Northern has announced that nearly 54,000 people have applied to work for the operator in the last 12 months, a record for Arriva Rail North.
With 593 vacancies advertised, that gives an average of almost 100 applicants for every job.
More than 6,000 people now work for Northern, an increase of 800 permanent roles since Arriva became the operator of Northern in 2016.
One of the biggest increases has been the amount of train drivers who work at Northern, with a 32 per cent rise to nearly 2,000 train drivers.
What did the officials say?
Richard Allan, Deputy Managing Director at Northern, said:
“Northern is a major contributor to the economy of the north as an employer and customer for many local businesses.
“As well as carrying a record number of customers in 2019 – getting people across the region where they need to be – Northern has created 800 new jobs during Arriva's ownership.
“We are proud to be a major employer in many major towns and cities and to have given so many people the chance to join us and build a career in the rail industry.”
“Our refurbished trains alone represent a £100m investment, with much of the work being carried out by companies based in the north of England. This, alongside brand-new trains and improvements at stations, means that businesses in the region, the UK economy and, most importantly, our customers have all benefited from Arriva Rail North's commitment to delivering a better railway.”
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Pleased to see a good numbers of drivers are being recruited and trained, a heavy commitment for any company: The problem of wastage is a real one, as some leave the footplate after a while finding aspects of the job too demanding, others depart for pastures new with other operators. Shortage of train crew is one of the most common of reasons for cancellation. Most operators have perpetual vacancies in their rosters.
Well as the new Northern franchise is to start from tomorrow. I think they would create more new job opportunities. As Arriva Northern Trains is to end today.
Goodbye Arriva Northern Trains. 2016-2020.