East Midlands Railway Trainee Driver Guide
EMR’s most recent published driver campaign was for trainee depot drivers, with the OPC tests split either side of the interview. How it worked and what to expect next time
The depot driver route
EMR’s most recent driver recruitment with published details was a campaign for trainee depot drivers, announced on 27 February 2025, for its maintenance depots in Nottingham and Derby. Depot drivers move EMR’s trains around the depots and do shunting, light maintenance, fault finding and reporting. EMR’s HR director called the roles "a fantastic first step in becoming a mainline or regional driver of the future".
Trainees join EMR’s year-long apprenticeship scheme and train at its academy in Derby. No formal qualifications are required to apply, but you need GCSE grade C or above in maths and English, or an equivalent, to complete the apprenticeship, and EMR says it can help you get them.
Four stages, with the tests split in two
The release says the process "consists of four assessment stages, including OPC national driver testing and a driver medical screening for those who progress successfully", and gave dates:
- Driver Testing Part 1: 1 to 11 April 2025.
- Assessment days: week commencing 12 May 2025.
- Competency-based interview: 2 to 13 June 2025.
- Driver Testing Part 2: 24 June to 4 July 2025.
So the first part of the national tests came a month after the advert closed, and the second part came after the interview, nearly three months after the first. EMR added that further testing would run through 2025 and that the dates could change. It did not say which tests fell in each part.
Age and the pathfinder role
In March 2026 the government named East Midlands Railway as one of five volunteer pathfinder operators preparing recruitment and training for the lower minimum driving age of 18, which took effect on 30 June 2026. We have not found an EMR driver advert published since then, so the age it will ask for is not yet known.
For school and college leavers, EMR is also piloting a GBR Rail Foundation Apprenticeship for people aged 17 to 21, and some aged 22 to 24, with the first group due in January 2027. It is a general entry route into rail, not a driver scheme, and applications closed on 1 November 2026. EMR said in the same release that its existing apprenticeships include train driving.
The OPC national tests
"OPC national driver testing" is the battery set by RSSB’s standard RIS-3751-TOM, delivered by The Occupational Psychology Centre. In The OPC’s 2020 list, EMR used the national standard rather than an enhanced one; the 2025 release does not say. Our train driver tests page explains every test. These six are available to practise:
- Group Bourdon (Dots Test) (11 minutes, free)
- TRP1 Rules and Procedures Memory (21 minutes)
- TRP2 Dials Reasoning (8 minutes)
- TEA-Occ Attention (Lift and Directory) (10 minutes)
- ATAVT Traffic Perception (6 minutes)
- WAFV Vigilance (Grey Square) (32 minutes)
A failed part counts as an attempt at every company, so read our guide to train driver attempts and standards before your first sitting.
Common questions
Does EMR recruit trainee main line drivers?
Its 2025 campaign was for depot drivers, presented as a first step towards main line or regional driving. We found no current advert for trainee main line drivers, and no published pay for either role.
Who runs East Midlands Railway?
EMR describes itself as operated by Transport UK in its October 2026 news.
Applying to another operator in the area? CrossCountry advertised for apprentice drivers at Derby in February 2026.