UK’s newest train operator hails successful first year

The newest UK train operator, SLC Operations, has celebrated its first year in business this month.

It now boasts 23 full and part time staff, including 15 train drivers and aims to support rail clients across passenger, freight and M&E as well as developing industry leading training technology solutions.

Despite the global pandemic, SLC Operations lists a number of achievements over the last year, including achieving a non-passenger train licence by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), becoming an officially recognised provider of train driver training and examination, an approved End Point Assessment Organisation for the Train Driver apprenticeship standard and is also working towards the final stages of being a verified provider of Sentinel PTS training.

The company has opened a an HQ and training facility on Kings Norton Depot and The Rail Academy.com, its new distance-learning training school.

It has also secured contracts with Vivarail to test and accumulate mileage for the new Class 230s and class 484s, to run seasonal rail head treatment trains in the West Midlands for Balfour Beatty as well as developing and delivering training for two train operating companies.

Cath Bellamy, managing director of SLC Operations, said: “An operating licence, Train Driver Training and Examination Credentials and End Point Assessment approval are not at all easy to achieve and the SLC Ops team has done all three in one year.

“And that’s on top of setting up our great new base, creating 23 jobs, coping with COVID and supporting three very important rail operations for Balfour Beatty and Vivarail.

2021 looks like it could be another big year, so we are again recruiting for drivers, guards and trainers to help us with that growth.”

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