Career opportunities

Traction & Rolling Stock Tech'n

Traction and rolling stock technicians work on a variety of rail vehicles including locomotives, units, carriages and wagons. They assist with design and also with undertaking installations, modifications and maintenance. They also are responsible for ensuring that all parts of the train are ready for service and that they will operate safely and efficiently; meeting company and legal standards and regulations.

Traction and rolling stock technicians work for manufacturers, leasing companies, train operating companies and rail freight companies which between them run a fleet of over 12000 passenger carriages and locomotives.

The starting salary for newly recruited trainee technicians is around £15000 a year. With experience this can rise to £19000, with those working in engineer positions earning anything from £25000 upwards.

Working environment

Traction and rolling stock technicians work mostly in workshops at rail depots. They may occasionally go out to trackside to work on a unit which is away from the depot.

Technicians normally work around 37 hours a week; these hours are normally worked in shifts, which can include working early mornings, late nights, weekends and bank holidays.

It is important that traction and rolling stock technicians wear protective clothing including hard hats, reinforced boots, goggles and ear defenders. If they are working trackside then they must also wear high visibility clothing. Working in rail can be hazardous and so it is always important to be aware of the health and safety precautions.

Skills and interests

Traction and rolling stock technicians must have an interest in engineering, and also should enjoy physical work.

The skills required by traction and rolling stock technicians include:
- manual dexterity
- the ability to closely follow instructions and to work with detail and data
- attention to detail
- the ability to think logically
- an understanding of health and safety issues
- literacy and numeracy
- the ability to work well as part of a team, but also to work on own initiative.

Entry into the role

Traction and rolling stock engineers work for engineering companies who build and own trains, and for the train operating companies and freight companies that run the passenger carriages, locomotives and freight fleets across the UK.

It is possible to find employment as a trainee or as an apprentice. Most employers require applicants to have a sound basic education with qualifications such as GCSEs grades A*-C (or equivalent) in English or maths. Qualifications in engineering, such as an NVQ level 1 or the Diploma in engineering can also be beneficial.

All applicants will go through checks for physical health including eyesight, and will also be tested for drugs and alcohol abuse. Due to the safety critical nature of the role, applicants may also have to undergo checks through the criminal records bureau.

Jobs may be advertised through company websites, industry magazines and specialist engineering recruitment agencies.

Opportunities

All technicians will receive training to ensure that they can carry out their work safely and to the required standards.

Traction and rolling stock technicians can progress their career from semi-skilled technician, to technician, up to team leader. From there they can take on management responsibilities and also achieve professional engineer status through the Institution of Engineering and Technology or the Institute of Mechanical Engineering.

There are also industry related qualifications that a rail track maintenance worker can achieve. These include:
- City and Guilds level 2 NVQ in rail engineering
- City and Guilds level 3 NVQ in rail engineering.

Useful links

• National Rail
• Institution of Mechanical Engineers
• Railway Industry Association
• The Engineering and Technology Board
• The Rail Engineer (magazine)
• Rail Staff (magazine)
• Rail Technology (magazine)

Case Studies

• 
  RAIL - engineering workshop demonstration
  Apprentice engineers at National Express East Anglia demonstrate some of the work they do. (click on the image to play)
• 
  RAIL - engineering workshop tasks demonstration
  Rail engineering apprentices at National Express East Anglia demonstrate some of the work that they have learnt about. (click on the image to play)