7 Rail Maintenance Workers jobs in the United Kingdom

Operative Track Maintenance

Guildford, GB

CV SM(Tr) Guildford Direct G1

At Network Rail, we're part of a large family serving millions of passengers and freight users throughout the UK everyday. Our service impacts millions of people and we strive to become more efficient as we enhance, maintain and operate our network.

We provide rapid access along busy commuter routes to our seven cities, servicing the varied needs of our business and leisure commuter services, including cross border services and rural services. We have up to 50 freight services operating every day and we are steadily building capacity for this to grow. Our ambition to be responsive to passengers and freight users, drives us every day and we're empowered to do the right thing for those who use the rail network. We actively challenge unsafe practices and take responsibility for addressing risks, resolving issues and protecting safety and wellbeing.

Our passengers and freight users are at the heart of everything we do. We help connect people to their friends and families and get goods to their destination safely and efficiently. We're an organisation where people matter. Watch our video to find out more

About our people and the recruitment process - We're an inclusive employer of choice and we welcome applications from everyone

We encourage our colleagues to work flexibly, as we know traditional working patterns don't always fit. If you want to consider working flexibly, just let us know and we'll do our best to help and invest in your career with us, whilst you have a healthy work life balance.

We're also a Disability Confident Leader employer and we'll try our best to adapt the process and offer a reasonable alternative to help support people with disabilities access, apply and interview for roles.

We welcome individuals from diverse backgrounds, even if you've never considered a rail career before. Your role will be critical for ensuring railway safety and efficiency through adherence to safety procedures, alignment with Network Rail's safety vision, and engaging in practical problem-solving with your team.

We prioritise transferrable skills and behaviours, and we are committed to providing the training required for you to work safely and competently on the network. Our workplace is diverse, and we strive to make it as welcoming as possible to everyone. You'll be a member of a small team responsible for daily rail network maintenance, contributing to the safe and smooth operation for passengers and freight users.

Joining us means an exciting career with a company recognized in Glassdoor's top 50 Best Places to Work in 2021. You will play a meaningful role in keeping our nation in motion every day.

If working outdoors in any weather, day or night, and engaging in fulfilling manual tasks sounds exciting to you, the role of Railway Operative might be for you. Your focus on safety, respect for rules, and teamwork are essential whilst working in a safety-critical environment.

Operatives specialise in a range of fields but for this role, you'll become a specialist in Track: Your responsibility will involve maintaining, inspecting, and repairing the track network (also known as the Permanent Way or P-Way) to keep the railway safe and efficient. This is a very manual role as you'll be working with rails, sleepers and ballast that support the trains, together with their associated drainage and ancillary structures. This position requires availability for night shifts, as the majority of work hours will be overnight.

You're important to us

Your dedication to self-development is highly valued. We provide comprehensive training for both technical and non-technical skills. Whether you're new to the industry or transitioning from another field, our structured training prepares you for a rewarding career in rail. Today's operatives are tomorrow's Technicians and Team Leaders, and we offer a clear career path for your advancement. Your dedication matters to both your team and us and we pride ourselves on tailoring our support to our specific employee's needs. For example, we actively encourage members of our team to seek accommodations that will make their lives at work easier.

Your Skills Matter to us

Our Operatives play a key role in our maintenance teams. You don't necessarily need rail experience, but you do need to show how your transferrable skills meet the following Essential Criteria required for this role:

• Team working - our maintenance teams depend on each other, and you will be required to work closely with the team to deliver safe and efficient work delivery.

• Good Communication Skills - So you can work safely and effectively within a team.

• Proactive planning - being punctual, having equipment ready in preparation for the needs of the team.

• Thriving in high-pressure situations - working outdoors in all conditions, and with situations where trains will be passing close by, so you'll need to remain competent in a fast-paced environment.

• Following rules and instructions - it is important that you understand and respect the rules, but also feel confident to challenge if you see a situation is unsafe.

• Willingness to learn - Consistently develop your skills and competencies relevant to your team, keeping up to date with new standards, procedures, and instructions.

