TransPennine Express Trainee Train Driver Guide

TPE’s five phases

TPE’s trainee driver adverts for Manchester Piccadilly in 2025 and Sheffield in early 2026 set out the same five phases:

1. Online application and questions,a Smart Chat interview, "a measured concentration test (an online assessment)", and shortlisting by local driver management. Spaces at the next phase are limited.
2. Trainee Driver Psychometric Assessments, Stage 1.
3. Trainee Driver Psychometric Assessments, Stage 2.
4. Interview with members of the Driver Management team.
5. Medical, with specific vision and hearing standards.

TPE’s train driver recruitment page says the psychometric testing is "administered by the Occupational Psychology Centre (OPC)", that practice materials arrive at least seven days before your session, and that "Applicants who reach the required TransPennine Express standard for these tests will be invited to attend an interview." TPE does not say whether its standard is the national or an enhanced one. In The OPC’s list of 1 September 2020 it used the enhanced standard.

The interview

Only candidates who pass the psychometrics reach the interview. TPE’s recruitment page calls it the last stage for trainee drivers, though the adverts list the medical after it. TPE says some questions are competency based, measured against its core values, and some are behavioural, and it recommends structuring answers with the STAR technique: situation, task, action, result. Unsuccessful candidates at this stage can ask for feedback, but the adverts say there is no feedback for anyone rejected at shortlisting.

Pay, training and shifts

The pay in TPE’s adverts rises sharply early on:

• Manchester Piccadilly, 2025: £27,585 during training, rising to £66,664.
• Sheffield, 2026: £28,523 during training, rising to £68,931.

Both adverts give the rise as coming "after 8 weeks of completed training". Training runs for the first 9 to 12 months, in the classroom and on trains, may involve periods away from home, and includes the Level 3 Train Driver qualification and functional skills if you need them. Shifts run around the clock, including weekends and nights.

Rules that rule people out

• Eye surgery."Due to night time driving we cannot accept applicants who have undergone eye surgery," said the Manchester advert. The Sheffield advert narrowed it to "certain types of eye surgery".
• Distance. Within a 60-minute commute of the depot, with proof of residence asked for at interview.
• Age.TPE’s recruitment page still says you must be "aged over 21", above the legal minimum of 18 that took effect on 30 June 2026. Neither advert we read states an age, so check the one you apply to.
• Reapplying. The Manchester advert said previous applicants must make a new application, and the Sheffield advert warned it may close early if it receives enough applications.

The national tests

The tests at phases 2 and 3 are the national train driver battery set by RSSB’s standard RIS-3751-TOM. Each one is passed or failed separately and the result goes on a national database. Our train driver tests page explains them all. Six can be practised here:

• Group Bourdon (Dots Test) (11 minutes, free)
• TRP2 Dials Reasoning (8 minutes)
• TEA-Occ Attention (Lift and Directory) (10 minutes)
• TRP1 Rules and Procedures Memory (21 minutes)
• WAFV Vigilance (Grey Square) (32 minutes)
• ATAVT Traffic Perception (6 minutes)

A failure at either stage counts as an attempt at every company. Our guide to train driver attempts and standards sets out the waits and limits.

Common questions

Is TransPennine Express publicly owned?

Yes, since May 2023. In May 2025 TPE said it had recruited 63 new drivers and delivered more than 20,000 days of driver training under public ownership.

Is TPE recruiting trainee drivers now?

The Sheffield advert was a talent pool for 2026/27, and TPE adverts can close early, so register for alerts on TPE’s careers site rather than waiting to spot one.

Also applying in the North? Northern asks for an enhanced pass too.