Home

Railway Train Driver

Do you want to become a Railway Train Driver? Here is some information to help point you in the right direction:

Job Description - Print Page

Bookmark or recommend this article:

Railway train drivers are responsible for driving passenger and goods trains from station to station on set routes. They:

• have to know the routes and signalling in detail
• have to be aware in advance of any speed restrictions or diversions
• carry out safety checks before the start of a journey
• obey signal lights along the track and control the speed of the train
• operate the brakes and other instruments
• try to deal with any engine faults that develop
• write a report at the end of the journey of any problems or difficulties.

Train drivers work 35 hours a week on a shift system, which may mean having early starts, late finishes and working weekends and bank holidays. Train drivers spend a lot of time sitting still in the driver's cab of the train.

Salaries for railway train drivers range from around £11,000 to £30,000 a year.

Railway train drivers should:

• have good powers of concentration at all times and a good memory for routes
• be self-reliant and happy to work alone for quite long periods
• be very responsible â€" train drivers are in charge of the safety of the train and the passengers
• have some engineering knowledge
• be fit and healthy, with good eyesight, colour vision, hearing and clear speech
• be interested in railways.

There are 32 train operating companies employing drivers across the UK, and at the moment there is a growth in recruitment.

There are no set qualifications to become a railway train driver but train operating companies look for a good standard of education, such as some GCSEs/S grades or equivalent. Applicants need to be at least 21 years of age before they can begin training and the train operating companies often prefer older candidates with relevant work experience. All applicants have to go through a selection process at a train crew assessment centre and have a full medical.

Training usually takes up to a year and is based in company training centre. Practice driving will take place under the supervision of a driver training instructor. Trainees may work towards an NVQ/SVQ at Level 2 in Rail Transport Operations (Driving).

Train drivers may move on to become driver instructors or driver managers. Some go on to general management in the rail industry.

More Useful Resources - Railway Train Driver:

Do you know of a useful and relevant website that would be helpful to our users? Tell us about it by emailing