Hull Trains has created a number of new local job opportunities and is recruiting staff as part of its plans to improve the onboard experience for customers travelling on its services in standard class.

As part of a new onboard service in standard class that the company plans to introduce by the end of this year, the company is looking to source snacks and hot and cold drinks from local suppliers.

The company will trial the new service in standard class for a year to judge the level of customer demand and monitor the feedback it receives about the different types of refreshments that are available.

To provide an enhanced offering to its services, Hull Trains is looking to recruit nine more on-board hosts and three service centre assistants and is committed to making the recruitment process fair and accessible to everyone. The people that the company wants to recruit are those who can provide a friendly Hull Trains welcome to both existing and new customers.

If and when the initial 12-month trial is declared a success, the new roles will become permanent. Further information about the roles and how to apply can be found at https://www.firstgroupcareers.com/company/firsthulltrains/home/

Hull Trains has a reputation for supporting colleagues as they are promoted from entry-level grades to more senior positions, and earlier this year the company was named Top Employer for Women at the Women in Rail Awards 2023. In the most recent colleague survey, Hull Trains achieved an 83% engagement rate across its whole workforce, which was well above the industry average.

Martijn Gilbert, Managing Director, said: “The introduction of a food and drink offer in standard class is positive news and something that we know will be welcomed by our customers and wider stakeholders. We ll be working with a number of local suppliers to make this an exciting addition to our great value train service so that we can give it our all to make it a long-term success beyond this initial trial.

“Hull Trains is intrinsically linked with the communities we serve, so we hope that our customers will be pleased to see many Yorkshire favourites among the snacks and drinks that will be available on board our trains from later this year.

“We are now the leading fleet for reliability and performance across the UK, and our enhanced onboard offering will give even more reasons for people to travel with us here at Hull Trains. We have listened to our customers, our own colleagues and to wider stakeholders to find a food and drink refreshment solution which will meet customers needs and has the added benefit of creating 12 new job opportunities for the local community.”