Day in the life of a LOROL train driver
London Overground Rail Operations Ltd (LOROL) operates London Overground on behalf of Transport for London. As part of the multimillion pound investment to expand the East London Line, LOROL is recruiting trainee train drivers to drive its new trains and work at the New Cross Gate depot in 2010. Here is an interview with a LOROL employee who has already made the journey. We meet Laura Flint who has been a driver on the network for nearly 10 years
"I’d always enjoyed driving and had done driving jobs in the past," said Laura. "I hadn’t considered train driving so when I saw a job advertised for a train driver I thought I’d find out more about the opportunity."
It was an opportunity that suited Laura, and after completing a training course and assessments, she became a fully qualified train driver and hasn’t looked back. Based at Euston, Laura travels the full range of routes across the network, working a varied pattern of shifts.
"I like the variety that the shifts offer. Although I do work some early mornings, finish late and work at weekends, it means that I get time off during the daytime in the week. It’s great to have that time to yourself and to get jobs done. I also get lots of long weekends," said Laura.
A typical shift for Laura varies from around six and a half to 10 hours, with ample breaks. For the majority of the shift she’ll be driving the train - ensuring that overground passengers get to their destinations. As part of her role she also checks the train she’ll be driving to make sure everything is safe and ready for the shift.
"I don’t get a lot of passenger contact, but it’s not as cut off as people think. Occasionally people will come to the window in stations to ask for information. It’s good now there are conductors on some trains to help passengers out and also that all the stations are staffed. "This helps passengers but it also makes me feel safer to know there are colleagues about," said Laura.
Laura has never had any problems being a female driver. "It’s not necessarily a job people think of for women, but there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be for everyone. An additional benefit for the ladies is having a uniform as I don’t have to spend hours choosing an outfit in the morning! It’s even better now we have smart new uniforms, which are also really comfortable."
Laura wouldn’t go back to a typical 9-5 job now and would encourage any women who enjoy driving to consider a train driver role. "I work with a great bunch of people," she concludes, "and it’s always fun and lively."
