irish_rail
Established Member
They will be inundated. Especially for Liverpool which never recruits externally. Good luck to those applying.
That is far from a foregone conclusion.some may think it is..certainly with regards the salary gap between TPE and Avanti..plus Avanti will be running HS2.
Exactly, there’s also drivers who’ve gone to Avanti and come back to TPE as the RD pattern and T&C’s aren’t brilliant compared to TPE. There’s a driver at my depot who left Avanti and came to TPE and he had been at BR/Virgin et ell for 25 years and in his own words “it isn’t what it used to be” all the best T&C’s have been sold off and going to London and back soon gets old. A long time in the chair, failures at the wrong side of Rugby and you’re stuck for hours, miles away from home.TPE drivers have moved on to Avanti but similarly I know Avanti drivers who have moved to West Mids Trains.
There's a fine balance between having a high basic salary and good terms & conditions.
More variety at TPE?That is far from a foregone conclusion.
Exactly, there’s also drivers who’ve gone to Avanti and come back to TPE as the RD pattern and T&C’s aren’t brilliant compared to TPE. There’s a driver at my depot who left Avanti and came to TPE and he had been at BR/Virgin et ell for 25 years and in his own words “it isn’t what it used to be” all the best T&C’s have been sold off and going to London and back soon gets old. A long time in the chair, failures at the wrong side of Rugby and you’re stuck for hours, miles away from home.
At TPE you drive better traction, more “interesting, varied routes” and I mean come on a class 68 blows a boring Pendo out of the water. Each to their own I guess.
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More variety at TPE?
Liverpool Tpe guys just do 802s to York every day.
Personally I'd rather do pendolinos, 807s, voyagers to London and Holyhead , but as you say each to their own.
Liverpool is one of the smaller depots and as 8J said they don’t just go Liverpool to York everyday. There’s other routes. I’m based at Manchester Picc and our route card is miles more varied than Avanti, we go coast to coast and the rest! Give me the early morning Pennine views, the Yorkshire countryside and coast over the boring west coast mainline any day......
More variety at TPE?
Liverpool Tpe guys just do 802s to York every day.
Personally I'd rather do pendolinos, 807s, voyagers to London and Holyhead , but as you say each to their own.
Liverpool is one of the smaller depots and as 8J said they don’t just go Liverpool to York everyday. There’s other routes. I’m based at Manchester Picc and our route card is miles more varied than Avanti, we go coast to coast and the rest! Give me the early morning Pennine views, the Yorkshire countryside and coast over the boring west coast mainline any day.
The RDW plan at TPE is very good, the odd day here or there and you’re not far off an Avanti driver with better T&C’s.
Oh and I’d rather drive a 185,802 and 68 over Pendos and Voyagers.
Rules test, group interview and then a face to face
I’ve certainly heard good things about TPE. Proper intercity type work (on a par with Avanti) over some cracking routes. People who are currently driving for Merseyrail or Northern, doing all shacks class 2 work, will no doubt make up a lot of the applicants for Avanti.
Absolutely, it’s a fantastic opportunity for drivers at those TOC’s and a decent increase in basic pay and better work content no doubt.I’ve certainly heard good things about TPE. Proper intercity type work (on a par with Avanti) over some cracking routes. People who are currently driving for Merseyrail or Northern, doing all shacks class 2 work, will no doubt make up a lot of the applicants for Avanti.
Unless things have changed, Avanti at Manchester has several seniority based links. The bottom links don't go to Holyhead or touch Voyagers - it's pretty much London and back every day on Pendolinos only......
More variety at TPE?
Liverpool Tpe guys just do 802s to York every day.
Personally I'd rather do pendolinos, 807s, voyagers to London and Holyhead , but as you say each to their own.
Unless things have changed, Avanti at Manchester has several seniority based links. The bottom links don't go to Holyhead or touch Voyagers - it's pretty much London and back every day on Pendolinos only.
Over at Liverpool though I believe they're a bit more egalitarian with everybody going everywhere from the start, so Holyhead and Wrexham on top of the core London work.
Slight OT but what's the link spread like at MAN for TPE? Everyone does it all or is it seniority links? Thinking about how it compares to Avanti at Manchester and their seniority linksLiverpool is one of the smaller depots and as 8J said they don’t just go Liverpool to York everyday. There’s other routes. I’m based at Manchester Picc and our route card is miles more varied than Avanti, we go coast to coast and the rest! Give me the early morning Pennine views, the Yorkshire countryside and coast over the boring west coast mainline any day.
The RDW plan at TPE is very good, the odd day here or there and you’re not far off an Avanti driver with better T&C’s.
Oh and I’d rather drive a 185,802 and 68 over Pendos and Voyagers.
