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Scotrail Trainee Drivers (Ongoing)

Driver1122

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14 Aug 2020
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47
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Scotland
Any further information on this? I don't really think there's any great appetite for the trainees to return.

I never said anything about appetite of return. ASLEF and scotrail will set it up and wait to see the level of uptake.

Aslef meeting last week said they hope for a start date of 28th of September with testing the week before. If there is no testing available they’ll move it to the next again week and start on Oct 5th.

There will an announcement this week. It will move very very slow when it starts up.

On the other hand I have heard a worry about jobs due to the new DFT announcement. However in England they seem to be recruiting trainee drivers like mad so I’d say that’s unlikely imo. Especially in driving grade but that’s only my option which means nothing.
 
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theironroad

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21 Nov 2014
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I never said anything about appetite of return. ASLEF and scotrail will set it up and wait to see the level of uptake.

Aslef meeting last week said they hope for a start date of 28th of September with testing the week before. If there is no testing available they’ll move it to the next again week and start on Oct 5th.

There will an announcement this week. It will move very very slow when it starts up.

On the other hand I have heard a worry about jobs due to the new DFT announcement. However in England they seem to be recruiting trainee drivers like mad so I’d say that’s unlikely imo. Especially in driving grade but that’s only my option which means nothing.

What DfT announcement? Though something is imminent, don't think it's happened yet unless I've missed something?
 

Driver1122

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14 Aug 2020
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47
Location
Scotland
What DfT announcement? Though something is imminent, don't think it's happened yet unless I've missed something?
 

theironroad

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BC25

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18 Jun 2019
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16
Hello everyone. I passed my medical a month ago and I was wondering If anyone had any inclination of when the next cohort of trainees will start? I appreciate everything's up in the air just now, but I'm hoping someone may know If there's been any movement on that front? Even if it's simply finding out whether we're looking at the next few weeks or into the new year! Thanks.
 

kickin aff

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16 Oct 2015
Messages
163
Hello everyone. I passed my medical a month ago and I was wondering If anyone had any inclination of when the next cohort of trainees will start? I appreciate everything's up in the air just now, but I'm hoping someone may know If there's been any movement on that front? Even if it's simply finding out whether we're looking at the next few weeks or into the new year! Thanks.
The training school is still closed just now with trainers currently working from home. They were looking at getting them back to work in early October but I dont know if that is still the case.
They have been told that they have to get 8 cohorts through by the end of the year, but i cannot see them being close to that target.
 

320320

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5 Jun 2015
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289
The training school is still closed just now with trainers currently working from home. They were looking at getting them back to work in early October but I dont know if that is still the case.
They have been told that they have to get 8 cohorts through by the end of the year, but i cannot see them being close to that target.

The training school is as much of a **** show as the rest of the railway right now. I know a couple of the drivers that became trainers last year and they’ve been in the house that long their driving competence has now expired.

I don’t know what the process entails to get them recertified but it will only cause further delays for trainees, also hearing rumours that trainees might possibly have to start again on zero hours because of the length of time they’ve not driven, might be rubbish but a few people have said its a possibility.
 

hollyblue

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31 Aug 2018
Messages
15
The training school is as much of a **** show as the rest of the railway right now. I know a couple of the drivers that became trainers last year and they’ve been in the house that long their driving competence has now expired.

I don’t know what the process entails to get them recertified but it will only cause further delays for trainees, also hearing rumours that trainees might possibly have to start again on zero hours because of the length of time they’ve not driven, might be rubbish but a few people have said its a possibility.
The zero hours things is rubbish and putting stuff like this on here qualified by things like ‘I heard’, ‘I think’, ‘it may’ , ‘rumours are’ etc is helping nobody.

Trainees have or should have had meetings with their DTM’s about them going back to work and the zero hours things is certainly not happening that’s been made very clear.

Its quite amazing the nonsense that some people post on here clearly revelling in winding, or trying to wind, people up.
 

golfingdaddy

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Joined
19 Feb 2019
Messages
82
School have said that trainee's may get put back a couple of weeks when we return i.e, restart the module we finished on, but nothing has been confirmed. Certainly nothing about driving hours being reset.
DTM's are non the wiser about any potential return date - latest is that it won't be anytime soon.
 

