Shunter Driver

GTR; London; On-site; GBP 34,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Final salary pension

Free travel for you and family

75% off travel for family

Discounted Oyster Card

Family-friendly policies

StarHub employee benefits platform

Career development and progression

Job summary

Govia Thameslink Railway Ltd. is seeking a safety-focused and organised Shunter Driver to support depot and sidings operations. You will plan movements, drive traction units, and ensure trains are ready for maintenance and service, while coordinating with Fleet, Planners and depot teams.

The role requires experience in rail operations, strong safety practices, and current PTS competency. You will work in a safety-critical environment with emphasis on high safety and performance standards.

Qualifications

• Experience in a rail operational or depot environment.
• Knowledge of railway safety standards and operating procedures.
• Current PTS competency.
• Strong communication, planning and organisational skills.
• Able to work calmly and effectively in a safety-critical environment.
• Committed to high safety and performance standards.

Responsibilities

• Plan and manage train movements within the depot and sidings.
• Drive traction units safely and in accordance with railway rules.
• Ensure correct trains are available for maintenance, presentation and service.
• Coordinate with Fleet, Planners and Depot teams.
• Manage depot protection arrangements and safety-critical communications.
• Record and report train arrivals, departures, defects, delays and formations.
• Support operational teams during disruption and degraded operations.
• Carry out depot security checks and report defects.

Skills

Rail operations

Safety compliance

Communication

Planning & organisation

Job description

We're looking for asafety-focused and organised Shunter Driver to support the safe and efficient operation of depot and sidings activities.

Key Responsibilities

• Plan and manage train movements within the depot and sidings.
• Drive traction units safely and in accordance with railway rules and regulations.
• Ensure the correct trains are available for maintenance, presentation and service.
• Coordinate with Fleet (Siemens), Planners and Depot teams.
• Manage depot protection arrangements and safety-critical communications.
• Record and report train arrivals, departures, defects, delays and formations.
• Support operational teams during disruption and degraded operations.
• Carry out depot security checks and report infrastructure or facility defects.

About You

• Experienced in a rail operational or depot environment.
• Knowledge of railway safety standards and operating procedures.
• Current PTS competency.
• Strong communication, planning and organisational skills.
• Able to work calmly and effectively in a safety-critical environment.
• Committed to maintaining the highest safety and performance standards.

Join us and play a key role in delivering safe, reliable and efficient rail operations every day.

What We CanOffer You

At GTR, we are committed to supporting our colleagues both professionally and personally. In return for your skills and dedication, we offer a competitive benefits package including:

• Final salary pension
• Free travel on GTR and sister groups for you and your family
• 75% off travel on other train operating companies for you, and leisure for your family
• Discounted Oyster Card
• Family-friendly policies, including maternity, paternity, adoption, and shared parental leave
• Access to StarHub – our employee benefits platform offering discounts with a wide range of retailers and services
• Career development and progression opportunities across the UK's largest rail networks
• The opportunity to make a real difference to millions of customer journeys every year.

We will keep candidates informed throughout the process and aim to complete hiring decisions in a timely manner. Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we are unfortunately unable to provide individual feedback at the application stage.

Please note that we reserve the right to close this vacancy earlier than the advertised closing date if we receive a high volume of suitable applications.

“It was my brother’s suggestion to join the railway. He was already working in the industry and knew I had some university bills to pay off so told me to give it a go, get out of debt and see what I wanted to do next. After a while, it just felt like actually – this is exactly where I’m meant to be. I’m part of a great team and the on-board department as a whole are brilliant to work with. I feel at home here.”

Tonderai Matizha-Johnson
Area Operations Manager

“When I saw that GTR was advertising places for its apprenticeship scheme I looked into it straight away because I thought it was a great opportunity to learn whilst getting real life experience in a 9-5 job. I applied for a level three business administration apprenticeship and was thrilled to find out I had a place on the course! I was so excited that I didn’t even mind it was based 250 miles away from where I lived.”

