East Midlands Railway and Great Central Railway have partnered up to improve the learning of Driver Apprentices.

The Great Central Railway’s line between Loughborough and Leicester North has previously been used by East Midlands Railway to provide a real-life scenario for guards and on-board staff.

These simulations allowed staff to learn how to manage security alerts, help ill customers, deal with lively customers, and practice uncontrolled evacuation procedures.

These practice sessions allowed for a post-scenario discussion without disrupting services on the mainline.

The strengthened partnership and two Class 153s mean that trainees have the opportunity to drive on the line under supervision.

This allows trainees to gain real-world experience, such as managing uphill gradients and speed checking on downhills.

While trainees use a driver simulator to gain most of their insight, the ability to use a train on a line provides them with experience that the simulator doesn’t.

Safety during training is a top priority for both the Great Central Railway and the East Midlands Railway, and they have read the rule books closely.

Trainers have learned the route and completed an exam, which, after supervision, was signed off by Chief Assessor Chris Williams.

Training so far has been very positive, and further improvements to the training are being explored.

“Our partnership with the Great Central Railway has been an outstanding success and a real asset to our training programme.

“The opportunity to provide our driver apprentices with realistic, hands-on experience in a safe, controlled environment is invaluable. From the professionalism of the GCR team to the authenticity of the training scenarios, the collaboration has exceeded our expectations. I’d like to thank everyone at GCR for their continued support and commitment – it’s making a real difference in helping us prepare the next generation of railway professionals.”

Dave Stannard, Learning and Development Delivery Manager at East Midlands Railway