Have you always wanted to be a machinist? For the doubters, there was a train simulator in Eindhoven on Friday. In this way, the NS wants to attract new drivers and conductors. The enthusiasm to give it a try was great, the waiting time was up to at least an hour.
The personnel shortage at the Dutch Railways is large, about 1100 vacancies are open. Travelers notice this every day because fewer trains are running or last-minute trains are canceled.
“This way of attracting people works very well.”
The train simulator has already made a trip to five other stations. “We do this because we are really looking for a lot of personnel, not only drivers but also conductors, shop assistants and IT staff. With such a simulator you can introduce people to the work”, says NS spokesman Arno Le Blanc.
In Brabant, the NS is looking for sixty conductors and thirty-five train drivers. This concerns employees who have to live in the vicinity of Roosendaal, Eindhoven or Den Bosch. “This way of attracting people works extremely well,” says Le Blanc. “We have had three times as many registrations in recent months as in the same period for corona.”
But that does not immediately solve the personnel problem. Applicants must first go through a selection procedure and then follow a training course of less than a year.
It just looks like a simple computer game. But it’s not that easy, explains driver IJsbrant Smitt. “With this simulator, we really teach train drivers in training. And in practice it is not a game. You can experience all kinds of things and you have a lot of responsibility over a lot of people. A train is simply a device of several hundred tons that does not just stand still.”
“I would ideally like to become an English teacher, then a pilot and third is an engineer on my list.”
Yannick Claessens can call himself a driver for a few minutes on the Utrecht – Amersfoort route. “I would ideally like to become an English teacher, then a pilot and third is an engineer on my list.” All professions that are almost fighting for staff.
After a short explanation, he receives the signal that the train may depart. Yannick drives away from Utrecht at forty kilometers per hour and then rips through the landscape at 140. “The most beautiful office in the Netherlands”, is the conclusion of Yannick. “It’s more fun than I thought. I think it’s moved up a spot.”
And with that, the goal of the NS seems to have been achieved: winning other squeeze professions. “We hope he chooses us,” laughs Le Blanc. “They are all important professions, but with this day we hope to make him enthusiastic. And the working conditions are good.” A driver earns between 1600 and 3500 euros and that can add up to several hundred euros if there is a lot of work in the evenings or weekends.
The train simulator was supposed to have its last stop in Eindhoven, but due to its success, the recruitment of new drivers will continue after the summer.