TOC top trumps

[Grace.shooter]

Hello,

Just wondered what the general consensus is regarding TOCs north of Birmingham.

Top tier - C2C, crosscountry, TPE and Virgin

Other TOCs - Northern, Arriva Wales, ScotRail, Merseyrail, WMT, EMT.

These are based on salaries and not my opinion.

Do you think the better paid TOCs are the best to work for?

Or do some have better conditions.

All opinions welcome.

 

[virgintrain1]

C2C north of Birmingham???
TPE's love of agency staff (dispatch and catering) surly keeps them out of the top tier.

 

[Dynamonic]

Like with any workplace, money doesn’t always indicate a better TOC.
Some ‘lesser’ paid TOCs for example may have better staff travel schemes (particularly if the franchise holder also holds other TOCs), better working environments, more route variety (from a driving perspective) and a better work-life balance in the rosters.

 

[Grace.shooter]

C2C north of Birmingham???
TPE's love of agency staff (dispatch and catering) surly keeps them out of the top tier.

Apologies was meant to be crosscountry

 

[Grace.shooter]

Like with any workplace, money doesn’t always indicate a better TOC.
Some ‘lesser’ paid TOCs for example may have better staff travel schemes (particularly if the franchise holder also holds other TOCs), better working environments, more route variety (from a driving perspective) and a better work-life balance in the rosters.

So which would you say has the best conditions and travel schemes.

 

[Thedispatcher]

So which would you say has the best conditions and travel schemes.

Hello. Been a dispatcher and a guard for LM/WMR now a trainee Driver for the same company. Reckon we’ve got quite good Ts and Cs. Pay is good, for most grades better than any of the others such as Northern and East Mids. When it comes to travel, we’ve got free travel with Merseyrail, East Midlands Railway, Greater Anglia and ScotRail so pretty decent I reckon.

Only thing I would take issue with is the north of Brum thing. Most of our routes are Brum and south of with the exception of the Trent Valley and Liverpools.