The UK Railway Industry: What’s on the horizon?

While railway technology has always been prevalent over the past couple of centuries, a huge surge has been endorsed in the past few decades to accommodate the increasing number of people using public transport. With so much congestion on rail networks (particularly in cities like London), a faster and more regulated service on all lines is crucial to ease passenger flow.

To combat this, both the government and private companies such as Virgin Trains have been putting funds into improving their own travel services across the UK. The Government in particular has already been designing and constructing updated Services to help commuters get through London as quickly as possible. Their progress into the development and manufacture of the Crossrail and the Elizabethan Line has been a slow, yet thorough, process with effective results. Furthermore, the fairly new large-scale (estimated to be the largest infrastructure in Europe) project of the HS2 Rail has definitely been turning heads in recent months with phase 1 (services from London to Birmingham) of the project estimated to officially open in 2026, and the sub phases of phase 2 , West Midlands to Crewe and Crewe to Manchester, opening in 2027 and 2033 respectively.

Needless to say, the staffing requirements for these projects are immense, and with huge rewards, if enough time of your own career is invested in the optimal engineering or construction field. With that in mind we’ve come up with some career advice and tips to consider if you wish, at least to some degree, to get into the railway industry:

Work your way up

Most career paths will involve “paying your dues” to some extent, but this is especially important for Railroad engineers and staff. That’s why it is vital (and often a requirement) to have some previous experience in an entry level position. These types of careers can include working as a switch operator, a brake operator, or a train conductor for a short amount of time.

Acquire all the necessary licenses

For most roles in the railroad industry, official licensure is mandatory, with the process including both class-based theory and more practical and applied experience. As well as this, railroad engineers may also be required to submit to a hearing/sight checks and background checks for health and safety purposes.

Carefully Consider how to move forward

It’s important to remember that your career path can deviate drastically as a railroad engineer. There is a wide variety of job roles ad experiences you could have, and it will always help your career and your CV to gain skills in different sectors of the rail industry. Moreover, take into account the types of perks you’ll gain from advancing your career, from travelling abroad, to free travel, bonuses etc.

Here are a few examples of courses you can undergo to help boost your career prospects:

• NVQ Award in Rail Engineering Track Maintenance
• NVQ Certificate in Rail Engineering Track Maintenance
• NVQ Certificate in Rail Engineering Protection Master
• NVQ Certificate in Non-Destructive Rail Testing
• NVQ Certificate in Track Patrolling
• NVQ Diploma in Rail Engineering Track Maintenance
• NVQ Certificate in Rail Engineering Traction and Rolling Stock
• NVQ Certificate in Rail Engineering Signalling Installer.

And here’s an ideal method to get you in the right direction in bolstering your CV and Rail experience:

http://www.fastlinetraining.co.uk/courses/category/rail-courses/

Now while this might seem like a lot to take in, we at Cavendish Professionals can help you get to your perfect job in a number of different sectors, with roles for Station Design Architects, BIM Coordinators and Senior Architects to name but a few. For more information on what services and help we can provide, get in touch with our team on 0203 008 5212.