Next stop, Hogwarts. Potterheads and train buffs alike have found their calling this week. Scotrail are on the hunt for new employees to regularly drive on one of the UK’s most stunning rail routes, the West Highland Line. 

For those not up to scratch with the Scottish rail network, the West Highland Line runs from the port of Mallig in the Highlands down to Glasgow. Included in the line is the Glenfinnan Viaduct, which is the famed route that is featured in the Harry Potter films as students of Hogwarts make their way to school. 

Full-time trainee train drivers who take on the ‘dream’ job for Scotrail will be based in Fort William as advertised on HiJobs. Candidates over 20 require no previous experience on the tracks but will need to pass a medical before they start training. Magic is not listed as a prerequisite on the job description.

 All new drivers will take part in a training programme that could last between 18 and 24 months, with a starting salary of £32,968 that rises to £52,566 after just nine months once drivers are fully qualified.

A survey conducted by Which? in 2022 ranked the West Highland Line as the eighth-best scenic rail route in Europe based on scenery, comfort, facilities, cleanliness, food and drink, service and value. We can’t confirm food and drink includes Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans, Butterbeer, or Chocolate Frogs. 

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