Your Journey Starts Here
Join us as a Trainee Senior Conductor at our Birmingham New Street depot and play a key role in delivering a safe, reliable, and customer-focused rail service.
In this vital frontline role, you’ll help ensure the smooth running of our services by assisting passengers with queries, checking and issuing tickets, and prioritising the safety of both customers and crew.
We’re looking for individuals with experience in cash handling and customer service—whether from retail, hospitality, or another customer-facing environment. You’ll be approachable, confident, and calm under pressure, with excellent communication skills. Flexibility is key, as the role involves working shifts Monday to Saturday, with occasional Sunday shifts as agreed. Due to early starts and late finishes, access to your own transport is recommended.
Please note: We will only be accepting applications from candidates who live within a 60-minute radius of BIRMINGHAM.
Your application will be considered for both Birmingham New Street & Birmingham Snow Hill
As part of our onboard team, you’ll be responsible for delivering exceptional customer service on some of the busiest train services in the region. Your role will be varied, engaging, and vital to the overall passenger experience.
Key responsibilities include:
- Providing every possible assistance to ensure our customers enjoy a comfortable and pleasant journey.
- Taking responsibility for the safety of our customers and the train throughout the journey.
- Checking and selling the full range of tickets, offering timetable information, assisting with luggage, and ensuring trains are clean and presentable.
- Making regular, emergency, and other necessary public announcements to keep customers informed.
- Completing reports related to ticket irregularities and ensuring accurate documentation.
- Upholding the highest standards of professionalism and customer care at all times.
To apply, you must be 18 years or over and have normal colour vision. For more information on colour vision requirements, please refer to the Ishihara Colour Test.
What to Expect from the Recruitment Process
We know the recruitment journey is thorough, but that’s because the role is important. We’re looking for candidates who can confidently manage both the safety-critical and operational aspects of the role, while delivering an outstanding customer experience.
Here’s how the process works:
- Apply Online – Submit a strong application and upload your CV.
- Application Review – Our recruitment team will assess your application.
- Psychometric Testing – If shortlisted, you’ll complete online safety-critical tests (SCAAT, RAAT, and TCT), which take around an hour.
- Interview – Successful candidates will be invited to a competency-based interview, either in person or via MS Teams.
- Offer or Talent Pool – If successful, you may be offered a role immediately or placed in our talent pool for up to 12 months. During this time, you won’t need to reapply—we’ll contact you directly when a vacancy arises.
-
Starting salary is £31,111, rising to £40,333 upon completion of a probationary period
Due to the volume of applications we receive, the advert may close earlier than the published closing date. Please submit your application as soon as possible to avoid missing out.
As an inclusive employer, we welcome applications from all backgrounds and ensure no-one receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of age, disability, gender, race/ethnicity, religion, belief and sexual orientation.
Applications will be considered from colleagues with 6 months experience, after completion of their probationary period and a full check of absence and disciplinary records.
London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway operate rail services across the Midlands, the Northwest and London, with Birmingham at the heart of our network.
West Midlands Railway provides most of the local services across the region, offering direct connections to towns and cities including Redditch, Stratford‑upon‑Avon, Worcester, Hereford, Shrewsbury, Telford and Northampton. Our London Northwestern Railway brand serves the route between London and Liverpool via key locations such as Crewe, Birmingham, Milton Keynes and Northampton.
On 1st February 2026, London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway entered public ownership and both services are now part of WM Trains Limited operated by DFTO. Our mission remains unchanged: to provide a safe, comfortable and reliable service for passengers across 235 miles of track and 150 stations, from London to Liverpool and Hereford to Lichfield.
We expect over 80 million journeys to be made this year, that’s more than 1,252 services every day, and we remain committed to delivering the rail experience our passengers expect.
