Trainee Depot Driver

East Midlands Railway; Nottingham; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 50,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Excellent Railway Pension

Free train travel

Subsidised travel with other operators

Staff discounts via Hapi app

Job summary

East Midlands Railway in Nottingham is recruiting a Trainee Depot Driver. You will move trains around depots, perform depot driving and shunting, and help with light maintenance and fault reporting while complying with safety procedures.

Training will lead to an apprenticeship, with courses running 2027–2028. Candidates should live within 60 minutes’ travel of the Nottingham depot and be prepared for afternoon/night shifts across seven days.

Qualifications

• GCSE Maths and English at grade C or above (or equivalent).
• No previous qualifications required for the Trainee Depot Driver role.
• Excellent communication and safety-focused mindset are essential.

Responsibilities

• Move trains around depots, performing depot driving and shunting.
• Carry out light maintenance, fault finding and reporting as required.
• Ensure safety and adherence to production rules and standards.
• Work 37 hours per week, predominantly afternoons and night shifts.

Skills

Communication skills

Safety awareness

Teamwork

Education

GCSE Maths (C or above)

GCSE English (C or above)

Job description

Location: Nottingham Contract Type: Permanent Salary: £37,753 increasing £50,337 + Excellent Railway Pension and Free Train Travel Closing Date: Sunday 13 September 2026 Interview Date: To be confirmed Reference: 2026-76

We are proud to be One Team at East Midlands Railway (EMR). We are passionate about keeping people safe, delighting our customers, doing the right thing and putting customers at the heart of our sustainable railway for the East Midlands. With over 2,600 employees, our people are the reason we are so successful, and the Driver team make a crucial contribution to this. Ten times accredited as a Top Employer and a Gold Inclusive Employer, we value our people and are dedicated to making sure that everybody feels empowered to bring their authentic self to work. We have opportunities to join the Nottingham team as a Trainee Depot Driver.

We proactively embrace diversity across our workforce and recognise that we are under-represented in terms of females and ethnic minority groups. We’re therefore taking positive steps to promote a positive and inclusive culture; we welcome applications from those that identify with these groups to better represent the communities we serve.

As part of the Depot Driver team you will be responsible for moving our trains around the Depots. You’ll be responsible for Depot driving, shunting, light maintenance and other tasks such as fault finding and reporting. Ensuring you keep people safe, you will be trained in and follow the rules and production requirements of East Midlands Railway. You will also be responsible for checking that the train environment is up to our market leading standards.

As a Trainee Depot Driver you will be required to work 37 hours per week, this will be predominantly afternoons and night shifts across the 7 days of the week, with a minimum of 12 hours rest between shifts.

This is an exciting opportunity to begin a fulfilling career with East Midlands Railway. Successful candidates will need to be responsible and committed to providing excellent service through efficiency, high standards and most of all, safety. Excellent communication skills are an essential attribute for Depot Drivers to ensure you are able to work closely with the team around you. You do not require any previous qualifications, but in order to achieve the apprenticeship, you will need to hold a GCSE grade C or above or equivalent in Maths and English, support in gaining these can be provided if necessary.

You will be expected to undergo 5 stages of assessment as part of the recruitment process, which include national driver testing, as well as successful completion of a driver medical screening if you are successful through the process.

• Stage 1 - Submit application and complete online Arctic Shores Assessment
• Stage 2 – Driver testing part 1
• Stage 3 – Assessment Day:
• Stage 4 – Competency based interview:
• Stage 5 – Driver testing part 2:

Training courses will commence at a number of dates throughout 2027 and 2028. If successful you will be placed into a Talent Pool and be offered a role when opportunities become available. The apprenticeship scheme is a year-long qualification and you will train alongside other successful applicants at our Training Academy based in Derby.

Please note. To be considered for this role you will need to live within 60 minute travel time of the Nottingham depot

We welcome applications from candidates aged 16 and over. Due to the length of our recruitment process, applicants may apply before they are eligible to begin training. However, you must be at least 17 years and 9 months old before you can start the Trainee Train Driver programme and 18 years old before you can qualify and undertake driving duties.

EMR Internal Communications 575 subscribers

Well, as well as a competitive salary, we'll also offer you a wide range of benefits including an excellent Railway Pension Scheme, free train travel on East Midlands Railway. You will also receive subsidised travel with all other operators. We also offer staff retail discounts through our employee 'Hapi' app.

Assessments

Once you have submitted your application you will need to complete a short set of online assessments and you will receive an email from our testing partner with details. These assessments must be completed for you application to be considered.

We welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds, we promote equal opportunities for all. East Midlands Railway is a non-discriminatory employer committed to the recruitment and promotion of all on the basis of ability and merit irrespective of disability, race, gender, health, social class, sexual preference, marital status, nationality, religion, employment status or age. We’ll treat your application fairly and assess you for the job based on merit and skills.