A career as a signaller

[Nippy]

I was under the impression the 13hrs or extra hour on a 12 was only be used in unexpected or exceptional circumstances?

I know it’s a strange time, but the clocks going backwards and forward has been on the cards for many many decades, it’s not it’s jumped out and shouted boo !

No it isn't a surprise, but I don't know how you would get around it on a 12 hour roster. It would be a sure fire way to lose them if you had to have a whole shift in for an hour!

 

[Tom Quinne]

No it isn't a surprise, but I don't know how you would get around it on a 12 hour roster. It would be a sure fire way to lose them if you had to have a whole shift in for an hour!

There was a suggestion of the meal relief turns coming in an hour early, each links relief overseeing each link of workstations.

But, that can very easily be turned against you when times become hard and difficult...like now....

 

[nom de guerre]

Or when you relieve someone at 1730 because there was no traffic and your relief rocks up at 0555 in the morning because his relief didn’t turn up until 1755 the night before. Classic.

There's a lesson here...

yes, you work 13, fine if you are Early Turn Sunday ! not so good on nights

Depends on the box. My current place is usually dead from around 0200-0600 on Sunday mornings so a night turn would probably just mean an extra hour reading the good book.

A GPR who covered a former box used to ask me to come in for 0730 vice the normal 0600 on a Sunday morning so they could enjoy a longer session of, uh, 'relaxation'. (The first train was at around 0720.) Never asked for any time back and considered it a big favour - me neither!

 

[craig1992]

Hello everyone,

I’d just like to echo the sentiments above. This thread is huge and undoubtedly crammed with a plethora of useful information.

Please don’t shoot the messenger, but I have been invited to interview and wondered if anyone would kindly share their experience. I don’t think I’d be able to read through the thread before my interview.

All the best,

I've done 2 interviews so far for signaller positions and both were all about about the 8 Non-Technical Skills have examples for each of them and then some questions about safety vision and lifesaving rules etc, aswell as some generic interview questions why do you want the job etc. Good luck with the interview.

 

[Jomesy214eva]

Hello! I have been successful in a signaller interview for Greenford SB, with everything going on the manager said it could be a while before things are started. I found out two weeks ago and the only thing that’s changed is my application online moved from ‘assessment 2 scheduled’ to ‘assessment 2 completed’. How long are people waiting to hear back from HR/onboarding about starting their checks and Medicals?
also as it’s in London, will I get London weighting on top of the 32.8k salary? Going from station to station it looks to be within the 16m radius.
Do you get shift allowance for working nights/sundays? Or is that already calculated in your base pay? I’m going to call the HR team tomorrow so will hopefully get an update anyway TIA

 

[Saracen_83]

also as it’s in London, will I get London weighting on top of the 32.8k salary? Going from station to station it looks to be within the 16m radius.
Do you get shift allowance for working nights/sundays? Or is that already calculated in your base pay? I’m going to call the HR team tomorrow so will hopefully get an update anyway TIA

As long as it is 16miles from charring cross as the crow flies then yes you will get inner London, otherwise it will be outer London (upto 40miles from charring X)

as for allowances, yes you get night allowance on top of base pay and sundays if/when worked are also on top of base salary.

 

[Jomesy214eva]

Awesome thank you

 

[TLB]

Hello! I have been successful in a signaller interview for Greenford SB, with everything going on the manager said it could be a while before things are started. I found out two weeks ago and the only thing that’s changed is my application online moved from ‘assessment 2 scheduled’ to ‘assessment 2 completed’. How long are people waiting to hear back from HR/onboarding about starting their checks and Medicals?
also as it’s in London, will I get London weighting on top of the 32.8k salary? Going from station to station it looks to be within the 16m radius.
Do you get shift allowance for working nights/sundays? Or is that already calculated in your base pay? I’m going to call the HR team tomorrow so will hopefully get an update anyway TIA

Congratulations!!
I was also recently successful at interview and verbally offered the role...(Fantastic )
I was advised that it could take up to a number of weeks to go through the process and go live in role. I was advised to wait for communication from HR and be rest assured that the role was mine.
This was back in September and nothing has come through as of yet, but hopefully it won’t be too much longer.
Things may be a tad slower due to current circumstances (WFH etc) so this will also impact the overall timeline.
The helpful members of the forum have also said that this process can take several weeks, even months from start to end so it’s a case of staying positive and waiting patiently. An email/call to nudge HR wouldn’t do any harm I wouldn’t think.
Fingers crossed for us both!

