Rail Academy opens in Kings Norton

The Rail Academy.com has opened its training facility at Kings Norton Depot. The Rail Academy is part of SLC Operations Ltd – a licensed train operator – and it employs a team of 15 qualified Train Drivers, Train Driver Instructors and Trainee Driver Instructors as well as two Guard Instructors.

In February 2021, it celebrated its first year in business and 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, innovative new training technology solutions.

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. Frankly only a really professional, committed and talented team could do that. My team at SLC Ops tick all those boxes and I am very proud of them.

“Looking forward, our customers are telling us that they like what we offer and specifically our reliability, customer care and professional safety and operational standards.

“2021 looks like it could be another big year, so we are again recruiting for some exceptional drivers, guards and trainers to help us with that growth and make sure our customers remain delighted with what we do for them.”

SLC Operations is part of a group of SLC businesses that provide a range of specialist rail infrastructure services including design, project management, investment and engineering.