Acceptable distance from depots

[Steads]

Hi everyone,

This is my first posting on this forum although I have been reading it for the last year or so. A little bit of background from me. I have been looking into train driving for quite some time now and now and feel ready to turn this dream into reality. I have done shift work for 17 years, have a mechanical background with City & Guilds Qualifications, am a driving assessor in the safety critical job I do and have also worked as Cabin Crew for British Airways. I applied for the Trainee Train Driver job with Greater Anglia earlier this year but didn't hear back. I think it was that I lived to far from Cambridge, which at last I hear you say brings me to my question!!! Can anyone clarify the acceptable distance allowed from depots. I live 19 miles from Boston (East Midlands Trains) which I'm sure is ok but 33 miles from Peterborough (52 mins on AA Routefinder). I have read 50 mins and also 1 hour is the limit for FCC. Any clues as to which one is right???

 

[Urban Gateline]

1hr!

Wow that's fortunate, for SWT it's 30mins from depot!

 

[BestWestern]

Unfortunately, the distance from depot issue is just another way of TOC's reducing the number of applicants when they recruit. Providing that the candidate would be willing to relocate if successful, their address at the time of submitting an application form is very obviously irrelevant. But, such is the volume of applicants for these jobs that operators will use whatever mechanisms they can to whittle down the list. Shame really. Something which is always worth considering is using the address of a friend or relative if you have one who lives within the prescribed 'catchment area' for a particular job.

 

[GB]

The answer to the question will vary from company to company but around about the 1hr mark seems to be the rough maximum. Remember that you may have to work 12 hours so an hours drive there and an hours drive back is about the most you'll want to do anyway.

 

[W230]

I think it was that I lived to far from Cambridge, which at last I hear you say brings me to my question!!!

Got any family that live nearer a depot that you would be applying to? Maybe you could put their address down as long as you weren't too far away. If it was enough to get you over the hurdle of getting your application taken seriously at least, then time to move house! The commute time is an issue though as already pointed out.

There's a driver I work with who commutes 1½ hours to work each way - though he's been in the job since BR days so maybe they don't mind so much once you've been there a while.

 

[Beveridges]

I dont understand why anyone would want a Drivers job if they'd have to commute such a long way every day. If you've had to get up at a rediculous time (early hours of the morning) to drive to work, and have been driving trains for a shift of up to 10 hours in a day, I'm sure the last thing you'd feel like doing is driving a car home for another 1 hour! Or 2 hours plus if its in traffic! Like a 05:30-15:30 shift you would be finishing in peak hour traffic for example!

 

[GB]

The money and time off is good motivation for a lot of people though. 0530-1530 sounds like a very nice shift anyway!

Obviously the amount of traffic and how long your stuck for is going to depend on where you live and what sort of roads you use.

 

[Beveridges]

0530-1530 sounds like a very nice shift anyway

Maybe if you live near the depot. But can you imagine getting up at 04:00-04:15, driving an hour to work, driving trains on a 10 hour shift. Then after an already fatiguing shift with not much sleep, you've got to drive home for 2 hours in rush hour traffic. I'd feel suicidal by the end of that commute. Or at least feel like a relocation is needed. I used to hate commuting into Manchester before I moved to Blackpool but that wasnt doing a driving job. If youve been driving trains all day I bet driving a car for a couple of hours in traffic is the last thing you feel like doing at the end of the shift.

 

[GB]

1530 is generally not rush hour traffic though, you may hit the school run if your route takes you near schools though.

Train driving, as well as shift work, is always going to lead to fatigue to some degree...theres not much getting around it.

Id rather do 0530-1530 then I would 0330-1330 for the whole week (which is what I did last week) obviously not train driving.

 

[Beveridges]

Train driving, as well as shift work, is always going to lead to fatigue to some degree...theres not much getting around it

Living close to where you work seriously helps with shift work and fatigue. It is still a struggle but theres not many things on earth as tiring as doing a long commute with shifts. Driving a car for a couple of hours in traffic would be the last thing you'd feel like doing after driving trains for hours.
Fatigue causes irritability as does commuting in heavy traffic... live 1 hour from depot and you can add them both together.
15:30 was heavy enough traffic for me when I used to commute from Manchester at that time.

Id rather do 0530-1530 then I would 0330-1330 for the whole week (which is what I did last week) obviously not train driving

Both are extremely bad, they make my shifts (on regular nights) look easy in comparison