Job market information
Finding out about rail
The rail industry is represented by People 1st, the Sector Skills Council for hospitality, passenger transport, travel and tourism. The passenger transport sector incorporates rail, aviation, bus and coach, taxi and private hire, light rail and metro, driver training, and UK waterways. The sector accounts for 735,000 jobs, most of which are within the bus and coach, taxi and private hire, rail, and aviation industries. The passenger transport sector includes a wide variety of roles, from pilots and transport planners, to essential support roles in finance, marketing and human resources.
The rail industry is one of the largest industries in the passenger transport sector incorporating rail operating services and rail engineering. Within train operating companies, the main jobs are customer focused, but there are many jobs in operations and service delivery. Engineering is a large part of the industry with engineers and technicians responsible for the rolling stock, the track (permanent way) and its surrounds, telecommunications and the electrification of the railway.
Key facts:
- There are around 159,000 people working in the rail industry, of which:
- 47,000 work for train operating companies
- 112,000 work for Network Rail and in supplier and engineering companies
- There are around 2,500 stations in the UK, of which 18 are managed by Network Rail.
- The average age of employees is 39 years.
- The average working hours for a rail industry employee are 37 per week.
- Shift working is the norm within the industry.
- Just 2% of the workforce is employed part‐time.
- Trainee driver vacancies are competitive as there can be more than 300 applications for each job available.
Jobs in the industry fall into the following areas:
- Rail operations (customer facing and service delivery) – such as train driver, station staff member, train crew member, control room operator, service planner, signaller, train manager, rail station assistant, conductor, gateline assistant
- Engineering – such as engineer, technician, assistant engineer, technician manager, track maintenance worker, signalling technician, traction and rolling stock technician, rail engineering apprentice
Entry and progression
For most entry level jobs, there are no specific academic requirements other than a sound basic education.
For train crew and station staff jobs, i.e. customer facing roles, experience of working in customer service environments, such as a call centre, bar, restaurant or shop work is an advantage. Employers are looking for communication skills and the ability to deal confidently with the public.
To become a train driver, applicants can either apply for a trainee position or gain employment in another rail industry role and wait for a trainee driver vacancy to be advertised internally. It is more common for trainee driver positions to be recruited internally. Driving roles only require a standard education, but with increasing competition a higher level of education can be an advantage.
Engineers can be recruited as trainees or as experienced technicians. Applicants are usually expected to have had some basic education in engineering, such as a GCSE or entry level award in engineering or technology. For more experienced positions, applicants are usually expected to have relevant related work experience, such as construction or mechanics. To work on the railway, technicians and engineers need a personal track safety (PTS) card. Employers often provide the required training for employees to gain a PTS card. Alternatively, some recruitment agencies will pay for the required training.
There are a range of industry endorsed courses, apprenticeships (in Rail Transport Operations and Rail Transport Engineering), training schemes and vocational qualifications.
For job specific entry requirements, take a look at our job profiles.
Workforce statistics
| Number of UK employees: |
159,000 |
|---|
| Gender: |
4% of the driving and maintenance workforce is female |
|---|
| 31% of the customer service staff workforce is female |
| 11% of engineering workforce is female |
| Ethnicity: |
15% of the rail operations workforce is from an ethnic minority background |
|---|
| 5% of engineering workforce is from an ethnic minority background |
| Age: |
40% of the workforce is over 45 years of age |
|---|
Employment trends and future prospects
The rail industry is a large employer in the UK. Rail services are provided by 25 train operating companies – some provide services that go across the UK, whereas others are more localised. The largest employer in the industry is Network Rail, which employs about 20% of the rail workforce.
Skill requirements and shortages
The main skills gaps in the industry are:
- In rail operations
- foreign languages (26% of companies)
- job related IT (14%)
- In rail engineering
- foreign languages (13% of companies)
- job related IT (13%)
- safety/accident management (13%)
- management and leadership (13%)
- team working (13%)
The skills most valued by the industry include: customer service; communication; organisational and planning skills; team working; and health and safety.
