GWR Salary vs Other TOCs?

[D3WY]

GWR have very good conditions. Not sure of GTR's but on GWR you can demand staying on your booked turn (so resources can't mess you around on the day), you can't do over 5 hours work (which includes walking times and taxi times) without a break, so many jobs have 2 breaks in them, limited turn lengths for early starts and night shifts. Plus depending on your depot you'll get a good mix of Intercity, regional and local work from day 1. The roster easily enables permanent swaps, so over 50% of drivers (and about 2/3rds of drivers at Padd) tend to do either just early jobs or late jobs. Plus the way the timetable works, there's decent breaks at terminal stations, very few 3 minute turn around diagrams (except on branch lines).

southern are the same you get good breaks, shifts starting before 5am are much shorter turns

Dependant on the GWR depot, GWR have much better work load. GTR are more intense work and for 5k more personally not worth it. Distance counts a lot too. As far as I was lead to believe sundays are in the week at GTR, that is what I was told.

Good luck.

No, Sundays are non working days so any Sundays rostered are paid extra.

 

[DogTrain]

Hey Guys

Thanks for everyone’s advice. It really helped me make my decision. I’ve gone with GWR. Start date is March. Can’t wait.

Any GWR drivers here? May I ask, as Sundays ain’t part of our roster. How much extra do we get a year working our minimum Sundays? I recall from my DMI, it’s around 4k extra a year…

I am a GWR Driver based in Exeter.

Our Sunday rate is 9hrs 30m minimum pay at 1.25 (works out at roughly £500) per Sunday. This is only temporary, until 1st May, as a stop gap.

The company upped our rest day rates to this, the wondered why we where all throwing Sundays in (lol.) They then matched it, in an effort to get more of us to work Sundays.

Word of advice: You may not think it, but driving trains is VERY fatiguing. Especially when knew to the role (even if you have previous shift work experience.)

You will not want to work overtime shifts / Sundays for the first few months of PQA 1, as it's more than enough mentally to simply work your booked turns.

Reading, unlike Exeter, is a full 24/7 depot. You will be driving stopping services into London at silly times in the morning, this is when you're more likely to encounter restrictive signalling (due to engineering etc.) Which is even more fatiguing.

Take it easy to start with! - the money is not everything. If you're in the role purely for the money, then make sure your processes are on point. I've come across many driver's who have had incidents as they are more interested in money than accuracy and safety.

This is not to terrify you, just to give you some helpful guidance

 

[fantasy_expres]

Hi just double check what you have quoted on GTR pay. I am currently in training with them. The training is just shy of 37k but you do get travel allowance on top if not being trained at home depot. Your wage does not go up until you qualify which will be in and around 74k. Of which Sundays are not included and depending on depot I would assume you would have to do 12 committed Sundays a year.

Speaking from my own experience, I'd go with which ever course starts first so that your on and going. Heard many stories of people being offered and then courses being delayed. Hope that helps and good luck! Best decision I've ever made

Hello mate, can I ask you how does it work with the pay increase, i.e. how long will it take to qualify and get the pay increase? Also what does it mean Sundays are not included? Apologies in advance, quite newbie taking interest in becoming a train driver

 

[Stigy]

No sundays are outside but they do have committed sundays at Southern and committed at TL at 8/12 a year depending on when you started with the company.
I would argue that gwr is probably the better place to work, less doo probably, lower workload.

Worth noting too that Sundays are (currently) 9.5hr min payment at time and a half at GWR. If Sundays were to be brought inside the working week (highly likely) then salary will increase slightly to reflect this. If Sundays weren’t brought inside the working week, then it’s likely the agreement for the 9.5/time and a half would have to remain.

 

[Amex88]

They will never accept a 'Slight' pay rise.. Sundays alone are worth around the 10k mark. Drivers would never take a small increase for that. If the union allow it then that would be considered disgusting.

 

[Stigy]

They will never accept a 'Slight' pay rise.. Sundays alone are worth around the 10k mark. Drivers would never take a small increase for that. If the union allow it then that would be considered disgusting.

Sundays at GWR aren’t worth £10k. I mean, they’re worth more to some than others, but we have around 13 or 14 a year “contracted”.

 

[tiptoptaff]

Sundays at GWR aren’t worth £10k. I mean, they’re worth more to some than others, but we have around 13 or 14 a year “contracted”.

6k and a few days AL to account for getting them off

 

[Stigy]

6k and a few days AL to account for getting them off

I reckon about that. That would take it to roughly the same”going rate” for TOCs with them inside.

 

[tiptoptaff]

Although technically you're contracted to 17 a year, as the big green book says "up to 1in3" Sundays

That's never been enforced and I can't see it ever being as many as that before being taken inside.

As you and I noth know, though, the pragmatists will get shouted down by the greedy and deluded!

I reckon about that. That would take it to roughly the same”going rate” for TOCs with them inside.

 

[Horizon22]

Hi all,

Can we please keep this on topic please. If people wish to discuss the more speculative nature of how much it would cost to “buy” Sundays at certain companies, please start a new topic.