Dead end job everything will be going ATO.
GO MAINLINE
Depends what you mean by dead end! I agree that anyone who wants a
career as a train driver would do better to look at trainee driver positions with a TOC. I have been a driver at LU since 2008 and even in that short time things have changed a great deal with training for new candidates almost cut in half, withdrawal of several types of 'proper' train which really did have to be 'driven', and introduction of replacements which have simplified defect handling. ATO on more lines is an inevitability but in what form this will be is still the subject of speculation and there are questions of how to tackle the issue of interoperability on Network Rail sections, and LU sections over which TOCs run services. Although things don't look particularly rosy in the long-term, there is still a lot that needs to happen between now and then, and in the mean time there is certainly no sign of LU needing less drivers; quite the opposite in fact.
As I've said on here before, unless the new TOC assessments are vastly different (I have not sat them, only the old ones), then a period serving as a Train Operator at LU provides masses of relevant experience for obvious reasons. Although, should anyone use it as a stepping stone, they'd be well advised not to get too accustomed to the salary!
In terms of forging a career in railway operations, not necessarily limited to train driving, LU offers masses of opportunities ranging from operational management to positions in signalling/service control, and to those with relevant professional qualifications, a vast number of other areas from engineering to IT. Many of these openings are only open to internal candidates.
In a nutshell, if you want to drive trains for the rest of your life, only consider LU as a stepping stone (if at all) on the way to a mainline career. If you fancy giving driving a go and then moving on but sticking with railways, LU has a lot to offer.