Here's some additional information which might help you.

• Shifts - Operative roles involve a changing shift pattern including days, nights, and weekends.

• Outdoor working - Our operatives operate outdoors in all kinds of weather, and you'll be equipped with the necessary Personal Protective Equipment to handle various weather conditions.

• Safe working - offers of employment are subject to drug and alcohol testing and passing of the relevant medical assessment and BPSS pre-employment checks. This will include a hearing and eyesight examination.

• Driving - A driving license (category B) will be required so you can drive Network Rail vehicles.

• Commute times – You will need to be within a 60-minute commute of the location.

Salary 30351

Closing date: 3rd October 2025

Please get your application in as soon as possible, we may close the advert before the listed closing date if we receive enough applications. Late applications will not be accepted.

Please note the recruitment process for this role is a Competency based interview.

We're dedicated to creating an inclusive environment and we welcome applications from everyone

Network Rail is a Disability Confident Leader and we'll try our best to adapt the process and offer a reasonable alternative to help support people with disabilities access, apply and interview for roles. You can visitEvenbreak's Career Hive for advice on accessibility support if you're unsure of the options available. Should you require any reasonable adjustments/modifications, please add a note to your application.

Keeping people safe on the railway is at the heart of everything we do. Safe behaviour is therefore a requirement of working for Network Rail. You should demonstrate your personal dedication to safety on your application.

Drugs and Alcohol Standard:

All prospective candidates will be required to undergo and pass a drugs and alcohol test. Your application will be rescinded if you record a positive test. All positive drugs and alcohol test results for prospective candidates will be securely held on Sentinel database and a 5 year suspension from applying for a safety critical role, a role which requires PTS certification or a Key Safety role on Network Rail Managed Infrastructure will be enforced.

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Operative Track Maintenance

Guildford, GB

CV SM(Tr) Guildford Direct G1

At Network Rail, we're part of a large family serving millions of passengers and freight users throughout the UK everyday. Our service impacts millions of people and we strive to become more efficient as we enhance, maintain and operate our network.

We provide rapid access along busy commuter routes to our seven cities, servicing the varied needs of our business and leisure commuter services, including cross border services and rural services. We have up to 50 freight services operating every day and we are steadily building capacity for this to grow. Our ambition to be responsive to passengers and freight users, drives us every day and we're empowered to do the right thing for those who use the rail network. We actively challenge unsafe practices and take responsibility for addressing risks, resolving issues and protecting safety and wellbeing.

We want to help deliver a railway which is safe, reliable, affordable and that provides great customer service to everyone. For more information about Network Rail click here.

Our passengers and freight users are at the heart of everything we do. We help connect people to their friends and families and get goods to their destination safely and efficiently. We're an organisation where people matter. Watch our video to find out more

We're continuing to build a diverse organisation which is representative of the people we serve. We want to harness the skills and expertise of our people and attract the best talent, to enable a safe and accessible railway for everyone. To learn why inclusion is important to us, please click here.

About our people and the recruitment process - We're an inclusive employer of choice and we welcome applications from everyone

We encourage our colleagues to work flexibly, as we know traditional working patterns don't always fit. If you want to consider working flexibly, just let us know and we'll do our best to help and invest in your career with us, whilst you have a healthy work life balance.

We're also a Disability Confident Leader employer and we'll try our best to adapt the process and offer a reasonable alternative to help support people with disabilities access, apply and interview for roles.

We welcome individuals from diverse backgrounds, even if you've never considered a rail career before. Your role will be critical for ensuring railway safety and efficiency through adherence to safety procedures, alignment with Network Rail's safety vision, and engaging in practical problem-solving with your team.

We prioritise transferrable skills and behaviours, and we are committed to providing the training required for you to work safely and competently on the network. Our workplace is diverse, and we strive to make it as welcoming as possible to everyone. You'll be a member of a small team responsible for daily rail network maintenance, contributing to the safe and smooth operation for passengers and freight users.