Stigy

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6 Nov 2009
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4,882
The zero hours thing has been doing the rounds since April. Classic bothy gossip.
That’s been doing the rounds at most TOCs I believe (And I’ve not heard of any actually having their hours reset)....I wonder if the rumour started in one place, or a number of different places? :D
 

BC25

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18 Jun 2019
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16
The training school is still closed just now with trainers currently working from home. They were looking at getting them back to work in early October but I dont know if that is still the case.
They have been told that they have to get 8 cohorts through by the end of the year, but i cannot see them being close to that target.

Thanks for the reply. My fear is they pull the plug on the job offer the longer this continues...
 

hiall

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Joined
19 Jun 2009
Messages
109
When the time is right and it's 100% safe for trainees to return with their DI, every trainee will have already had a meeting with their dtm were they will both come to an agreement on what they need to do to get them to the level of competence where they can start their verification. There is no set format.
 

mortarman

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Joined
29 May 2019
Messages
31
When the time is right and it's 100% safe for trainees to return with their DI, every trainee will have already had a meeting with their dtm were they will both come to an agreement on what they need to do to get them to the level of competence where they can start their verification. There is no set format.
Unfortunately nothing in life or work is 100% safe so I hope we are not waiting for that scenario; I would hope the aim is to reduce the risk to as low as reasonably practicable which would allow us to resume training safely.
 

hiall

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19 Jun 2009
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109
Well FORTUNATELY for DIs training is optional so if they don't feel safe then they don't have to do it. Simple stuff.
 

mortarman

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29 May 2019
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Of course everyone has a choice, both in life and in work, and I'm sure there are enough sensible people within the industry who will trust both the union and the TOC to introduce appropriate and proportionate measures to get us moving again safely. As you say simple stuff.
 

hiall

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19 Jun 2009
Messages
109
The next few weeks will be interesting in seeing how it all goes. I think it will vary from depot to depot but I'm hoping something can be worked out where everyone can be confident from dtm, Di and to the trainee so training can recommence and get trainees back in the seat.
 

320320

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5 Jun 2015
Messages
289
The zero hours things is rubbish and putting stuff like this on here qualified by things like ‘I heard’, ‘I think’, ‘it may’ , ‘rumours are’ etc is helping nobody.

Trainees have or should have had meetings with their DTM’s about them going back to work and the zero hours things is certainly not happening that’s been made very clear.

Its quite amazing the nonsense that some people post on here clearly revelling in winding, or trying to wind, people up.

Triggered much :rolleyes:

You seem a bit on edge and quite keen to jump on anything you don’t like, but don’t be so quick to believe everything you hear that suits you and dismissing anything other people have heard that contradicts what you’ve been told.

Nobody knows exactly how this will all end but there are absolutely no guarantees of any outcome, regardless of any stage of training you might be at.

Things change rapidly in the railway, just ask the people that were started for GARL before that was binned or the people assessed, interviewed and sent for medicals 5 years ago when Scotrail advertised for 140 trainees and then changed it to 25 at the last minute.

The latest one doing the rounds today is that services could well be cut back further due to passenger numbers being decimated, there’s no economic case for running empty trains and as we all know, money dictates everything.

I know you’ll probably want to bash something out on the poor keyboard telling me that I know nothing and that the only people who know anything are the ones massaging your ego but don’t bother, just bookmark this and revert back to it when what you’ve been told is happening actually happens.

Trainees back September 28th.

under 2 weeks then.

Why don’t you elaborate and tell all these trainees where exactly they’re going on the 28th, if they’re actually coming back on that date.

Unless of course, you’ve jumped the gun and got people’s hopes up just to make it sound like you know what’s going on.
 

Gedphones

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22 Feb 2019
Messages
74
Spoke to a driver trainer instructor today. They've not been told anything about going back. Says there's no direction from anyone at the top and nobody knows what is happening. They know of no plan other than they have been told there is one. So, all the folk who take the trainees out on their first week of driving are now out of competence and have to do refreshers. Who does that? Bit of a **** show with zero direction from above.
 