 

[Saracen_83]

.

 

[T-Karmel]

.

I think you just want to receive notifications about this thread? You can do this by pressing "Watch" button on the top of the thread, just so you know.

 

[Saracen_83]

I think you just want to receive notifications about this thread? You can do this by pressing "Watch" button on the top of the thread, just so you know.

no just was a double post.....

 

[Jomesy214eva]

Congratulations!!
I was also recently successful at interview and verbally offered the role...(Fantastic )
I was advised that it could take up to a number of weeks to go through the process and go live in role. I was advised to wait for communication from HR and be rest assured that the role was mine.
This was back in September and nothing has come through as of yet, but hopefully it won’t be too much longer.
Things may be a tad slower due to current circumstances (WFH etc) so this will also impact the overall timeline.
The helpful members of the forum have also said that this process can take several weeks, even months from start to end so it’s a case of staying positive and waiting patiently. An email/call to nudge HR wouldn’t do any harm I wouldn’t think.
Fingers crossed for us both!

congratulations! Which box are you going to? September, So that’s a fair while ago than when I found out, has your online application also moved to ‘assessment 2 completed’? At least we’ve got it that’s the main thing!

 

[TLB]

congratulations! Which box are you going to? September, So that’s a fair while ago than when I found out, has your online application also moved to ‘assessment 2 completed’? At least we’ve got it that’s the main thing!

Thank you!!
I’ll be going to Wembley SB.
Yes indeed, it has been quite a while. I was given a rough estimate of January being my starting month so that’s an indication of how long this could take. My online application moved to ‘assessment 2 completed” roughly a week after my verbal offer.
We are definitely in the system, just a case of going through the process- each timeline could differ based on the box you are in also (number of staff, managers etc).

 

[nom de guerre]

Hello! I have been successful in a signaller interview for Greenford SB

Nice one! Congratulations

as it’s in London, will I get London weighting on top of the 32.8k salary? Going from station to station it looks to be within the 16m radius.

A railway mileage calculator has Charing X - Greenford W Jn (where the box is located) as 17.3 miles but I’m not sure which measuring tool HR use (or whether there’s any leeway).

 

[Tom Quinne]

I read somewhere that every NWR region has to find 25% cost savings by order of the treasury. Nothing official as yet, but that’s not a surprise really.

The trains I’m seeing are extremely quite with handfuls of passengers onboard, probably not paying the fare as guards round here are still on no revenue duties.

I’m not trying to scare anyone, but I’m sharing my concerns that the knives are out and I’m worried about the future.

I left a TOC (Guard) for signaller as I thought it would see me through to end, but I’m not so sure now.

I do hold onto the logic that even if the railway “closed” passenger wise we’d still have freight and you would still need LBs, T3s etc with the associated freight and OTM runs etc so there would be a need for us.

Any thoughts?

 

[NoEyeDeer]

I read somewhere that every NWR region has to find 25% cost savings by order of the treasury. Nothing official as yet, but that’s not a surprise really.

The trains I’m seeing are extremely quite with handfuls of passengers onboard, probably not paying the fare as guards round here are still on no revenue duties.

I’m not trying to scare anyone, but I’m sharing my concerns that the knives are out and I’m worried about the future.

I left a TOC (Guard) for signaller as I thought it would see me through to end, but I’m not so sure now.

I do hold onto the logic that even if the railway “closed” passenger wise we’d still have freight and you would still need LBs, T3s etc with the associated freight and OTM runs etc so there would be a need for us.

Any thoughts?

Hopefully not, Starting as a signaller next week,

times are hard everywhere at the moment, cost saving is happening everywhere in the world, time will tell i suppose

 

[TRain87]

I read somewhere that every NWR region has to find 25% cost savings by order of the treasury. Nothing official as yet, but that’s not a surprise really.

The trains I’m seeing are extremely quite with handfuls of passengers onboard, probably not paying the fare as guards round here are still on no revenue duties.

I’m not trying to scare anyone, but I’m sharing my concerns that the knives are out and I’m worried about the future.

I left a TOC (Guard) for signaller as I thought it would see me through to end, but I’m not so sure now.

I do hold onto the logic that even if the railway “closed” passenger wise we’d still have freight and you would still need LBs, T3s etc with the associated freight and OTM runs etc so there would be a need for us.

Any thoughts?