“Working for GTR is very rewarding and fulfilling. You really feel like you're making a difference to customers, no matter what role you're in as at the end of the day they're the heart of our business. I’ve had lots of opportunities to explore other aspects of the business including supporting our station staff and gaining my Train Dispatch Licence which has been enriching for my experience here.”

“If you’ve always had an interest in rail, or maybe you’re just curious to find out what working in the railway might look like, GTR is the operator to go for. Not many companies do an official work experience program and this unique opportunity will give you a good grounding with varied activities to help you find the best place in the railway for you. It certainly did it for me.”

Nathaniel Owen
Station Manager

“I work as part of the Fleet Infrastructure team, which means ensuring our 18 Engineering locations operate safely and efficiently. We oversee all building and track maintenance works as well as various minor and major projects across the network.”

“I started in a small ticket office back in 1996 and have continued to work my way up ever since. A previous manager told me about a job he’d seen advertised for a trainer. ’d never considered a job in HR or mentoring before then, but he said I’d be perfect for it and I haven’t looked back since!”

Zoey Hudson
Head of Talent, Diversity and Inclusion

“Since April, I’ve helped to support our Kickstart Scheme. It’s been a really rewarding process to be part of because I know first‑hand how tough it can be to find work once you’re out of it.”

“I’m a Thameslink passenger host and team leader based at Luton station and I’m currently doing a Level 3 Supervisor apprenticeship so that I can improve my skills even further. I was hesitant to do the apprenticeship at first because of my age – I left school over 60 years ago without any qualifications! It’s been hard to get back into the routine of learning again.”

“It was my brother’s suggestion to join the railway. He was already working in the industry and knew I had some university bills to pay off so told me to give it a go, get out of debt and see what I wanted to do next. After a while, it just felt like actually – this is exactly where I’m meant to be. I’m part of a great team and the on-board department as a whole are brilliant to work with. I feel at home here.”

Tonderai Matizha-Johnson
Area Operations Manager

“When I saw that GTR was advertising places for its apprenticeship scheme I looked into it straight away because I thought it was a great opportunity to learn whilst getting real life experience in a 9-5 job. I applied for a level three business administration apprenticeship and was thrilled to find out I had a place on the course! I was so excited that I didn’t even mind it was based 250 miles away from where I lived.”

“Working for GTR is very rewarding and fulfilling. You really feel like you're making a difference to customers, no matter what role you're in as at the end of the day they're the heart of our business. I’ve had lots of opportunities to explore other aspects of the business including supporting our station staff and gaining my Train Dispatch Licence which has been enriching for my experience here.”

“If you’ve always had an interest in rail, or maybe you’re just curious to find out what working in the railway might look like, GTR is the operator to go for. Not many companies do an official work experience program and this unique opportunity will give you a good grounding with varied activities to help you find the best place in the railway for you. It certainly did it for me.”

Nathaniel Owen
Station Manager

“I work as part of the Fleet Infrastructure team, which means ensuring our 18 Engineering locations operate safely and efficiently. We oversee all building and track maintenance works as well as various minor and major projects across the network.”

“I started in a small ticket office back in 1996 and have continued to work my way up ever since. A previous manager told me about a job he’d seen advertised for a trainer. ’d never considered a job in HR or mentoring before then, but he said I’d be perfect for it and I haven’t looked back since!”

Zoey Hudson
Head of Talent, Diversity and Inclusion

“Since April, I’ve helped to support our Kickstart Scheme. It’s been a really rewarding process to be part of because I know first‑hand how tough it can be to find work once you’re out of it.”

“I’m a Thameslink passenger host and team leader based at Luton station and I’m currently doing a Level 3 Supervisor apprenticeship so that I can improve my skills even further. I was hesitant to do the apprenticeship at first because of my age – I left school over 60 years ago without any qualifications! It’s been hard to get back into the routine of learning again.”