Engineering opportunities in the UK rail sector

Signal failures, disruptions and delays; the glamour that once surrounded British railways seems to have been lost in the overcrowded carriages that now greet passengers. ‘We struggle to attract and recruit engineers because we’re not seen as one of those sexy industries,’ said Michelle Palin, recruitment manager at Network Rail.  ‘But the reality is very different.’

Last month, Network Rail announced the biggest investment in rail infrastructure since the Victorian era. It plans to spend £37.5bn to meet the predicted 400 million extra passenger journeys by 2020. Work is gathering pace at Crossrail and Thameslink, which will together provide much needed capacity across London. Meanwhile the government is firming up plans for national mainline electrification and the roll out of Europe’s fastest railway, High Speed 2.

Given the scale of the plans, it’s an exciting time to be an engineer in the sector. For instance, Crossrail is currently tunnelling through London’s underground city, the oldest and one of the most complex in the world. At its closest approach, the tunnel will be less than a metre away from an existing structure- an incredible feat given the tunnel boring machines have a minimum turning radius of 250m.