Joining us means an exciting career with a company recognized in Glassdoor's top 50 Best Places to Work in 2021. You will play a meaningful role in keeping our nation in motion every day.

If working outdoors in any weather, day or night, and engaging in fulfilling manual tasks sounds exciting to you, the role of Railway Operative might be for you. Your focus on safety, respect for rules, and teamwork are essential whilst working in a safety-critical environment.

Operatives specialise in a range of fields but for this role, you'll become a specialist in Track: Your responsibility will involve maintaining, inspecting, and repairing the track network (also known as the Permanent Way or P-Way) to keep the railway safe and efficient. This is a very manual role as you'll be working with rails, sleepers and ballast that support the trains, together with their associated drainage and ancillary structures. This position requires availability for night shifts, as the majority of work hours will be overnight.

You're important to us

Your dedication to self-development is highly valued. We provide comprehensive training for both technical and non-technical skills. Whether you're new to the industry or transitioning from another field, our structured training prepares you for a rewarding career in rail. Today's operatives are tomorrow's Technicians and Team Leaders, and we offer a clear career path for your advancement. Your dedication matters to both your team and us and we pride ourselves on tailoring our support to our specific employee's needs. For example, we actively encourage members of our team to seek accommodations that will make their lives at work easier.

Your Skills Matter to us

Our Operatives play a key role in our maintenance teams. You don't necessarily need rail experience, but you do need to show how your transferrable skills meet the following Essential Criteria required for this role:

• Team working - our maintenance teams depend on each other, and you will be required to work closely with the team to deliver safe and efficient work delivery.

• Good Communication Skills - So you can work safely and effectively within a team.

• Proactive planning - being punctual, having equipment ready in preparation for the needs of the team.

• Thriving in high-pressure situations - working outdoors in all conditions, and with situations where trains will be passing close by, so you'll need to remain competent in a fast-paced environment.

• Following rules and instructions - it is important that you understand and respect the rules, but also feel confident to challenge if you see a situation is unsafe.

• Willingness to learn - Consistently develop your skills and competencies relevant to your team, keeping up to date with new standards, procedures, and instructions.

Here's some additional information which might help you.

• Shifts - Operative roles involve a changing shift pattern including days, nights, and weekends.

• Outdoor working - Our operatives operate outdoors in all kinds of weather, and you'll be equipped with the necessary Personal Protective Equipment to handle various weather conditions.

• Safe working - offers of employment are subject to drug and alcohol testing and passing of the relevant medical assessment and BPSS pre-employment checks. This will include a hearing and eyesight examination.

• Driving - A driving license (category B) will be required so you can drive Network Rail vehicles.

• Commute times – You will need to be within a 60-minute commute of the location.

Salary 30351

Network Rail Benefits – To find out about what benefits we offer, click here

Closing date: 3rd October 2025

Please get your application in as soon as possible, we may close the advert before the listed closing date if we receive enough applications. Late applications will not be accepted.

Please note the recruitment process for this role is a Competency based interview.

Click 'apply now' to apply.

We're dedicated to creating an inclusive environment and we welcome applications from everyone

Network Rail is a Disability Confident Leader and we'll try our best to adapt the process and offer a reasonable alternative to help support people with disabilities access, apply and interview for roles. You can visitEvenbreak's Career Hive for advice on accessibility support if you're unsure of the options available. Should you require any reasonable adjustments/modifications, please add a note to your application.

Network Rail Benefits – To find out about what benefits we offer, click here

All offers of employment are conditional upon satisfactory completion of pre-employment checks. Click here for more information

Keeping people safe on the railway is at the heart of everything we do. Safe behaviour is therefore a requirement of working for Network Rail. You should demonstrate your personal dedication to safety on your application.

Drugs and Alcohol Standard:

All prospective candidates will be required to undergo and pass a drugs and alcohol test. Your application will be rescinded if you record a positive test. All positive drugs and alcohol test results for prospective candidates will be securely held on Sentinel database and a 5 year suspension from applying for a safety critical role, a role which requires PTS certification or a Key Safety role on Network Rail Managed Infrastructure will be enforced.

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