Key takeaways
- Yes — earning around £70,000 is realistic for an experienced UK train driver once base pay, overtime and allowances are combined.
- Base salaries for experienced drivers typically sit between £55,000 and £69,000; the rest comes from rest-day working, Sundays and shift premiums.
- The 2024 ASLEF pay deal (around 15% over three years) pushed average driver earnings close to the £70,000 mark.
- Newly qualified and trainee drivers earn far less — £24,000 to £55,000 — so £70k is an experienced-driver figure, not a starting one.
Related: Full UK salary guide · Is train driving well paid?
The short answer
Yes. In 2026, plenty of experienced train drivers in the UK earn in the region of £70,000 a year — but very few get there from base salary alone. The £70,000 figure usually describes total earnings: a strong base salary topped up by overtime, rest-day working, Sunday enhancements and shift allowances. If you're asking whether the headline is realistic, it is — with a few important caveats about experience and which Train Operating Company (TOC) you work for.
How train driver pay actually works
Driver pay is built from several layers, and understanding them is the key to seeing how a £60,000 base becomes a £70,000+ year:
- Base salary — your guaranteed pay for working your rostered shifts. For experienced drivers this is commonly £55,000–£69,000.
- Rest-day working and overtime — volunteering to work days you were scheduled off. This is the single biggest top-up, and many drivers earn £5,000–£15,000+ here.
- Sunday and bank holiday enhancements — enhanced rates, often time-and-a-half or more.
- Shift and unsocial-hours allowances — extra for nights, early starts and weekends.
- Annual leave and pension — generous holidays (typically 30+ days) and a high-quality pension scheme add significant value on top of cash pay.
So when a driver says they earn £70,000, they usually mean the total package including overtime — not a £70,000 base. The base alone reaches that level only at the very top end (London, freight, long service).
Who actually earns £70,000 or more?
The drivers most likely to clear £70,000 tend to share a few traits:
- Experienced — several years qualified, on the top incremental point of their pay scale.
- Freight or intercity — freight operators and long-distance routes generally pay the most.
- London and the South East — higher pay bands reflect the cost of living; Transport for London drivers are among the best paid.
- Willing to work overtime — those who regularly pick up rest days and Sundays reach the higher figures.
Conversely, a newly qualified driver on a regional operator working their basic roster will earn well below £70,000 — see the next section.
The 2024–2025 ASLEF pay deal
A big reason £70,000 is now a realistic talking point is the ASLEF pay deal accepted in 2024, which ended a long-running dispute across 16 English train operating companies. The deal was worth around 15% over three years (roughly 5%, then 4.75%, then 4.5%), backdated and pensionable. Industry reporting at the time noted that the deal would push the average driver's salary to around the £70,000 mark — which is why the number is so widely quoted today.
It's worth treating exact averages with a little caution: sources differ, and the ONS Average Weekly Earnings figures for train and tram drivers have moved sharply year to year. The honest summary is that average driver earnings are now in the high £60,000s, and £70,000+ is common for experienced drivers who work overtime.
What about trainees and newly qualified drivers?
It's important not to confuse the experienced-driver figure with what you'd earn at the start:
- Trainee driver: typically £24,000–£32,000 while training (which lasts around 9–18 months).
- Newly qualified: usually £45,000–£55,000 as a base, rising with annual increments.
- Experienced/top of scale: £55,000–£69,000 base, with £70,000+ achievable through overtime.
So £70,000 is a target you grow into — usually over several years — rather than a starting salary.
The bottom line
Yes, train drivers can and do earn around £70,000 a year in the UK — it's a genuine, realistic figure for experienced drivers, especially in freight, intercity or London-based roles, and especially for those willing to work some overtime. It is not, however, a starting salary, and it isn't guaranteed from base pay alone.
If you're working towards this career, the fastest way to a strong application is to be fully prepared for the assessments that stand between you and the cab.
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Keep reading: Train Driver Salary UK 2026 · Best TOCs to apply for · Training timeline