Bristol Temple Meads GWR Driver Links

[SWFreight]

Hi all,

I'm looking at a position as a qualified driver at BTM. I've looked at the great resource that is this thread: https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...route-and-traction-cards.205085/#post-4607265, but note for "Bristol Temple Meads GWR" it states that some routes are link dependent. Would someone in the know be willing to share details on which links sign which routes, please?

Also, am I correct in understanding that a new driver would be in the "GWR" depot and that the "HSS" (High Speed and Sleeper?) depot is being phased out? I'm not sure how I've come to that conclusion, but want to clarify it anyhow.

Any information from those who know would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[TurboMan]

Yes, any new starter at GWR would go into a GWR driver link as HSS (High Speed Services - Bristol HSS don't work the sleeper) links are 'ring-fenced' and are gradually being phased out. Because of this, the links at any GWR depot with HSS drivers are pretty fluid at the moment, as the work moves from HSS to GWR links. I don't know the precise details of routes and traction for each link, but even if I did, it wouldn't be correct for very long!

 

[SWFreight]

Yes, any new starter at GWR would go into a GWR driver link as HSS (High Speed Services - Bristol HSS don't work the sleeper) links are 'ring-fenced' and are gradually being phased out. Because of this, the links at any GWR depot with HSS drivers are pretty fluid at the moment, as the work moves from HSS to GWR links. I don't know the precise details of routes and traction for each link, but even if I did, it wouldn't be correct for very long!

Thanks. I appreciate the honest outlook!

 

[TurboMan]

Thanks. I appreciate the honest outlook!

You're welcome. If you want a rough idea, I would say that initally traction will be 158 and 16x, routes Severn Beach, Cardiff, Weston super Mare, St Phillips Marsh. But as I say, things are fluid at the moment, and it depends when you start and what's happening with the links.

 

[irish_rail]

One would hope that should nationalisation occur under Labour that the GWR / HSS divide could be papered over and the work go where its needed as opposed to the current obsession with removing work from HSS for questionable benefit. I reckon things will look a lot different in 5 years time but time will tell. Also, I was under the impression that everyone at Bristol would sign 80x but may be wrong on that front!!??

 

[Horizon22]

One would hope that should nationalisation occur under Labour that the GWR / HSS divide could be papered over and the work go where its needed as opposed to the current obsession with removing work from HSS for questionable benefit. I reckon things will look a lot different in 5 years time but time will tell. Also, I was under the impression that everyone at Bristol would sign 80x but may be wrong on that front!!??

Is it more not that HSS is being phased out as drivers retire/leave and everyone is being moved into the standardised GWR link? Certainly the case at Paddington, so would make sense to do it at Bristol TM and that would therefore "paper over" everything by eventually having everyone on the same T&Cs. GWR's approach to just do it stealthily over many years is probably the easiest way to get standardisation of T&Cs between drivers but just incredibly slow!

 

[irish_rail]

Is it more not that HSS is being phased out as drivers retire/leave and everyone is being moved into the standardised GWR link? Certainly the case at Paddington, so would make sense to do it at Bristol TM and that would therefore "paper over" everything by eventually having everyone on the same T&Cs. GWR's approach to just do it stealthily over many years is probably the easiest way to get standardisation of T&Cs between drivers but just incredibly slow!

Trouble is there are plenty of HSS drivers younger than their GWR counterparts and it is they that suffer most. Nowhere near retirement , so just got to sit and take it as work continually gets removed. I had an interesting conversation with a fellow driver last week. He had done the same turn 5 days in a row (due to the fact we have fewer and fewer turns on HSS), and he was genuinely concerned that by about day 3 he was driving on auto pilot. It isn't great, and a fix that doesn't involve HSS drivers having to work every Sunday the company decide needs to be found. For me and a lot of others, it's the compulsory Sunday nonsense that makes GWR so incredibly unattractive compared with HSS. IF and it's a big IF, nationalisation brings Sundays into the working week, it might make harmonisation of GWR drivers a bit easier and more palatable for HSS guys.

 

[Sly Old Fox]

There are a few different links. I’ll try and explain a bit.

