Railtrack is to start a major recruitment drive in January after the announcement this week that it wants an extra 1000 staff in the New Year.
The company is looking for 700 signallers and around 300 engineers to boost its in-house resources. Among groups targeted are school leavers, professional engineers, those who have retired early and people returning after a career break.
The news came as Transport Minister Lord Macdonald and Railtrack chief executive Steve Marshall visited an engineering work site near Waterloo on Boxing Day.
Commenting on the recruitment drive Lord Macdonald said: “With a huge amount of work to do and years of heavy investment in prospect, the railways needs more talented and skilled people to work in the great technical challenges ahead.”
The Christmas programme of work covers 60 locations across the country and involves 8000 man days of work to replace 25 miles of track and 50 sets of points.
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By Catriona Marchant
