Northern set to recruit almost 300 drivers and conductors across 2023

New Northern recruits will join the team responsible for running the operator's more than 2,500 services a day to more than 500 stations.

They are being recruited as part of a natural replenishment of the workforce as other team members retire, earn promotion or move on to the next stage of their career outside Northern.

Both roles require no previous rail experience, with full training at Northern’s academies in Leeds and Manchester provided.

Tricia Williams, chief operating officer at Northern, said: “These are fantastic roles for anyone passionate about helping connect people and places across the region.

“We’ll be recruiting throughout the year – so people should register for job alerts on our website.”

The driver roles, which are based in York Carlisle, Darlington, Hull, Leeds, Newcastle, Sheffield and Skipton, come with a starting salary of £23,000 a year, rising to £54,500 once fully qualified.

The conductor roles are based in York, Carlisle, Doncaster, Harrogate, Huddersfield, Hull, Leeds, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Sheffield and Skipton, with salaries starting at £22,000, rising to £29,000 once fully qualified.

A Northern driver working in the cab of the train (Image: Press release)

With such a large employee intake on the horizon, Northern said it is actively encouraging women to apply as part of a push to improve the male-female balance of its workforce.

The team said they are also seeking to attract more applicants from under-represented ethnicities to ensure they reflect the communities Northern serves.

Tricia added: “The rail industry has made great strides in many areas of diversity in recent years – but there is still much to be done.

“Drivers and conductors represent a huge proportion of our workforce – if we can attract more people from a wider range of ethnicities and women into these roles, that’ll make a real difference.”

Central to Northern’s recruitment campaign is a plan to attract the "best and brightest" candidates from other sectors who haven't previously considered the rail industry.

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Tricia said: “Some of the people at the control of our trains today started their career in the prison service, as cabin crew, as social care workers, in a veterinary practice and at least one as a wedding planner.

"No-one should think either of these roles isn’t for them – the railway has much to offer.”

Further details on both of the roles can be found on the Northern website.

Northern is now operating a new timetable. All customers, especially those who have made regular journeys on the same train times, are advised to use the new ‘Check My Timetable’ feature on the website to see the changes specific to their local station.