Link 4 sign 16x, 158 and 800. Routes are Cardiff, Taunton, Severn Beach, Bristol Parkway and St Phillips Marsh depot.
Link 3 sign 16x and 158. For routes they add Westbury. This was the link that had all the 255 work but as they moved west they lost them, and haven’t yet got around to learning 800s. They will be soon.
Link 2 adds Gloucester, Warminster and Frome, and they do 800s.
Link 1 has just been split in half to 1A and 1B. They all sign everything already mentioned, plus Weymouth and London, but 1A is now learning Exeter also. There isn’t currently enough work for all of link 1 to retain it, hence the split. It will probably be all back together as of December, as they take more work from an ever dwindling HSS.

For completeness, HSS currently sign Exeter - London via B&H and Bridgwater, Cardiff - Swindon, Charfield, Kemble, and Stoke Gifford depot. But you won’t be getting into the HSS depot.

 

[SWFreight]

Thanks everyone for the discussion. It certainly seems fluid at the moment.

There are a few different links. I’ll try and explain a bit.

Link 4 sign 16x, 158 and 800. Routes are Cardiff, Taunton, Severn Beach, Bristol Parkway and St Phillips Marsh depot.
Link 3 sign 16x and 158. For routes they add Westbury. This was the link that had all the 255 work but as they moved west they lost them, and haven’t yet got around to learning 800s. They will be soon.
Link 2 adds Gloucester, Warminster and Frome, and they do 800s.
Link 1 has just been split in half to 1A and 1B. They all sign everything already mentioned, plus Weymouth and London, but 1A is now learning Exeter also. There isn’t currently enough work for all of link 1 to retain it, hence the split. It will probably be all back together as of December, as they take more work from an ever dwindling HSS.

For completeness, HSS currently sign Exeter - London via B&H and Bridgwater, Cardiff - Swindon, Charfield, Kemble, and Stoke Gifford depot. But you won’t be getting into the HSS depot.

Thanks for this. It's interesting to know what I might be getting into, even if it might have changed around before long. Safe to say more of the HSS work will move into GWR as time goes on?

 

[class ep-09]

Thanks everyone for the discussion. It certainly seems fluid at the moment.



Thanks for this. It's interesting to know what I might be getting into, even if it might have changed around before long. Safe to say more of the HSS work will move into GWR as time goes on?

With time all HSS work will move to GWR as HSS does not take any new drivers.

All newcomers are GWR drivers now with GWR T&C’s ( money is this same ).

 

[Sly Old Fox]

Thanks everyone for the discussion. It certainly seems fluid at the moment.



Thanks for this. It's interesting to know what I might be getting into, even if it might have changed around before long. Safe to say more of the HSS work will move into GWR as time goes on?

I wouldn’t expect the Kemble work to go to Bristol GWR, but I imagine the rest of it will at some point. That’s just a guess though.

 

[TurboMan]

Worth adding too that the work at Bristol will change radically over the next few years as the Bristol Metro project progresses, with the re-opening of Portishead and Henbury.

Trouble is there are plenty of HSS drivers younger than their GWR counterparts and it is they that suffer most. Nowhere near retirement , so just got to sit and take it as work continually gets removed. I had an interesting conversation with a fellow driver last week. He had done the same turn 5 days in a row (due to the fact we have fewer and fewer turns on HSS), and he was genuinely concerned that by about day 3 he was driving on auto pilot. It isn't great, and a fix that doesn't involve HSS drivers having to work every Sunday the company decide needs to be found. For me and a lot of others, it's the compulsory Sunday nonsense that makes GWR so incredibly unattractive compared with HSS. IF and it's a big IF, nationalisation brings Sundays into the working week, it might make harmonisation of GWR drivers a bit easier and more palatable for HSS guys.

Why should the company find a fix, when the current arrangements were negotiated and agreed with drivers? HSS links are gone in the long term, so your options are to sit it out in an HSS link, transfer to a GWR link now, or - if neither of those options suit you - move on elsewhere. I don't think you'd get much sympathy from GWR drivers if the agreement were to be renegotiated because you don't want to work Sundays, when they have a lot less flexibility.