Five-year-old Avanti West Coast superfan becomes rookie trainee driver

• Avanti West Coast surprise young train fan after discovering his love of Pendolinos
• Five-year-old Daniel Rogerson gets unique insight into railway with train driver experience
• Pendolino superfan attends Avanti West Coast’s driving school for the day

Avanti West Coast welcomed its youngest trainee to its driving school in Crewe as part of a surprise visit for a train superfan.

Five-year-old Daniel Rogerson, from Standish, Wigan, was invited on a day out for a unique insight into the railway after Avanti West Coast discovered his passion for Pendolinos.

From a very young age, Daniel has loved trains. Aged one, he was gifted a wooden train track by his mum, Elaine, which has expanded and now fills the family’s living room. 

When Daniel isn’t playing with his cherished railway track, he enjoys train spotting – a pastime that started when he could watch Avanti West Coast’s iconic Pendolinos go by from the window of his previous family home, which backed onto the West Coast Main Line. He now spends hours with his grandad seeing the trains pass through his local station.

But it’s Daniel’s love of riding on a Pendolino that is his favourite activity – with his mum regularly accompanying him on rail trips between Wigan and Lancaster, so he can experience the high-speed journeys in the comfort of a train carriage.

Daniel’s enthusiasm for trains prompted his mum to have a bed specially made in the shape of a Pendolino by local furniture painting business, Octavia Chic.

Avanti West Coast’s social media team spotted the train-shaped bed in a post on X (formerly Twitter) and offered the superfan an opportunity to become a train driver for the day.

Visiting the Talent Academy – home of the intercity operator’s Driver Training Centre - Daniel enjoyed an exclusive test drive of the simulator, as well as the chance to sit in the driver’s cab of its training Pendolino.

The Avanti West Coast team also gave him a behind-the-scenes tour of Crewe station, including the announcer’s office, and taught him how to dispatch a train. There was plenty of time for trainspotting too!

Natalie Whitehouse, Head of Learning and Development at Avanti West Coast, said: “We had a great time welcoming Daniel to our driving school for the day.  

“With Daniel having so much love for trains it was brilliant to give him the chance to experience what it’s like to be in the driver’s cab with his mum. He seemed right at home and impressed us with his knowledge, as well as eagerness to learn!”  

Daniel’s mum, Elaine Rogerson, said: “Daniel loves to watch trains – whether it’s from the nearby train bridge or on YouTube. So, being given the opportunity to become a rookie train driver was amazing! It’s an experience we’ll never forget! After his time at Avanti West Coast’s driving school, I couldn’t be more certain he’s destined to be a train driver.”

ENDS