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West Midlands Trains (inc. LNWR) - Trainee Driver - Recruitment Discussion

t_564

Member
Joined
24 Feb 2026
Messages
14
Location
BHM
So to clarify , if you haven't recieved a email in regards to no more recruitment this year, and you are awaiting a DMI, would it be possible to have a DMI within the next few weeks for a start date this year then?

Any support would be appreciated
 
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DaveChooChoo

Member
Joined
5 Nov 2024
Messages
19
Location
Crewe
So to clarify , if you haven't recieved a email in regards to no more recruitment this year, and you are awaiting a DMI, would it be possible to have a DMI within the next few weeks for a start date this year then?

Any support would be appreciated
Maybe? I got the email today, Crewe depot and was just waiting for DMI. What was your depot?
 

sjberry3

Member
Joined
17 Sep 2023
Messages
35
Location
Telford
No more recruitment But they’ve just put up a job for snow hill honestly, someone make sense of it ‍♀️
 

SA9t7

Member
Joined
15 Dec 2022
Messages
7
Location
….
Hi guys, which email are you guys sending queries to about being considered potentially for other depots. I’m in same situation as everyone else awaiting DMI
 

BHMGuard

Member
Joined
3 Nov 2025
Messages
36
Location
Birmingham
Hi guys, which email are you guys sending queries to about being considered potentially for other depots. I’m in same situation as everyone else awaiting DMI
Wouldn’t bother. I got a very blunt email saying it’s not possible, even though they asked in the application if you’d want to be considered for other depots.
 

sjberry3

Member
Joined
17 Sep 2023
Messages
35
Location
Telford
And I know of people at this company who have applied for one depot passed all the tests and then got told they were at another depot nowhere near. So it’s interesting that they’ve been sending me emails saying you aren’t given options. They were very firm saying ‘you applied for Shrewsbury, so you are only eligible for Shrewsbury’
 

jlc16

Member
Joined
25 Mar 2026
Messages
9
Location
SDB
Seems like such a shame after having started preparing for the DMI. You would have thought they would have at least given everyone who has passed their assessments during this intake of recruitment, a chance at the DMI. Then those who score the highest in their DMI are placed on the next available courses. And those that do score enough to at least not fail the DMI, but don't score as high as others in the running are then placed into the talent pool ready for when it opens up again. This is generally how it works at other TOC's as far as I'm aware?
 

BHMGuard

Member
Joined
3 Nov 2025
Messages
36
Location
Birmingham
Seems like such a shame after having started preparing for the DMI. You would have thought they would have at least given everyone who has passed their assessments during this intake of recruitment, a chance at the DMI. Then those who score the highest in their DMI are placed on the next available courses. And those that do score enough to at least not fail the DMI, but don't score as high as others in the running are then placed into the talent pool ready for when it opens up again. This is generally how it works at other TOC's as far as I'm aware?
I think it would have made sense to do DMI’s, then place in a hold pool ready for the courses in 2027. My current TOC do this. But they pick based off OPC score. But what do I know
 

DaveChooChoo

Member
Joined
5 Nov 2024
Messages
19
Location
Crewe
Are people who got the email yesterday applying for the Snow Hill intake if they live close enough? Or are we still considered having an active application?
 

sjberry3

Member
Joined
17 Sep 2023
Messages
35
Location
Telford
Are people who got the email yesterday applying for the Snow Hill intake if they live close enough? Or are we still considered having an active application?
You still have a live application so you can’t have both going at the same time. It’s like gambling. They are trying to make it fun for us haha
 

Bastoo32

Member
Joined
15 Nov 2025
Messages
14
Location
Gloucester
Hi everyone - New to this thread - but not Rail uk forums...

Ive been fortunate enough to receive an invitation to a DMI in a couple of weeks. Is there Any advice or additional guidance for the DMI if anyone completed one recently? I am very nervous! Ive completed the previous tests with another TOC back in 2025 so the process has been very quick so far.
 

Penguin80

Member
Joined
13 May 2025
Messages
65
Location
Coventry
Hi everyone - New to this thread - but not Rail uk forums...

Ive been fortunate enough to receive an invitation to a DMI in a couple of weeks. Is there Any advice or additional guidance for the DMI if anyone completed one recently? I am very nervous! Ive completed the previous tests with another TOC back in 2025 so the process has been very quick so far.
Heya. You should receive an email on the topics they will ask you. Just make sure you research the company well, covering who our management team is, what class trains they have, how many stations they manage, what routes WMR cover compared to LNWR etc. Then when it comes to your competency questions I'd personally recommend that you have examples that have a strong focus on safety and times you have followed strict rules and regulations etc
 

IndegoMouse

Member
Joined
29 Jan 2026
Messages
118
Location
Warwickshire
Hi everyone - New to this thread - but not Rail uk forums...

