Career opportunities in the UK rail sector

Huge investment programmes in the rail industry, with multi-billion-pound projects such as Thameslink, Crossrail and the upgrade of the London Underground system, are creating a wealth of career opportunities for engineers. Vacancies are not just for experienced staff – these projects offer a solid basis for new and recent graduates to progress rapidly up the career ladder.

Thameslink forms the centrepiece of Network Rail’s £28bn five-year programme of investment and improvements aimed at increasing capacity across the network.

The cross-London railway links destinations from Bedford to Brighton. Phase one of the £6bn programme is nearing completion, with improvements to signalling and extensions to stations to allow longer and more frequent trains. The most visible element is the total rebuild of Blackfriars station to span the Thames. After a pause for the Olympics, the project will enter a phase focused on the complete remodelling of London Bridge station and approaches.

Network Rail’s senior resourcing manager Mike Bickford said that, as the design authority for the railway, the company’s engineering staff is the ’driving force’ behind such projects; providing know-how, developing specifications and undertaking project management.