Stations Department

Welcome to the Stations department! We are the largest department on the railway and very much on the ‘front line’ when it comes to welcoming our visitors. In addition, our platform staff are also responsible for ensuring visitors’ time here is safe as well as enjoyable.

We really value the contribution our volunteers make, and there’s plenty you can become involved in. We like to think there’s something to suit everyone, from Travelling Ticket Inspectors on our trains, to looking after our visitors as platform staff or ‘meeters and greeters’, or providing a friendly welcome in our booking and information offices.

Our headquarters are at Bury Bolton Street station, but we also have staffed stations at Heywood, Ramsbottom and Rawtenstall. Here, volunteers are often multi-skilled to enable them to carry out the many roles required as part of a small team. If you enjoy interacting with people and providing the very best in customer service, we’d love to meet you.

Information Office Clerk

As an Information Office Clerk, you’ll be based at Bury station, answering our enquiry line and dealing with queries from the public face to face. An important part of the role is taking advance bookings for events, using our online ticketing system, so familiarity with computers is helpful. Of course, full training will be given.

The information office is open seven days a week from 10.00 – 16.00, and flexible hours can be easily be arranged. You’ll join a friendly team of volunteers who provide a professional and helpful service to our prospective visitors. The role would suit someone who is happy working with the public, or who would like to help out mid-week when our trains aren’t running.

Booking Office Clerk

As a heritage railway, we still operate traditional booking offices, using ‘Edmondson’ card tickets. The Booking Office Clerk is the friendly face behind the window who sells our visitors their tickets when they arrive. As a first point of contact, they also provide a welcome to the railway, and information to help people make the most of their visit. You can choose to be based at any of our staffed stations during running days.

You’ll need to have basic maths and literacy skills and be confident handling money and card transactions. The role would suit someone who enjoys meeting new people and has a friendly, outgoing personality. Previous ticketing experience is not essential, as full training is provided.

Station Staff

Our Station Staff work on and around the platforms under the guidance of the Station Master, preparing the station for the day, keeping it running smoothly and ensuring our visitors’ safety. You’ll be available to meet and greet our visitors and to answer their questions, providing pro-active customer service to ensure they have a great experience during their time with us. In between trains the team help ensure the platform areas are presented in the best possible light before the next train arrives.

After gaining experience, you can progress to more responsible roles, such as Train Dispatcher – working with the Guard and train crew to ensure safe departures; or Station Master – running each station on a given operating day. You could also become one of our Trainers or Assessors, passing on your experience to the next generation.

If you are the sort of person who likes to work outdoors, enjoys meeting people and working as part of a team, then this might be the perfect role for you.

Meet and Greet

Meet and Greet staff welcome the organised groups, usually coach parties, who visit us on a regular basis. You may simply meet them in the booking hall and take them to the appropriate platform, or help a disabled customer across the tracks, or you may travel with them to help the Travelling Ticket Inspector by providing information and assistance throughout their journey. A degree of flexibility is important for this role, and the ability to work midweek would also be an advantage.

What do I get in return

We value the time our volunteers give us, and want to give something back. After a qualifying period, you’ll get an ELR Travel Pass, allowing you and your partner free travel on most of the railway’s scheduled services. In addition, free or discounted travel on a number of other heritage railways is also available – perfect for anyone who likes to travel!

We offer discounts on tickets for our Pullman-style ‘Dining With Distinction’ services for working members and their families.

You’ll also get the chance to work within a dedicated team, learning new skills, and gaining experience in areas such as customer service and cash handling, which many employers value. Perhaps most important of all is the feeling of satisfaction when customers return at the end of the day and tell you how much they have enjoyed themselves, and that they will be returning. Job done!