Great Western Railway (GWR), the British train operating company owned by First Group, has announced it will pay drivers based at its Exeter, Devon depot an increased starting salary.
Successful candidates will receive £54,111 for the first 12 months of their employment, which will rise to £60,124 thereafter. The starting salary, which is reportedly for a 35-hour week, has gone up by £3,111 since last year, when it stood at £51,000.
According to the company, it is looking to create a talent pool of drivers who are committed to making sure passengers get a “relaxing, fast, efficient, friendly, fun, special experience”. It is offering a pay rise of several thousand pounds as it aims to hire qualified drivers to help GWR “set a new standard for rail in the twenty-first century”.
Benefits of the job include free rail travel across the GWR network for staff and their families, a competitive pension scheme and a company-sponsored health care plan.
A spokesperson for GWR explained that new drivers will need to work a variety of shifts and must live within an hour’s travel of the depot they apply for. In return, it will offer staff a variety of perks from its colleague benefit scheme.
“At GWR, our vision for inclusion and diversity is that we are progressive. We are one family and we are inclusive, first time, every time. Valuing our differences such as age, gender, LGBTQ+, ethnicity, religion, and disability, means that our colleagues have a voice and are supported to be their authentic selves at work. GWR celebrates diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive environment for all our employees,” the spokesperson said.