Occupational trends
The main occupations in the rail industry are engineers and drivers, with on train staff and station staff also making up large numbers. Neither rail operations nor rail engineering companies have major difficulties in recruitment.
National and regional data
[N.B. Regional data presented are for the rail industry and the passenger transport sector as a whole. Data derived from the Labour Force Survey, 2007.]
East Midlands – There are 3,100 people working in the rail industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 14% of the workforce in the region is female. 14% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 6% of the workforce is under 25 years, 62% is 26‐49 years and 32% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: foreign languages; vehicle maintenance and engineering; Welsh language; job related IT; and safety/accident management.
East of England – There are 4,400 people working in the rail industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 25% of the workforce in the region is female. 9% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 7% of the workforce is under 25 years, 52% is 26‐49 years and 41% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: foreign languages; job related IT; Welsh language; and vehicle maintenance and engineering.
London – There are 3,300 people working in the rail industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 20% of the workforce in the region is female. 42% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 4% of the workforce is under 25 years, 70% is 26‐49 years and 26% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: job related IT; foreign languages; safety/accident management; booking operations; and logistics and scheduling of services.
North East – There are 1,200 people working in the rail industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 17% of the workforce in the region is female. 3% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 8% of the workforce is under 25 years, 51% is 26‐49 years and 41% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: job related IT; foreign languages; vehicle maintenance and engineering; Welsh language; and safety/accident management.
North West – There are 6,500 people working in the rail industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 16% of the workforce in the region is female. 14% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 6% of the workforce is under 25 years, 61% is 26‐49 years and 33% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: foreign languages; disability awareness; Welsh language; and vehicle maintenance and engineering.
South East – There are 9,000 people working in the rail industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 25% of the workforce in the region is female. 11% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 6% of the workforce is under 25 years, 48% is 26‐49 years and 36% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: foreign languages; vehicle maintenance and engineering; and job related IT.
South West – There are 4,500 people working in the rail industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 19% of the workforce in the region is female. 4% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 4% of the workforce is under 25 years, 56% is 26‐49 years and 40% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: foreign languages; job related IT; and vehicle maintenance and engineering.
West Midlands – There are 4,300 people working in the rail industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 19% of the workforce in the region is female. 27% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 7% of the workforce is under 25 years, 65% is 26‐49 years and 28% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: job related IT; safety/accident management; foreign languages; maths/working with numbers; and disability awareness.
Yorkshire and the Humber – There are 5,800 people working in the rail industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 13% of the workforce in the region is female. 18% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 8% of the workforce is under 25 years, 62% is 26‐49 years and 30% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: foreign languages; vehicle maintenance and engineering; job related IT; and Welsh language.
Northern Ireland – There are 500 people working in the rail industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 21% of the workforce in the region is female. Data are unavailable on the ethnicity of the workforce. 9% of the workforce is under 25 years, 74% is 26‐49 years and 17% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: foreign languages; safety/accident management; job related IT; and disability awareness.
Scotland – There 3,200 people working in the rail industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 16% of the workforce in the region is female. 2% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 8% of the workforce is under 25 years, 56% is 26‐49 years and 36% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: foreign languages; vehicle maintenance and engineering; and disability awareness.
Wales – There are 2,100 people working in the rail industry in the region. In the passenger transport sector as whole, 18% of the workforce in the region is female. 4% of the workforce is from an ethnic minority background. 8% of the workforce is under 25 years, 54% is 26‐49 years and 38% is 50 years or older. Skill gaps include: Welsh language; foreign languages; disability awareness; safety/accident management; job related IT; and vehicle maintenance and engineering.
Salary levels
Pay scales in this industry are variable, so the following only provides an indication of the average weekly gross pay of the current workforce:
- Train driver £783
- Rail transport operative (likely to be control room operations such as signalling, planning and communications) £633
- Rail travel assistant (likely to be station and train based passenger service staff) £535
- Rail construction and maintenance operative £555
Career paths
Further sources
Produced Sept 2010, using GoSkills AACS LMI report (Jun 2010)
