Train driver trainees rolling out

MORE than 100 trainee train drivers are hitting the rails as part of a recruitment drive to improve regional rail services on the V/Line network.

Minister for Public Transport Melissa Horne last week welcomed the latest batch of 10 new V/Line driver trainees.

The latest additions bring the total number of V/ Line driver trainees to 108 – a record for the regional rail operator since its inception in 1983.

This will enable V/Line to meet its future operational requirements and bring the total number of qualified drivers to about 415 by December this year.

V/Line is bolstering its driver numbers through hiring new trainees and increasing Practical Driver Trainers, along with investing in new training facilities.

The newest recruits will help deliver extra Ballarat line services following the completion of the halfa- billion dollar Ballarat Line Upgrade, which is duplicating tracks, adding platforms and providing new train stabling.

Ensuring drivers are able to safely operate on the V/ Line network takes considerable time and effort from the trainees and training department.

Trainees are required to undertake a combination of aptitude tests, interviews and psychometric assessments before starting.

They then move into the classroom and learn the basics of operating regional trains using two simulators located at V/Line’s driver training facility in Docklands.

Driver training is delivered to meet the requirements of a Certificate IV in Train Driving, while also ensuring route familiarity and specific skills needed to operate fast trains up to 160kmh.

About 19.5 million passenger journeys were recorded on the V/Line rail network in 2017/18, 1.5 million more than the previous 12 months.

Passenger journeys across the V/Line train and coach network have increased 6.3 million or 47.7 percent in the five years from June 2013 to June 2018.

“The regional rail network is growing fast and the Andrews Labor Government is investing billions in new trains, tracks, stations and signals to provide a modern and efficient network,” Ms Horne said.

“To run more trains, more often we need to recruit new train drivers on the V/Line network – and that’s exactly what we’ve done.

“These newest V/Line trainee drivers will help deliver the services that Victorians need to stay connected, access jobs and essential services.”