Level 3 Rail Infrastructure Operations Apprenticeship
Network Rail Limited
Basingstoke (RG21 4FS)
Closes in 15 days (Friday 5 September 2025)
Posted on 21 August 2025
Contents
Summary
During our 18-month Rail Infrastructure Operator Apprenticeship, you will learn all about what it takes to deliver the operational railway we know today, including capacity planning, control, electrical control, incident response, signalling, and stations.
- Wage
-
£29,634 a year
- Training course
- Rail infrastructure operator (level 3)
- Hours
-
You may be required to work shifts, including evenings, weekends and night shifts. Shifts TBD.
37 hours 30 minutes a week
- Start date
-
Monday 12 January 2026
- Duration
-
1 year 6 months
- Positions available
-
10
Work
Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.
What you'll do at work
What does it involve?
You will experience on-the-job learning, formal training, experiences, and placements in operational locations across our operations business, gaining a perspective of the challenges we all face as we work together to deliver the very best customer experiences.
You will complete an introduction to people management and leadership skills, including modules such as leadership style, communications, managing yourself, and challenge and decision making.
You’ll also gain an appreciation of incident response and attend Signaller training as part of the scheme to give you a grounding in railway operational rules and principles. This will be delivered in modules of four-weeks at our training centre in York.
Assessment Centre dates:
23rd, 24th and 25th September 2025.
Where you'll work
Basingstoke Campus
Gresley Road
Basingstoke
RG21 4FS
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
NETWORK RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE LIMITED
Training course
Rail infrastructure operator (level 3)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Apply risk-based safety principles to ways of working and decision-making.
- Operate and manage train control and information systems to support the operation of a railway system.
- Apply statutory and company environmental safe working practices during planned, unplanned and emergency situations.
- Operate and manage the train service in accordance with the train plan. Respond and adapt when disruptions occur to the planned service.
- Identify, report and record information, using correct terms, standards, templates, and protocols.
- Produces and manages a train plan, resource plan or engineering works programme.
- Maintain safety and security of own work environment.
- Identify and manage personal mental and physical fitness for duty, and role model mental and physical fitness for duty for others in the context of maintaining safety.
- Negotiate with colleagues or stakeholders, for example to access equipment or arrange system outage.
- Respond to and resolve common complaints.
- Communicate with others, for example internal and external stakeholders, colleagues, and managers.
- Identify, carry out and record role and industry related CPD activities to improve own practice.
- Respond to and act upon information received regarding incidents and delays to manage the disruption to train services and return them to the scheduled timetable.
- Implement initial response and incident management plans to match the scale of the situation and minimise the impact to the wider network, stakeholders and experts.
- Initiate and facilitate investigations into incidents and events. Adhere to reporting procedures for different types of investigations including unplanned and emergency incidents or events.
- Work collaboratively with internal and external parties as appropriate to resolve problems and deliver an efficient train service.
- Explore and gather information from a range of sources needed to support operating activities and decisions.
- Takes responsibility for the safety of themselves and others in a safety critical work environment.
- Challenge others and escalate safety issues to comply with safety regulations and procedures.
- Prioritise workload, for example balancing incident and event recovery with maintaining other services.
- Apply risk-based safety principles to ways of working and decision-making.
- Operate and manage train control and information systems to support the operation of a railway system.
- Apply statutory and company environmental safe working practices during planned, unplanned and emergency situations.
- Operate and manage the train service in accordance with the train plan. Respond and adapt when disruptions occur to the planned service.
- Identify, report and record information, using correct terms, standards, templates, and protocols.
- Produces and manages a train plan, resource plan or engineering works programme.
- Maintain safety and security of own work environment.
- Identify and manage personal mental and physical fitness for duty, and role model mental and physical fitness for duty for others in the context of maintaining safety.
- Negotiate with colleagues or stakeholders, for example to access equipment or arrange system outage.
- Respond to and resolve common complaints.
- Communicate with others, for example internal and external stakeholders, colleagues, and managers.
- Identify, carry out and record role and industry related CPD activities to improve own practice.
- Respond to and act upon information received regarding incidents and delays to manage the disruption to train services and return them to the scheduled timetable.
- Implement initial response and incident management plans to match the scale of the situation and minimise the impact to the wider network, stakeholders and experts.
- Initiate and facilitate investigations into incidents and events. Adhere to reporting procedures for different types of investigations including unplanned and emergency incidents or events.
- Work collaboratively with internal and external parties as appropriate to resolve problems and deliver an efficient train service.
- Explore and gather information from a range of sources needed to support operating activities and decisions.
- Takes responsibility for the safety of themselves and others in a safety critical work environment.
- Challenge others and escalate safety issues to comply with safety regulations and procedures.
- Prioritise workload, for example balancing incident and event recovery with maintaining other services.
Training schedule
You’ll study for the Level 3 Apprenticeship in Rail Infrastructure Operations over the course of the scheme. The apprenticeship will teach you about the whole rail system and how different roles work together to ensure a safe service. It offers a great starting point for your career in rail operations, and will give you practical hands-on experience and a strong industry knowledge.
Previous apprentices have gone on to frontline management roles across operations, including Shift Station Management, Trainee Operations Management, Seasonal Delivery, Level Crossing Management, and Operations Interface Specialist.
Requirements
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- Communication skills
- Organisation skills
- Team working
About this employer
Network Rail’s role is to run a safe, reliable and efficient railway, serving customers and communities. We exist to get people and goods where they need to be and to support our country’s economic prosperity. Network Rail’s role is to run a safe, reliable and efficient railway, serving customers and communities. We exist to get people and goods where they need to be and to support our country’s economic prosperity.
Disability Confident
A fair proportion of interviews for this apprenticeship will be offered to applicants with a disability or long-term health condition. This includes non-visible disabilities and conditions.
You can choose to be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident scheme. You’ll need to meet the essential requirements to be considered for an interview.
After this apprenticeship
Previous apprentices have gone on to frontline management roles across operations, including Shift Station Management, Trainee Operations Management, Seasonal Delivery, Level Crossing Management, and Operations Interface Specialist.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
NETWORK RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE LIMITED
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000338381.
Apply now
Closes in 15 days (Friday 5 September 2025)
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