'Your lives in the hands of new train drivers'

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

From Luton Today:

A former champion kick boxer, ski instructor, ex-soldier and child minder are among 30 new train drivers fast tracked to graduation at King^s Cross station.

The recent arrivals are the first batch of 60 drivers going through the largest driver training programme ever undertaken by First Capital Connect.

The remainder will qualify at the end of the year, increasing the total complement to more than 600.

The company^s ^6 million investment is part of the company^s ongoing effort to improve services on its routes.

The new drivers have trained on the FCC^▸ (First Capital Connect) rail network, at King^s Cross and at north London^s driver simulator centre in Hornsey.

They will operate on the Thameslink route between Bedford and Brighton, including the Wimbledon/Sutton loop, and on the Great Northern route from King^s Cross and Moorgate to Cambridge, Peterborough and King^s Lynn.

FCC managing director Neal Lawson said: ^This is the biggest driver recruitment in our history. More drivers means fewer rostering problems and fewer delays and cancellations. I hope that passengers will see an immediate, sustainable benefit.^

[JayMac]

Ooh, my mate won't be happy. He's been racking up the overtime doing FCC^▸ (First Capital Connect) turns. Day job is with Southeastern.

[Deltic]

Perhaps he could put in some Sunday shifts for London Midland!