Signalling technician

Signalling technicians inspect and maintain signalling equipment that keeps the trains running safely. They also identify and repair faults.

• Starter salary£28,000 a year
• Experienced£45,000 a year
• Typical hours37 to 45 a week

What you'll do

As a signalling technician, you could:

• install or renew signalling equipment, cables and power supplies
• respond quickly to signal and points failures
• carry out routine maintenance checks
• check readings transmitted by equipment monitoring systems
• upgrade radio and electronic communications networks
• find and fix equipment faults on site, and repair more complex issues in a workshop
• keep maintenance records up to date

Working environment

You could work on rail tracks, in a workshop or in a control room.

Your working environment may be noisy, outdoors some of the time and you'll travel often.

You may need to wear protective clothing.

Skills and knowledge you'll need

You'll need:

• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• the ability to use, repair and maintain machines and tools
• the ability to work well with others
• patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
• knowledge of public safety and security
• to be flexible and open to change
• knowledge of transport methods, costs and benefits
• excellent verbal communication skills
• to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

How to become a signalling technician

You can get into this job through and apprenticeship or by applying directly.

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do an apprenticeship with a rail engineering company, such as:

• Rail Engineering Technician Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
• Rail Engineering Technician Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship
• High Speed Rail and Infrastructure Technician Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship

Apprenticeships are offered by rail and tram operating companies, Transport for London and Network Rail.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
• 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship

Direct application

You may be able to apply directly to rail engineering companies, if you've got experience and qualifications in electrical or electronic engineering from another industry, or from time spent in the armed forces.

Restrictions and requirements

As a signalling technician, you'll work in a safety critical environment around live cables and on train tracks. This means you'll have a medical test as part of the selection process. This will include checks on your hearing and vision.

You might also need to:

• take regular drug and alcohol checks
• have a driving licence so you can drive rail company vehicles
• live no more than an hour away from the location you wish to work

Career path and progression

With experience, you could move from technical officer to senior technician, maintenance team leader and signals infrastructure manager.

With further qualifications, you could become a signalling designer or incident investigator.

Professional and industry bodies

You can join the Institution of Railway Signal Engineers (IRSE) for professional development training.

Guides for this industry

• Engineering: pay, interviews and getting started →

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