Caledonian sleeper steward job query

[Wharfe]

Hi folks. Having recently relocated to Moray, I have been interested to note that Caledonian Sleeper have been recruiting train staff (stewards) for the Inverness portion recently. I'm now giving some thought to applying next time they recruit. However I was first of all interested to find out how the rosters work, as this would give me a better idea of how a working week might look. How does a full time roster work on this service? For example do the crews change trains half way and return to base each shift or do they work the full service and lay over in London before heading north? And vice versa for London based staff? I could I suppose just ask one of them at Inverness but I'm rarely there at the right time and they are busy folks... I have no idea about this as I am from a non railway professional background (mental health nursing, insert your own punchline...) Your wisdom appreciated...

 

[Surreytraveller]

Having travelled on it, I've noticed the same stewards work it all the way through. So I would presume they'd lodge in London and work back.

 

[Wharfe]

Thanks for that. I had looked at timings and couldn't see an opportunity for returning on the opposite service so that stacks up.

 

[godfreycomplex]

In very broad terms it’s a 3 week roster

Su - INV-EUS
Mo - EUS-INV
Tu - RD
We - RD
Th - INV-EUS
Fr - EUS - INV

Su - INV-EUS
Mo - EUS-INV
Tu - INV-EUS
We - EUS-INV
Th - RD
Fr - RD

Su - RD
Mo - RD
Tu - INV-EUS
We - EUS-INV
Th - INV-EUS
Fr - EUS-INV

Pretty much all on train grades for CS follow this pattern (obviously change stations to suit depots). There are exceptions (for Fort William team leaders and Dalmuir/Edinburgh North TMs, who do day turns without hotel lodging but I think they have the same rest day pattern) and also weeks of spare turns but that’s the basic rest day pattern

 

[The Puddock]

Just to add to the above, at Christmas and New Year they do a crew change at Lockerbie to return the Scottish/English crews to the correct end.

The role isn't safety critical as such (although there is some fire/evacuation training and they are required to be present on board for the train to run in passenger service) so they are rostered beyond 12 hours as standard and they can be on duty for some very long shifts during disruption. If a train is cancelled en route, they will travel with the passengers on replacement buses etc... to the destination. The minimum rest period between duties is nine hours. There are also spare turns on a Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday evening as contingency cover.

 

[Wharfe]

The roster pattern is precisely what I was after, thank you @godfreycomplex .
@The Puddock - Re shift length and extension due to unusual circumstances, well, welcome to my world as a ward based mental health nurse. I do 12 hours overnight as standard, sometimes longer if stuff kicks off or there is a staffing issue. And I think that irate passengers are likely to be small beer compared to acutely psychotic patients.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 16 Oct 2023 ==

EDIT Just looking at the rosters again, am I missing something? If all shifts are 12hrs+ that's an awful lot of hours (44+) in each of those three weeks. How does that work? "Mandatory" overtime? Does the "spare turn" week spoken about average the hours out?

 

[tiptoptaff]

I can't speak for CS, but yes, spare turns generally average the roster out.

 

[westcoaster]

The roster pattern is precisely what I was after, thank you @godfreycomplex .
@The Puddock - Re shift length and extension due to unusual circumstances, well, welcome to my world as a ward based mental health nurse. I do 12 hours overnight as standard, sometimes longer if stuff kicks off or there is a staffing issue. And I think that irate passengers are likely to be small beer compared to acutely psychotic patients.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 16 Oct 2023 ==

EDIT Just looking at the rosters again, am I missing something? If all shifts are 12hrs+ that's an awful lot of hours (44+) in each of those three weeks. How does that work? "Mandatory" overtime? Does the "spare turn" week spoken about average the hours out?

I guess with the spare turn, as long you are not rostered to work you will head home after the train leaves Inverness.

Does the advert not mention the contracted hours per week?

 

[Surreytraveller]

Don't know if its the case for CS, but Sundays are still mandatory overtime for a lot of jobs on the railway. Maybe that's why it doesn't add up? Exclude Sundays from your calculations and see if that helps

 

[Wharfe]

Thanks again all for your useful input. It's a bit academic at the moment as there are no advertised vacancies but I am moved to go to Inverness and speak to a staff member. If I can find a recruitment/ HR person to email so much the better. But I do have a far better general picture of things now. Cheers!