Slight OT but what's the link spread like at MAN for TPE? Everyone does it all or is it seniority links? Thinking about how it compares to Avanti at Manchester and their seniority links
Not strictly true, the Scottish link is now made up of lots of new starters as other drivers didn't want to go in it, not a lot of Scottish work more or less Preston or Carlisle.There are 2 main links at Piccadilly with one small link for the Scotland work up the WCML
The Hull link sign:
Piccadilly - Hull
Micklefield - York
Piccadilly - Airport
Liverpool - Stalybridge via Victoria + Orsdall Chord
(include several diversions in all routes)
Traction is 185 only
Scarborough link
Liverpool - Scarborough (incl several diversions)
Piccadilly - Airport
Traction is 68/Mk5 and 185
People think of the WCML link as the senior link and the Hull Link as the starter link but this isnt strictly true.
Cheers for the info - worth knowing!There are 2 main links at Piccadilly with one small link for the Scotland work up the WCML
The Hull link sign:
Piccadilly - Hull
Micklefield - York
Piccadilly - Airport
Liverpool - Stalybridge via Victoria + Orsdall Chord
(include several diversions in all routes)
Traction is 185 only
Scarborough link
Liverpool - Scarborough (incl several diversions)
Piccadilly - Airport
Traction is 68/Mk5 and 185
People think of the WCML link as the senior link and the Hull Link as the starter link but this isnt strictly true.
some may think it is..certainly with regards the salary gap between TPE and Avanti..plus Avanti will be running HS2.
Suspect the taxies to and from Holyhead might have something to do with that.In terms of shifts at Liverpool, speaking to a driver I know there, they do have a few night turns I believe.
In terms of earliest day shift - I think it starts at about 04:00 and latest shift finishes at about 03:15 so the timings are pretty extreme.
I'd guess that when holyhead and crewe depots open they will take the north wales work away from liverpool and Manchester?Suspect the taxies to and from Holyhead might have something to do with that.
I'd guess that when holyhead and crewe depots open they will take the north wales work away from liverpool and Manchester?
I thought I'd heard 2022 mentioned tho could be wrong....When are these supposed to open?
I thought I'd heard 2022 mentioned tho could be wrong....
I'd guess that when holyhead and crewe depots open they will take the north wales work away from liverpool and Manchester?
I think it was announced as part of the new franchise, driver depots at Holyhead and Crewe no later then 2022, but I've tried before and failed to find the source confirming that.I thought I'd heard 2022 mentioned tho could be wrong....
I wouldn't get your hopes up for any jobs going external at Crewe at least - lots of Avanti crews at other depots who I'm sure would love a shorter commute. The Holyhead one will be interesting though - short of poaching drivers from TfW there can't be many other qualifieds who'd want to transfer out there. Some I'm sure, but enough to open a depot?Thanks. I wonder what the complement will be.
Which would leave for example Liverpool drivers just doing Euston every day. Might get a tad repetitive I suppose, but still a good job to apply for on balance for those interested I'd sayThat would seem the most likely scenario. Whether Crewe gets any of the North Wales work remains to be seen - at present Holyhead based TMs work all services West of Chester so it may well be that the same happens with Holyhead drivers. Even without any work down the coast a depot at Crewe will still help save on taxis and traveling PASS time given all the Voyagers that go on and off Arriva Train Care every night.
But you know how it is trying to predict the future on the railway!
I think it was announced as part of the new franchise, driver depots at Holyhead and Crewe no later then 2022, but I've tried before and failed to find the source confirming that.
I wouldn't get your hopes up for any jobs going external at Crewe at least - lots of Avanti crews at other depots who I'm sure would love a shorter commute. The Holyhead one will be interesting though - short of poaching drivers from TfW there can't be many other qualifieds who'd want to transfer out there. Some I'm sure, but enough to open a depot?
Which would leave for example Liverpool drivers just doing Euston every day. Might get a tad repetitive I suppose, but still a good job to apply for on balance for those interested I'd say
Out of interest what is the rest day pattern on avanti, do they do 4 day week or 5 day week or other?
The consultation for Holyhead is going on now. I think the work is as far south as Crewe.That would seem the most likely scenario. Whether Crewe gets any of the North Wales work remains to be seen - at present Holyhead based TMs work all services West of Chester so it may well be that the same happens with Holyhead drivers. Even without any work down the coast a depot at Crewe will still help save on taxis and traveling PASS time given all the Voyagers that go on and off Arriva Train Care every night.
But you know how it is trying to predict the future on the railway!
I think it was announced as part of the new franchise, driver depots at Holyhead and Crewe no later then 2022, but I've tried before and failed to find the source confirming that.
I wouldn't get your hopes up for any jobs going external at Crewe at least - lots of Avanti crews at other depots who I'm sure would love a shorter commute. The Holyhead one will be interesting though - short of poaching drivers from TfW there can't be many other qualifieds who'd want to transfer out there. Some I'm sure, but enough to open a depot?
Knowing First groups love of packing drivers diagrams as much as they can, I'd say once crewe comes on stream, Liverpool drivers may end up doing 2 or 3 trips per day to crewe with a crewe or london man doing the crewe to london section of a liverpool to euston run.If a base opens at Crewe, could that mean Edinburgh/Polmadie drivers would continue from Preston onto crewe? It’s my understanding that, due to only being a 30 odd minute gap between the nearest return Edinburgh service after the London service arrives, drivers can be there for 2.5 hours. I may be wrong!