Mechanic cross train into rail
Listed on 2026-09-16
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Engineering
Railroad / Railway, Maintenance Technician / Mechanic -
Trades / Skilled Labor
Railroad / Railway, Maintenance Technician / Mechanic
Working as a rail mechanical fitter on mobile maintenance trains, which are on track advanced repair trains that operate to fix problems with tracks
£43,000 Starting Salary, move to £48,500 after passing probation
Progression to £53,000
Company Van and fuel card
34 Days Holiday
- £43,000 starting salary
- Progression to approximately £48,500after successful completion of initial technical competency training (typically around 6 months)
- Further progression to approximately £53,000once fully qualified
- Company van provided
- Fuel card included
- 34 days annual leave
- Pension scheme
- Life assurance
- Healthcare cash plan
- Eye care scheme
- Employee wellbeing programme
- Fully funded hotels, meals and travel when working away
- Full rail engineering training provided
- Long-term career progression with structured competency-based salary increases
- Opportunity to work on highly specialised engineering equipment rarely seen outside the rail industry
- The Mobile Maintenance Train is effectively a fully equipped engineering workshop built onto a train.
These specialist trains operate overnight across the UK rail network supporting railway infrastructure maintenance and carrying sophisticated engineering equipment worth millions of pounds.
As a Mechanical Fitter, your role is to ensure the train remains safe, reliable and operational through planned maintenance, inspections and fault finding.
The role combines:
- Mechanical maintenance
- Preventative servicing
- Fault diagnosis
- Hydraulic repairs
- Pneumatic repairs
- Diesel engine maintenance
- Mechanical drive systems
- Electrical fault finding
- Depot-based servicing
- Night-time engineering support
You will receive full training from experienced rail engineers through a structured development programme.
What You'll Be Working On- Diesel engines
- Mechanical transmission systems
- Hydraulic equipment
- Pneumatic systems
- Compressors
- Electrical systems
- Onboard computer diagnostics
- Specialist railway engineering equipment
If you've worked on trains, cars, vans, HGVs, buses, military vehicles, agricultural machinery or heavy plant equipment, many of your existing skills will transfer directly into this role.
Working PatternThe role operates on a balanced five-week roster:
- 200 hours over a five-week period
- Average 40 hours per week
- Fully compliant with rail industry fatigue management standards
The railway operates 24 seven days a week, so weekend and bank holiday working forms part of the rota with rest days allocated elsewhere.
Day ShiftsMost day shifts are completed at your local depot.
Typical hours are: 8:00am – 4:00pm (this can vary)
Daytime duties include:
- Planned maintenance
- Mechanical servicing
- Repairs
- Fault finding
- Inspections
- Replacing worn components
- Preparing trains for overnight operation
Approximately 90% of daytime work is completed at your home depot.
Night ShiftsTypical examples include: (Please note this can sometimes vary)
- 10:00pm – 6:00am
- 12:00am – 8:00am
Start and finish times vary depending on engineering requirements.
At the start of the night shift you report to depot before travelling onboard the Mobile Maintenance Train to its overnight worksite.
As the designated onboard engineer, you provide technical support should the train suffer a significant mechanical issue whilst supporting railway maintenance operations.
Minor faults are generally dealt with by train operators, meaning your role is often standby engineering support until required.
The trains contain welfare facilities including seating areas, kitchen facilities and work spaces, ensuring engineers remain comfortable throughout the shift.
TravelYour home depot will be base location, although occasional travel to other depots may be required for annual leave cover, sickness cover or operational requirements.
Where overnight stays are required, accommodation,…
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