Just thought I would chip in my two pennith worth
Yes you are correct Wallicio Bedford is the start of the Thameslink services to Brighton, unless your from Brighton and we say we start there and go to Bedford
Bedford Main Depot, it is where Bedford Control are situated, when I book on at Brighton, Bedford is the Control centre I book on to
Regarding training, Bedford depot for Bedford drivers? LOL no, far from it
I travelled up to Bedford for a lot of the time every day from the south coast along with 6 other trainees, all from the South Coast, it is where the main training facilities are, so be prepared for some long arse days!!! There were some days at Blackfriars, but you are training to be drivers working AC as well as DC, so as well as doing your PTS for DC and putting down a shorting bar on the Third Rail, you will also be doing PTS in AC as well, no facilities for that in Brighton, and Blackfriars is in the core, so I would suspect unless you can do it at Cricklewood then you will be doing it at Bedford.
You will also I am afraid possibly be waiting a while yet, there are lots of recruitments taking place, but you have to appreciate that out of a depot of say 100 drivers, (this is an example not actual figures) then only 10 of them might be Trainer Drivers, and each one is allocated a new recruit for the Route learning which on average takes what 6 months? 4-5 if your really good (its not just the route you learn lol be prepared for no family time, and studying route maps and going out in your spare time)
So, 6 months, and all the trainers taken up with recruits.... then they have a rest period away from training... believe it or not, some of them like to drive there own trains occasionally and not have a trainee with them all the time
Brighton has just got the next set of people front ended at the moment this can be done with any driver but were another 3-4 months away yet before we finish, sometimes it can take an individual longer, then the next set already front Ending will start with the Trainers... and there is another intake at the moment I believe just starting PTS so thats another group going in, and they haven't got at this moment in time enough trainers for all the trainee drivers.
Sorry to say but you will be told as and when a place becomes available, and they do this because if they told you now.... in 3 months time I could read posts on here saying BLOODY TOC promised me a job and I am still waiting... that isnt really a professional way of doing things
I feel your frustration guys, I went through the same thing, I was ringing up once every 4 weeks, and eventually I got a start date, but its a long process, there are people on my training group that waited 2 years after passing the tests and final interview to get onto the actual start of the training, but they will tell you the same as I will, if you really want the job, and considering what you had to go through just to get to the stage your at now, its worth the wait
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Brighton do London Bridge, Bedford, and the Sutton loop, plus the diversion routes as well and this isnt changing any time soon, Three Bridges Drivers will I think do the same, Southern do Horsham routes we don't sign them