Inside Network Rail
What’s it like to work at one of Britain’s biggest employers?
With more than 40,000 people across Britain and a wide range of careers, every story is different.
With 20,000 miles of track, stations all around the country and a diverse infrastructure including bridges, tunnels and operational buildings, we employ people with all kinds of skills from all kinds of backgrounds to keep our railways moving safely and efficiently.
Engineering roles
From understanding how the railway’s Victorian infrastructure was built to improving the flow of visitors through our stations, Network Rail employs engineers to solve all kinds of problems and issues.
Katie Tingle probably wasn’t thinking about track geometry when she built her first Scalextric but she grew up to love it.
As director of Engineering and Asset Management, Kamini Edgley is one of our most senior employees.
Donna and Natalie talk hands-on engineering and why there are so many career opportunities on the railway.
Helen Warnock’s engineering career came as a surprise to her, having studied English literature before falling in love with the railway.
Graduate Judy McKee would love to inspire more people to join the railway, after falling in love with electrical engineering.
Tara Scott turned her childhood love for building things outside into a career specialising in something we’ve got 20,000 miles of – track.
Graduate Adedayo Akeredolu joined us straight from university and quickly found out that not one person is the same in our 40,000+ workforce.
Dorota and Emily liken their work on the railway to forensics because our Victorian infrastructure keeps our people guessing about how it was first built.
Environmental roles
As one of the UK’s largest landowners, Network Rail has to deal with all kinds of natural occurences, from landslides to birds nesting in signal boxes.
Growing up, Nathaniel Legall looked up to Attenborough and his science teacher – but didn’t know he, too, could make a career out of his love for the outdoors. Today, he’s one of our many ecologists.
Birds’ nests, great crested newts and squirrels are just part of a normal working day for environment specialist Michelle Chrabalowski.
Rhian Lane loved exploring the outdoors growing up so pursued a career where she could do just that.
Graduate scheme and apprenticeships for all levels
Apprenticeships are for everyone – not just applicants straight out of school or college.
Adelaja Aladejobi already had a master’s degree when he started a whole new career as an apprentice at Network Rail.
What’s it like to be a Network Rail apprentice? We talk to first-year apprentice Keneefia Parker about “limitless” career opportunities and where to get the most amazing views of the London skyline.
At school, aspiring athlete Olivia Woodward threw herself into as many sports as possible. After university, she joined a much bigger team – the railway.
Diverse careers for a diverse workforce
Here at Network Rail, we need people with all kinds of skills from all kinds of backgrounds.
Kathryn Bishop says we have the potential to build an entirely virtual railway – something she says is one of our most exciting innovations.
Rikke Carmichael started flying planes aged just 15. Today, she heads our Air Operations team, helping us keep millions of people safe every day.
On the railway, Jade Perry works as a programme integration manager in Scotland. In freezing waters, she’s a world champion ice swimmer – and just one of our many employees achieving great things with the support of an inclusive organisation.
All Change – the railway is changing – and we’re changing with it.
To mark International Women’s Day 2020, we teamed up with train operator Southeastern to launch Britain’s first ever passenger service run entirely by women.
For Black History Month 2020, a new film from Network Rail underscored the importance of sharing Black history and inspiring the next generation of rail workers.
Each 23 June, we join organisations and groups worldwide in celebrating women’s vital contribution to the field and promoting engineering as an exciting, dynamic and rewarding career.