Ive been fortunate enough to receive an invitation to a DMI in a couple of weeks. Is there Any advice or additional guidance for the DMI if anyone completed one recently? I am very nervous! Ive completed the previous tests with another TOC back in 2025 so the process has been very quick so far.
Congrats on getting to DMI. Which depot are you in for?
 

Bastoo32

Member
Joined
15 Nov 2025
Messages
14
Location
Gloucester
Heya. You should receive an email on the topics they will ask you. Just make sure you research the company well, covering who our management team is, what class trains they have, how many stations they manage, what routes WMR cover compared to LNWR etc. Then when it comes to your competency questions I'd personally recommend that you have examples that have a strong focus on safety and times you have followed strict rules and regulations etc
Thank you - The email they send is great but appreciate those extra points you've mentioned - ive done lots of research & your reply suggests im on right track (pardon the pun! ). Thanks once again :)

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==

Congrats on getting to DMI. Which depot are you in for?
Thank you - Feel very lucky - Ive applied for Worcester 2027
 

monkeynut

Member
Joined
18 Apr 2026
Messages
17
Location
WORCESTER
Thank you - The email they send is great but appreciate those extra points you've mentioned - ive done lots of research & your reply suggests im on right track (pardon the pun! ). Thanks once again :)

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==


Thank you - Feel very lucky - Ive applied for Worcester 2027
This is pretty much what I had at my interview. And agree best to have lots of examples regarding following rules, procedures and safety. Also the research on the company is key as this was the first few questions for me

Also I interviewed at Worcester and the team seemed really nice so good luck
 
Last edited:

Trains101

Member
Joined
27 Nov 2025
Messages
86
Location
Wolverhampton
Hi all in regard to stage 1 OPC test. What do I need to expect.

What is the dress code there?
How many tests are there to do?
What tests will come up?

Would appreciate any feedback in regard to this many thanks.
 

IndegoMouse

Member
Joined
29 Jan 2026
Messages
118
Location
Warwickshire
Hi all in regard to stage 1 OPC test. What do I need to expect.

What is the dress code there?
How many tests are there to do?
What tests will come up?

Would appreciate any feedback in regard to this many thanks.
You will get all information emailed to you. Practise lots and dress smart make sure you are in the correct mind set
 

j4y

New Member
Joined
2 Jul 2026
Messages
3
Location
West midlands
You'll most likely be sitting:
  • Group Bourdon (GBD)
  • Test of Everyday Attention (TEA-Occ)
  • Trainability for Rules & Procedures – Parts 1 & 2
Your invitation email will confirm exactly which assessments you'll be taking, so make sure you read it carefully.
Also, don't forget to bring the correct ID, including anything they've requested such as your National Insurance number. I've recently completed both Stage 1 and Stage 2, and on both occasions people were turned away before the assessments even started because they didn't have the correct identification.
I wore smart casual, but people turned up in all sorts of outfits, so there's no strict dress code.
Read through all the information sent by OPC several times so you fully understand it. It explains exactly what to expect during the assessments. The practice examples are there to give you an idea of the format they're not identical to the real tests.
The practice exercise that's closest to the actual assessment is the Group Bourdon. In the real test, there aren't any lines separating the dot groups. Instead, it's one continuous sheet with the groups separated only by blank spaces.
One thing that caught me off guard was the lift beeps exercise. The beeps came much faster than I expected! I ended up keeping my fingers under the table to count them.
 

Trains101

Member
Joined
27 Nov 2025
Messages
86
Location
Wolverhampton
You will get all information emailed to you. Practise lots and dress smart make sure you are in the correct mind set
Cheers

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==

You'll most likely be sitting:
  • Group Bourdon (GBD)
  • Test of Everyday Attention (TEA-Occ)
  • Trainability for Rules & Procedures – Parts 1 & 2
Your invitation email will confirm exactly which assessments you'll be taking, so make sure you read it carefully.
Also, don't forget to bring the correct ID, including anything they've requested such as your National Insurance number. I've recently completed both Stage 1 and Stage 2, and on both occasions people were turned away before the assessments even started because they didn't have the correct identification.
I wore smart casual, but people turned up in all sorts of outfits, so there's no strict dress code.
Read through all the information sent by OPC several times so you fully understand it. It explains exactly what to expect during the assessments. The practice examples are there to give you an idea of the format they're not identical to the real tests.
The practice exercise that's closest to the actual assessment is the Group Bourdon. In the real test, there aren't any lines separating the dot groups. Instead, it's one continuous sheet with the groups separated only by blank spaces.
One thing that caught me off guard was the lift beeps exercise. The beeps came much faster than I expected! I ended up keeping my fingers under the table to count them.
Thanks mate
 

Nella

Member
Joined
11 Jun 2026
Messages
18
Location
Nuneaton
Hello, Did anyone from Coventry depot received also that email about 2026 recruitment is closed for this year? Or are there still ongoing psychometrics and DMIs?
 

