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Trainee Driver
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Overspeed110
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That thread has been locked.
Despite what ASLEF or each TOC might say about social distancing and whether or not driver training / route learning can start, it is up to each driver if they allow anyone else in the cab. Despite what some people think, this pandemic is far from over and I and many drivers where I work will not be allowing anyone in the cab with us anytime soon.
Despite what ASLEF or each TOC might say about social distancing and whether or not driver training / route learning can start, it is up to each driver if they allow anyone else in the cab. Despite what some people think, this pandemic is far from over and I and many drivers where I work will not be allowing anyone in the cab with us anytime soon.
Wasn’t aware the other one had been locked....must have been stealth locked
I know it’s up to the DI whether they have trainees in the cab, but luckily there are a fair few who wouldn’t be too bothered by this.
Truth be told, nobody knows what will happen in the longterm with this pandemic. You’re certainly not qualified to categorically say this pandemic is far from over, unless of course you’re a medical professional or a scientist who’s advising the Government, but know more than all the other medical professionals and scientists advising the Government.
What we do have to consider though is the likely risk, and we can’t all hide away forever, can we? Social distancing in one form or another is likely to be with us indefinitely, so where do we draw the line?
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Overspeed110
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Wasn’t aware the other one had been locked....must have been stealth locked
I know it’s up to the DI whether they have trainees in the cab, but luckily there are a fair few who wouldn’t be too bothered by this.
Truth be told, nobody knows what will happen in the longterm with this pandemic. You’re certainly not qualified to categorically say this pandemic is far from over, unless of course you’re a medical professional or a scientist who’s advising the Government, but know more than all the other medical professionals and scientists advising the Government.
What we do have to consider though is the likely risk, and we can’t all hide away forever, can we? Social distancing in one form or another is likely to be with us indefinitely, so where do we draw the line?
No, I'm not medically qualified. But I can look and see for myself what is happening in this country and around the world and also there are very well respected medical officers and members of the government's own scientific advisory team who are against the path this government is now taking.
It's each to their own and if a driver is ok with someone else being in their cab then that is fair enough. But I'm not one of them.
Overspeed110
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And of course Overspeed110 after you drive a train you go straight home and don't mix with anybody else till you drive your train again
Correct.
As one of my children is classed as high risk, I have been extremely careful for the last few months and except for family at home i have kept my distance from everyone.
Are you a DI?
The figures speak for themselves. I think we can expect a slight rise in infection/death toll as you’d expect when restrictions are eased. However, since it’s been 3 weeks and the deaths/infections are still reducing and the statistics show public transport usage is still as low (give it take) as it was when lockdown was introduced, it’s this we should be concentrating on and weighing up the risks accordingly. If football is being brought back, it’ll keep more people inside still. And let’s face it, with everything else opening back up etc in the coming weeks, what added risk will there be in bringing trainees back?
Just my view (common sense approach?). For what it’s worth
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dctraindriver
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Lots of common sense displayed by some members of the public at beauty spots and in London over the weekend....Are you a DI?
The figures speak for themselves. I think we can expect a slight rise in infection/death toll as you’d expect when restrictions are eased. However, since it’s been 3 weeks and the deaths/infections are still reducing and the statistics show public transport usage is still as low (give it take) as it was when lockdown was introduced, it’s this we should be concentrating on and weighing up the risks accordingly. If football is being brought back, it’ll keep more people inside still. And let’s face it, with everything else opening back up etc in the coming weeks, what added risk will there be in bringing trainees back?
Just my view (common sense approach?). For what it’s worth
I think all of us are fed up of this and want to get things back to some sort of normality. And as I doubt any of us are members of SAGE on this forum our opinions will vary on how slight if any rise occurs. I can understand why more DIs are inclined to be more cautious about having a trainee back from the conversations I’ve had with a few of them.
I am genuinely worried about how this all pans out for the industry. Would the govt keep bankrolling trains only 20% full for the next few years? Hope it won’t lead to redundancies.
Other than Freight. I haven't heard of redundancies in the passenger TOC sector. No doubt its happened before.
I don't worry about it so much because of the speed in which the turnaround happens. Once lockdown is finally lifted (in full), the railway will quickly snap back so will need staff. The time it takes to retrain Drivers doesn't lend itself to mass redundancies. Turnover is pretty fast in the grade so again, getting rid of people has such a negative long term cost.
I'm not 100% sure with redundancy rules but I know one of them is that you can't be made 'Redundant' if your role still exists. I know its possible to 'downsize' but I think the Drivers grade would be one of the last to be downsized. Maybe a reduction through voluntary redundancy or early retirement payoffs and potential reshuffling of depot establishments.
The thing is, in order to provide capacity if social distancing is required, I can see there needing to be at least a full service. I wouldn't be surprised if people who were historically 9-5 end up with staggered start/finish times across the day to try and minimise overcrowding during the historic rush hour. I reckon the London TOCs in particular have got the stock to make it work since a lot of stock ended up in sidings during the day. Years of relying on overtime means that if such a service was required, there would be a massive traincrew shortage.
The only "green" alternative is a massive investment in cycling routes and that won't help people who commute 40-50miles in. I don't see the space in inner cities for huge numbers of parking spaces.
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