{"id":463882,"date":"2026-06-26T21:00:55","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T11:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/railuk.com\/?p=195448"},"modified":"2026-06-26T21:00:55","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T11:00:55","slug":"the-double-life-of-lner-driver-jamie-bond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=463882","title":{"rendered":"The double life of LNER driver Jamie Bond"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Not only has Jamie got a licence to drive<\/em> an LNER Azuma, he also spends time on his Majesty\u2019s service<\/em>, mixing his railway role with travelling the world as an Army Reservist.<\/p>\n

Jamie joined LNER in April 2025 as an apprentice train driver, qualifying in April this year. Before the railway, Jamie joined the Army at 18 and then moved to policing, spending ten years as a frontline response officer.<\/p>\n

Throughout his policing career he continued his service as an Army Reserve, a commitment he has maintained up to the present day. He now serves in 165 Port & Maritime Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps as a Vehicle Specialist, a role which involves the coordination and mobilisation of some of the British Army\u2019s most essential vehicles to the frontline: from quad bikes to challenger tanks. It\u2019s a role that has taken him across the world, experiencing global operations and exercises, where his skills and leadership have earned him a recent promotion to Sergeant.<\/p>\n

Speaking about his commitments Jamie<\/strong> said: \u201cI do get questions about my \u2018double life\u2019 and how my two roles work together. There are a lot of transferable skills between the Armed Forces and railway, and my experience is that both jobs complement each other incredibly well. Leadership, decision-making, people skills are just a few of the many qualities that each roles requires, so one strengthens the other. I\u2019ve also found that military and railway share the same core values and both have a love for an acronym!\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked if he\u2019d recommend becoming an Army Reservist to others, Jamie said, \u201cAbsolutely. The sense of accomplishment and achievement I receive is fantastic; plus, the fact the skills and training are so complementary. I\u2019d say the same to those in the military who may be considering a different path, the railway is a great industry to join, and you\u2019ll find it has the same sense of camaraderie and belonging as the Armed Forces.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The Reservist role involves a commitment to spend at least 27 days a year in the job, undergoing continuous training. Under the \u2018one Army\u2019 concept the role is integrated within the \u2018full-time\u2019 military and carries the same expectation of deployment to frontline areas.<\/p>\n

James Downey, Finance Director and Executive Sponsor of LNER Armed Services Network Reveille<\/strong>, said: \u201cThe railway and the Armed Forces have a proud, long-standing connection, and at LNER we\u2019re committed to supporting those who serve. I\u2019m proud to be the Executive Sponsor of Reveille, our Armed Forces staff network, which plays a key role in connecting, supporting, and championing colleagues from across the business who are involved in the military community. Our Reservist colleagues bring valuable skills, discipline and leadership, and we are dedicated to creating an environment where they can thrive in both their careers and their service.”<\/p>\n

Image credit: LNER<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Not only has Jamie got a\u00a0licence to drive\u00a0an LNER Azuma, he also spends time on\u00a0his Majesty\u2019s service, mixing his railway role with travelling the world as an Army Reservist. Jamie joined LNER in April 2025 as an\u00a0apprentice train driver, qualifying in April this year. Before the railway, Jamie joined the Army at 18 and then [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16013,8221,47,16016,85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-463882","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general-interest","category-people","category-rail-news","category-train-operating-companies","category-uk"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t