The railway network has over 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges and tunnels, and almost 6,000 level crossings. Working in all weathers, you’ll play a highly practical role in keeping Britain moving. Across a wide range of manual maintenance tasks, the efficiency and safety of the railway is in your hands.
Rail track maintenance workers inspect and repair railway tracks, bridges, tunnels and viaducts.
The Rail Engineering and Technology Programme is designed to provide you with the essential skills and knowledge to become a Rail Track Maintenance engineer.
The programme runs for 20 weeks, with one session per week, delivered with combined knowledge and competence.
Learners should have a good standard of literacy and numeracy to comply with the health and safety aspects of the scheme, the completion of the learning outcomes, and the assessments
After successfully completing the Level 3 Diploma in Engineering and Technology, learners will be invited to a medical for drug and alcohol testing.
Only those who pass will then need to attend a further 2-week course across, to complete their Personal Track Safety (PTS) and other competencies training, including examinations and assessments.
If you’ve got what it takes, we’ll provide all the training, protective clothing and support you need to succeed.
The Level 3 Diploma in Engineering and Technology is a vocational qualification. Comprising of a learning related to rail engineering and is suitable for those individuals who are interested in pursuing a career in the Rail Engineering sector. You do not have to be currently in the industry.
You will complete 2 x mandatory units, comprising:
You will then complete 6 x optional units, related to the rail industry, covering:
After successfully completing the Level 3 Diploma in Engineering and Technology, learners will be invited to a medical for drug and alcohol testing.
Any potential rail industry employee must undergo a PTS Medical and a Drug and Alcohol Test before attending a “Personal Track Safety” course.
The Medical assessment for Network Rail involves the following medical modalities and components:
Medical questionnaire
Height and Weight
B.M.I.
Blood Pressure
Pulse
Blood Glucose Level
General Health
Mobility
Vision testing
Colour Testing
Hearing Test
Establishing your Primary Sponsor will be your next step. As Sentinel cards are not available to the general public, you’ll need a Sponsor to acquire one for you on your behalf. A Sponsor is usually your new employer, or you can be sponsored by a rail recruitment provider. Sponsorship can only be gained by completing a formal railway medical, and providing the necessary ID. Network Rail has a zero tolerance approach to individuals attending work whilst under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.
Personal Track Safety (PTS) is the qualification every worker needs before you can work on – or near – any line owned or managed by Network Rail.
It is designed to help workers to understand the systems that keep them safe.
The main risks of working on the railway are:
PTS training aims to make rail workers aware of their surroundings at all times on the railway, so they stay safe.
Personal Track Safety training usually runs over 10 full days, where you will complete the following competencies:
Personal Track Safety (PTS)
Track Induction Course (TIC)
Direct Current Conductor Rail (DCCR)
Access Overhead Lines Construction Sites (OLEC1)
Small Plant Tools
Manual Handling
Fire Awareness
Emergency First Aid
To all the future rail engineers, look beyond what you can see today, and consider the opportunities that an increasingly connected environment can offer engineering and operations in the railway sector.
Railways are complex systems that have engineering running through their core, it is a new-build project such as Crossrail central or a major enhancement to an existing one such as the Thameslink programme, they require the brightest and the best brains to solve the technical and logistical challenges they offer in an efficient and cost-effective way.
For the industry to really take advantage of them we need to have people who are not afraid to push the boundaries and challenge convention. If you think that might be you then the railway industry is definitely a career worth considering.
