Mechanical Fitter

Cross Train into Rail Engineering

Mobile Maintenance Train Mechanical Fitter

Retford

Build a Career in Rail Engineering Are you a Mechanic, Vehicle Technician, HGV Technician, Plant Fitter, Agricultural Engineer or Mechanical Fitter looking for your next challenge?

• £43,000 starting salary
• Progression to approximately £48,500 after completing initial technical competency training (typically around 6 months)
• Further progression to approximately £53,000 once fully qualified
• Company van & fuel card
• 34 days annual leave
• Pension scheme
• Life assurance
• Healthcare cash plan
• Eye care scheme
• Employee wellbeing programme
• Hotels, meals and travel fully funded when working away
• Full rail engineering training
• Structured career progression

If you've worked on diesel engines, hydraulics, pneumatics or mechanical drive systems, your skills are highly transferable.

• 200 hours over a 5-week period
• Average 40 hours per week
• Mixture of day and night shifts
• Weekend and Bank Holiday working forms part of the rota, with rest days allocated during the week
• Days:
  Around 8:00am – 4:00pm (can vary)
• Nights:
  Typically 10:00pm – 6:00am or 12:00am – 8:00am (depending on operational requirements)

The Mobile Maintenance Train is essentially a fully equipped engineering workshop built onto a train. These specialist trains operate overnight across the UK rail network supporting railway infrastructure maintenance.

As a Mechanical Fitter, you'll be responsible for ensuring the trains remain safe, reliable and available for operation through planned maintenance, servicing, inspections and fault finding.

You’ll predominantly be based at the Retford depot, although from time to time you may be asked to provide operational cover at other depots.

The majority of your daytime work takes place at the Horsham depot.

• Planned maintenance
• Servicing
• Mechanical repairs
• Fault finding
• Inspections
• Replacing worn components
• Preparing the Mobile Maintenance Train for overnight operation

Approximately 90% of your daytime work is depot based.

Night shifts offer a completely different aspect of the role. Once the Mobile Maintenance Train is out on the rail network supporting overnight engineering operations, you'll travel onboard as the designated mechanical engineer.

Your role is to ensure the train continues operating safely and reliably throughout the shift. Should a significant mechanical issue occur, you'll be available to diagnose faults and carry out repairs to minimise downtime and keep the operation moving.

As train operators deal with many of the routine operational tasks, there will be periods where you are on standby until required.

The trains are fitted with welfare facilities including seating areas, kitchen facilities and work spaces, ensuring engineers remain comfortable throughout the shift.

Your permanent base will be Retford.

Occasionally you may be asked to support another depot to cover annual leave, sickness or operational requirements. Where overnight stays are required, all accommodation, travel, parking and meals are fully funded by the company.

Each year you'll also spend approximately two to three weeks in York completing the annual overhaul programme, where the Mobile Maintenance Trains undergo major servicing and refurbishment.

No rail experience is required. Your structured development programme includes:

• Classroom-based training
• Rail safety training
• Practical depot experience
• Working alongside experienced rail engineers
• Technical competency assessments
• Hands-on servicing and maintenance

• Mechanical engineering experience
• NVQ Level 3 (or equivalent practical experience considered)
• Full UK Driving Licence
• Strong fault-finding ability
• Positive attitude and willingness to learn
• Able to work days, nights and weekends as part of the rota

• Medical assessment
• Drug & alcohol screening
• DBS check