GREATER Anglia is recruiting for new trainee train drivers across its Essex network, with applications open from today with salaries that could progress as high as £60,000 a year.

Positions are available for depot drivers – responsible for driving empty trains around depots and sidings into station platforms at low speed – mainline drivers who will be operating trains in passenger service on a number of routes.

Depot drivers are being recruited for Clacton, Colchester, Ilford, Norwich, and Southend Victoria.

Mainline driver positions are open at London Liverpool Street for both West Anglia services which run via Broxbourne, Harlow Town and Bishop’s Stortford, and Great Eastern Mainline services running via Shenfield and Colchester, Bishop’s Stortford, Cambridge, Clacton, Colchester, Ilford, Ipswich, Norwich, and Southend Victoria.

Salaries for these driver roles begin at £28,000 per year, with others starting at £34,000 and £36,000, then progressing to salaries in the £50-£58k range for most routes, with one position for the Southend Victoria route reaching £60,000 per year.

Greater Anglia said: “The jobs are all safety-critical roles and require a person who can work well independently, effectively communicate with both colleagues and customers, be well organised, and have high levels of concentration. They are suitable for anyone with the right attributes.

“All positions involve shift work, which includes weekends, bank holidays and nights, on a rotating pattern. Successful candidates will be given in-depth training by Greater Anglia on everything required to be competent in the role, including classroom and simulator-based learning, along with practical handling of how to drive, under the watchful eye of a driver instructor.”

Jay Thompson, Greater Anglia’s Train Service Delivery Director, said: “We run more than 1,200 services a day across our network, including suburban services, mainline intercity services, and rural branch line services, all with some of the most modern trains in the UK.

“Being a train driver is a great job to have with a real emphasis on safety while delivering excellent and punctual services for our customers. If you feel like this may be the job for you, then Greater Anglia would welcome your application.”

Louise Paton, Greater Anglia’s Lead Driver Manager at Bishop’s Stortford, said: “Being a driver is a very responsible and rewarding job where no two days are ever the same. There’s no better feeling than using our in-depth training to get our customers to their destinations safely, no matter the weather or time of day.”