320320

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5 Jun 2015
Messages
289
Spoke to a driver trainer instructor today. They've not been told anything about going back. Says there's no direction from anyone at the top and nobody knows what is happening. They know of no plan other than they have been told there is one. So, all the folk who take the trainees out on their first week of driving are now out of competence and have to do refreshers. Who does that? Bit of a **** show with zero direction from above.

The driver trainers should never have been allowed to sit in the house twiddling their thumbs for this long. They‘re allowed to take over trains with the driver sitting in the coach to allow them to do their hours and maintain their competence. They should have been doing their 4 hours per month at an absolute minimum to enable some sort of smooth transition when you guys go back.
 

380

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20 May 2019
Messages
33
The driver trainers should never have been allowed to sit in the house twiddling their thumbs for this long. They‘re allowed to take over trains with the driver sitting in the coach to allow them to do their hours and maintain their competence. They should have been doing their 4 hours per month at an absolute minimum to enable some sort of smooth transition when you guys go back.

Is it not up to the driver of the train though whether they hand over the train cause then they'd need to wipe cab down again ? .
 

John Bishop

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15 Nov 2018
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585
Location
Perth
School have said that trainee's may get put back a couple of weeks when we return i.e, restart the module we finished on, but nothing has been confirmed. Certainly nothing about driving hours being reset.
DTM's are non the wiser about any potential return date - latest is that it won't be anytime soon.

ASLEF issued a national policy and guidance for DIs/ trainees at the end of June which was agreed nationally by all the various railway bodies as an acceptable and safe way forward. This allowed TOCs and FOCs to resume in cab training throughout the country, albeit on a voluntary basis with the required mitigation’s in place.

2 and half months later, why is there no progress within Scotrail? Numerous other TOCs/ FOCs have resumed training with no apparent issues. I know there are numerous DIs and trainees who are very keen to get back to it yet aren’t allowed. Very odd.
 

320320

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5 Jun 2015
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289
Is it not up to the driver of the train though whether they hand over the train cause then they'd need to wipe cab down again ? .

That’s the way the DTMs are retaining their competency in the area I work so I don’t think there would have been an issue. When have you ever known a driver decline an offer of someone else driving the train while they sit in the coach :lol:
 

380

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20 May 2019
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33
That’s the way the DTMs are retaining their competency in the area I work so I don’t think there would have been an issue. When have you ever known a driver decline an offer of someone else driving the train while they sit in the coach :lol:

I know a few that still shut their desks down and don’t exchange keys. I’m sure there’s trainees out there and I’m sure I heard one or two didn’t get a train handed over
 

320320

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5 Jun 2015
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289
I know a few that still shut their desks down and don’t exchange keys. I’m sure there’s trainees out there and I’m sure I heard one or two didn’t get a train handed over

I haven’t seen any trainees out but there was definitely one at Bathgate out with a DI recently.
The problem in the north Clyde is that you can’t maintain any sort of distancing, not even a metre because the trainee can’t close the doors on the non driving side without brushing past the DI.
Unless, of course, training was restricted to using 334s.
 

theironroad

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21 Nov 2014
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That’s the way the DTMs are retaining their competency in the area I work so I don’t think there would have been an issue. When have you ever known a driver decline an offer of someone else driving the train while they sit in the coach :lol:

If you can't get a seat in the train because it's so busy or it would be impossible to social distance or a high prevalence of non mask wearers are all reasons that a number of drivers would rather stay in the seat right now.

I know a few that still shut their desks down and don’t exchange keys. I’m sure there’s trainees out there and I’m sure I heard one or two didn’t get a train handed over

Shutting cab down is standard practice on swr since March with no exchange of key and I'd say 95%+ adhere to it.
 

320320

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5 Jun 2015
Messages
289
That's a complete non-issue with the doors on the right. The DI would just shut them for the RH platforms.

Trainees have to learn all aspects of driving a train, including closing the doors on the right.

You would end up with people never having to deal with right side departures until they’re out driving by themselves.

I doubt anybody at ops would sign off on that.
 

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