Thread by @garius

Hokay. People asking about how train drivers are trained, when they rest, why they can't be hired quicker etc. so here's a VERY GENERAL primer on that (disclaimer: it varies greatly across the network) 1/

So think of train drivers as being across between school teachers and footballers: the ROLE requires a very specific general skillset which only a finite number of people can do well (the footballer bit) and each JOB also requires very specific knowledge (the teacher bit) /2

So training as a driver is essentially a two-stage process. The first part is about developing and testing out the general driving skills, while the second part is about getting the skills on the RIGHT lines and the RIGHT trains you will be driving day in, day out. /3

That second bit can only really be done on the 'live' railway, in the company of another, more senior, driver themselves trained in how to teach people. It also can't be rushed. You can't crash train people in how to... well... not crash a train. /4

So: you gotta learn the basics, learn your specific route, and learn your specific train. Here is a picture of some GTR drivers learning how to drive the new Siemens Class 700.

(Not really, but if you remember Cool Runnings then it is a little bit like what they have to do) /5

Again, this is one of the reasons that both GTR and Northern have problems. Because the new national timetable sees some drastic changes to which stretches of track new AND EXISTING services use. It also coincides with new trains arriving. More here: londonreconnections.com/2018/the-cicad… /6

"Just train more drivers!" shout the audience. Well yes. That's the solution. But remember - you can't rush that second bit! And that's the bit that both operators haven't (or, where NR late work prevented it) COULDN'T do. /7

So - at least in GTR's case - they went into this happy fun timetable time with a helluvah lot of drivers who were trained on the basics, but not the specifics. /8

This is why you end up in the thoroughly silly situation where taking a Thameslink train all the way from one end of its route to the other can require up to FIVE DRIVERS right now (Peterboro - Horsham), because they each have the right knowledge for a little bit of the route. /9

As you can imagine, that level of driver commitment is unsustainable. It also eats, very quickly, into your pool of people who can actually INSTRUCT your new drivers, so becomes a self-perpetuating cycle of trainy stupidness. /10

"Can they get drivers from elsewhere?!" You ask? Well yeah - you beg, borrow or steal them from other TOCs - especially if those other TOCs used to run your bits of track so probably have route trained drivers, or use the same trains. /11

GTR have been doing this rather aggressively in the last couple of weeks, with some success. Watching a TOC tap up other TOCs drivers on Twitter is always a good laugh. These people should start to hit the network soon, helping ease the pressure a bit /12

The OTHER problem though, as mentioned in our article and my thread on Northern is that train drivers are - rightly - like lorry drivers. It's a job that requires a lot of concentration, so there are VERY strict rules about shift length, breaks and rest days. /13

Remember the absolute CHAOS at Kings Cross a few christmases back? This was caused by NR/the contractor UTTERLY forgetting this during upgrades. They burned through their pool of drivers who could move spoil trains too quickly. We wrote about that too: londonreconnections.com/2015/know-run-… /14

Rest day rules vary between operators, but they're all of the" X days on Y days off" variety. Getting these to line up with your services is a dark art in itself, so generally speaking TOCs end up having a couple of variant patterns drivers can choose to take. /15

This in itself, however, can - and did - cause problems in a timetable change on this scale. Remember how everything went to UTTER SHIT around Thursday in week 1? Well that was one 'shift' ending and the next starting. /16

Non-16-tweet train driver summary: You need drivers who know how to:

- Drive trains
- Drive THAT SPECIFIC ROUTE
- drive THAT TYPE OF TRAIN

For GTR and Northern they are in short supply. Both missed how much of a problem that was going to be until it was too late. Silly sods /17

Again, our general coverage on Thameslink is here: londonreconnections.com/2018/the-cicad…

We talk about the political issues here: londonreconnections.com/2018/the-polit…

And (because we're a little stir crazy now) Thameslink: The Musical is here: londonreconnections.com/2018/thameslin…

We're on twitter here: @lonrec
/18

There are also a bunch of very lovely train drivers, from across different TOCs, who follow both @lonrec and myself so I'll happily RT any more specific questions about driving/drivers. If you're really lucky, they'll be nice and answer them. /end