disruption
