Most people here know that being a fully qualified train driver in the UK
is much harder than it looks. This Twitter thread compares being qualified
to drive a train compared to a car:

<https://twitter.com/__dean___/status/1527725552764960770?s=21&t=8ajzKTlycd2CKNEaQ4WTvA>

Perhaps Anna would like to comment?

Recliner <recliner.usenet@gmail.com> wrote:
> Most people here know that being a fully qualified train driver in the UK
> is much harder than it looks. This Twitter thread compares being qualified
> to drive a train compared to a car:
>
> <https://twitter.com/__dean___/status/1527725552764960770?s=21&t=8ajzKTlycd2CKNEaQ4WTvA>
>
> Perhaps Anna would like to comment?
>
>
>

An interesting thread!

Largely I agree, though I think he overstates slightly the part about
knowing the exact location of *every* signal; you know the exact position
of the important ones (approaching stations, junctions etc; ones where you
often get cautionary aspects; ones with irregular spacing; and every signal
in semaphore/Absolute Block areas). The traction knowledge again doesn't
apply in quite the same way to current generations of stock as it did to
older ones, and you basically can't touch anything out of the ordinary
without being instructed to do so by maintenance control.

Things which didn't get mentioned in the OP but did in replies: driving at
linespeed in (a) dark and (b) 50m visibility fog (that is, 50yd visibility
of a bright light which is focussed directly at your face; significantly
lower visibility of the stick it's attached to); remembering braking points
for every station; behaviour of train in leaf fall season etc. On top of
that, freight drivers have yards to know, unsigned speed restrictions over
certain bridges etc, and need more consideration of gradients and train
weight.

For reference, until recent slight reduction of route & traction knowledge
due to depot changes, I signed 700 miles of route, three types of train, 80
stations and three depots.

Anna Noyd-Dryver