Great Value Train Travel
Although you're likely to meet a few members of the Hull Trains team on your journey with us, there are also plenty of people working hard behind the scenes to make sure you arrive at your destination quickly and safely like Mark Peacock, one of our experienced train drivers.
Wonder what it's like to work for Hull Trains? Mark talks us through a typical day on the job:
Being a train driver can be challenging at times, but I can't imagine doing anything else!
My working day usually starts at 7.55am, so my alarm goes off at 6.30am (I always try to head to bed early so I've got a good night's sleep behind me). I get my uniform and the other things I'll need for my day ready the night before so that I don't have to rush around in the morning. I'll have a spot of breakfast before leaving the house around 7.30am.
When I get to the office in Hull station I ring Control to book onto my shift and check the notice cases for any alterations to duty or anything that could potentially impact my day, like any temporary speed restrictions or engineering works along the route.
I then head down to the platform and chat to the driver I'm taking over from to confirm the train is in full working order. When I'm happy that I've got all the information I need, I go into the cab and set it up for my shift.
The doors are opened fifteen minutes before departure time to allow our passengers onto the train. I'll stand on the platform with the crew to say hello to customers and help them out if they need any assistance.
At 8.20am, five minutes before we're due to leave, I head back to the cab and await the ready to start signal which means all station duties have been completed. I respond by sending my own signal that indicates that I'm ok to proceed, before slowly pulling away from the platform. Around half a mile from the station, I carry out what is known as a running brake test to double check that they're working properly. Then it's just a matter of carrying on to King's Cross.
Although we obviously follow the same route every time, each journey is different; I have to be prepared for the unexpected and be able to react to any situation or incident as it occurs whether that's signals or changing weather conditions.
We arrive at Kings Cross at 11:07, where I open the doors for the passengers and close down my cab before going outside to check that my tail lights are on. I then meet the driver taking over the train to handover.
On my break, I'll have lunch and then sometimes head down to the University Arts Building and sit by the canal for some fresh air. Then it's back to the station to do the whole thing again for the journey back to Hull.
I finish my shift at 16.46 and head home to enjoy a relaxing evening ahead of the next day at work.
