Following the arrival of the Class 150 trains at London Northwestern Railway’s Bletchley depot at the end of last month, the Train Operator’s (TO) team of technicians who will maintain the fleet have been busy familiarising themselves with the trains.
Once the technician training is concluded they will begin training their drivers how to operate the fleet; unlike having a driver’s licence for a car, train drivers require specific training on every different type of train.
The company estimate it will take up to three weeks to train each driver on the fleet and they require 24 drivers to be trained in order to have enough on roster to resume a partial service. The length of time it will take to train a driver will vary depending on the individual and whether they have ever driven a Class 150 before; more than three-quarters of the drivers to be trained have not previously driven this type of train.
For operational reasons, driver training is not able to take place during industrial action (including action short of strike). They may be unable to train on occasions when Network Rail is carrying out maintenance work on the line or focusing resources on other parts of the network. This is because running trains on tracks which have not carried passenger trains for some time requires additional support and monitoring.
Once driver training is under way the operator be in a stronger position to confirm a target date for the resumption of a partial service, taking into account the potential impact of any further industrial action. The TO regrets that they will not be in a position to resume the service before the new school term begins in September and they will continue to run rail replacement for affected students until services can restart later in the autumn.
Later this month the TO will be meeting with local stakeholders in person to discuss the return of the train service to the Marston Vale Line, including the initial timetable which will cover morning and evening peak services.