Welshp88

New Member
Joined
31 Jul 2020
Messages
4
Location
Telford
Hi all. I applied for Wolverhampton in November 2025, completed all assessments with OPC, most recent being stage 2 in Watford last week. On Monday I have been told I am on the list for a DMI but that it may be a while yet. I have not been told it is a talent pool like others have suggested. Does anyone know if recruitment for wolves is still taking place or is that on hold too? The way it was worded for me is that they will be booking me in for a DMI, or am I reading too much into that.

Also any others for wolves on here who applied similar time?

Any advice would be fab!
 

ojw

New Member
Joined
7 Aug 2026
Messages
3
Location
Huntingdon
I sat Stage 2 this week (Monday at Watford) for WM trains. I passed the three computer tests and was asked to stay for the SJT and MMI which took place after lunch. I have just heard today I will not be progressing to the next stage. I'm disappointed of course but I appreciate how quickly they informed me and i've asked if they would be kind enough to share some feedback.
As someone who has never worked in the rail industry before or gone through these tests I really enjoyed the whole process. Whether or not I will try again in 12mths I don't know yet.
For those preparing for stage 2 - here is my feedback from the day - I was pleased I dressed smart and wore a blazer, shirt, tie and smart trousers, almost everyone else had a tie on and looked smart (except one person who failed the computer tests and was sent home).
Despite doing a lot of preparation ahead of the day I found the tests to be more challenging than I expected. I bought a second hand Boppit toy from ebay to help improve my concentration and reaction times which I think helped.
The first test was watching a flashing grey square on a white background for 30 mins and when it occasionally flashed black you had to press a green button - your mind does try to wonder so you have to really keep focused, I found this harder than I was expecting and I know I pressed the button at least once when the square wasn't black - rather than panic I refocused and tried to carry on the best I could.
The second test was the short 1 or 2 second exposure to photographs of street scenes where you had to say afterwards if you saw any pedestrians, vehicles, bicycles/motorbikes/mopeds, traffic lights or road signs - I found this a little easier on the day than I was expecting because you know what to look for when the photos flash up. The item which seem to catch a lot of people out was one of the photos had a pedestrian crossing with green and red light indicating when it was safe for pedestrians to cross - was this a road sign or a traffic light? I went for road sign but I know others went for traffic lights. I asked the OPC afterwards what the correct answer was but they wouldn't say. The third test was joystick controls to move a red ball around a narrow circuit. The shape of the circuit was identical to the one in the practice material. I found this very difficult, the joysticks were super sensitive and the ball was going outside the lines a lot. Looking back on it I think the test was purposely designed this way so they could see how you behave when it goes outside the lines - did you panic and get flustered or calmly reset and carry on, I would like to think I did the latter. After the tests they call you in to a room one at a time to tell you if you passed or failed. I was surprised to be told I had passed the tests as I really thought I had failed. I asked if it was a clear pass or border line - they wouldn't tell me. Given I had passed I was asked to stay and sit the SJT and do the MMI. The MMI lasted 1 hour and consisted of 6 situational questions. During my MMI the assessor determined one of my answers wasn't appropriate (it was an emergency situation which he deemed didn't last long enough for us to talk about) so he gave me a hyperthetical scenario to discuss - which I greatly appreciated as I was struggling to think of another on the spot. I suspect I have failed at the MMI stage for not demonstrating the necessary skills they are looking for. It will be interesting to see how detailed the feedback will be.
For anyone else about to take these tests, prepare the best you can and try to be as calm and relaxed as you can.
I wish you all the best of luck.
Good feedback
Are the other qustions you were asked similar to what people have been posting?
 

ZLA1711

New Member
Joined
9 Jul 2026
Messages
1
Location
Midlands
Hello,

Anybody based out of Worcester that would be happy for me to DM them to ask a couple of questions please?
 

akaMcMonagle

Member
Joined
15 Oct 2023
Messages
71
Location
Shropshire
Hello, Did anyone from Coventry depot received also that email about 2026 recruitment is closed for this year? Or are there still ongoing psychometrics and DMIs?
I am sitting my MMI again next week as I failed last time for another toc. I applied for Coventry
 

Arden

Member
Joined
12 Jun 2026
Messages
8
Location
Warwick
Good feedback
Are the other qustions you were asked similar to what people have been posting?
Hi OJW, The questions in the MMI were along the lines of;
Tell me about a time you had to solve a problem by yourself.
Tell me about a time you had to persevere at something to reach a successful outcome.
Tell me about a time you had to follow rules and procedures.
Tell me about something you've done which you think required the same skills as being a train driver.
Tell me about a time you had to deal with an emergency.

Thanks,
 

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