Would imagine managers, LOMs, controller roles would be first to go and save money...can't sacrifice safety by cutting front line staff...MOMs and signallers

 

[godfreycomplex]

I read somewhere that every NWR region has to find 25% cost savings by order of the treasury. Nothing official as yet, but that’s not a surprise really.

The trains I’m seeing are extremely quite with handfuls of passengers onboard, probably not paying the fare as guards round here are still on no revenue duties.

I’m not trying to scare anyone, but I’m sharing my concerns that the knives are out and I’m worried about the future.

I left a TOC (Guard) for signaller as I thought it would see me through to end, but I’m not so sure now.

I do hold onto the logic that even if the railway “closed” passenger wise we’d still have freight and you would still need LBs, T3s etc with the associated freight and OTM runs etc so there would be a need for us.

Any thoughts?

I’m afraid posts like this do scare people, whether you mean them to or not.

I would say as an existing signaller there could be some changes but you should be pretty safe. As you say without signallers etc the lines would close altogether, so it’d require cuts of far more than 25% for any job cuts to be made.

There’s always a bit of wailing and gnashing of teeth when the railway has to find savings, but front line operations as we’ve said should be some of the last to go. Oftentimes because of overtime rates etc it works out cheaper to hire new people than to keep covering vacancies with existing people, so people looking to start in signalling reading this shouldn’t be despondent either

 

[Tom Quinne]

I’m afraid posts like this do scare people, whether you mean them to or not.

I would say as an existing signaller there could be some changes but you should be pretty safe. As you say without signallers etc the lines would close altogether, so it’d require cuts of far more than 25% for any job cuts to be made.

There’s always a bit of wailing and gnashing of teeth when the railway has to find savings, but front line operations as we’ve said should be some of the last to go. Oftentimes because of overtime rates etc it works out cheaper to hire new people than to keep covering vacancies with existing people, so people looking to start in signalling reading this shouldn’t be despondent either

Ive said to mates who have made the move from train to signal box if I was still a guard I’d be seriously bricking it right now.

Maybe at worse night turns at SB where there is no night service could be knocked on the head perhaps, we could work round that with less RDW.

Hopefully we work for a firm who are better than Cineaworld who find out they have no job via the media.

 

[TRain87]

I'm in the best performing route in the UK...won't be any redundancies from us...you other routes better pull your fingers out

 

[godfreycomplex]

Ive said to mates who have made the move from train to signal box if I was still a guard I’d be seriously bricking it right now.

Maybe at worse night turns at SB where there is no night service could be knocked on the head perhaps, we could work round that with less RDW.

Hopefully we work for a firm who are better than Cineaworld who find out they have no job via the media.

Yes that is true it’s a very worrying time for rear gunners I’m sure.

Hopefully indeed..... in the industry that I used to work in people didn’t even get furlough and are being told to find (non-existent) other jobs by the government (any complaint about which is treated with a tut and a roll of the eyes by most of society) so it’s definitely a privilege to be as cushioned from it all as we probably are

 

[MostlyHarmless]

I read somewhere that every NWR region has to find 25% cost savings by order of the treasury. Nothing official as yet, but that’s not a surprise really.

The trains I’m seeing are extremely quite with handfuls of passengers onboard, probably not paying the fare as guards round here are still on no revenue duties.

I’m not trying to scare anyone, but I’m sharing my concerns that the knives are out and I’m worried about the future.

I left a TOC (Guard) for signaller as I thought it would see me through to end, but I’m not so sure now.

I do hold onto the logic that even if the railway “closed” passenger wise we’d still have freight and you would still need LBs, T3s etc with the associated freight and OTM runs etc so there would be a need for us.

Any thoughts?

I'm tempted to say that big infrastructure projects would be the easiest to cut back - resignalling works, electrification etc. However the Government seems to be keen on these as employment generators so maybe its management and other non safety critical roles that will get looked at first. There seems no logic in getting rid of signallers (even if that is practical) only to have to recruit them again when things pick up - which they undoubtedly will.

 

[Tom Quinne]

I'm tempted to say that big infrastructure projects would be the easiest to cut back - resignalling works, electrification etc. However the Government seems to be keen on these as employment generators so maybe its management and other non safety critical roles that will get looked at first. There seems no logic in getting rid of signallers (even if that is practical) only to have to recruit them again when things pick up - which they undoubtedly will.

I totally agree things will pick up again, in say 3-4 years just in time for another general election as well.....

 

[dubs]

I read somewhere that every NWR region has to find 25% cost savings by order of the treasury. Nothing official as yet, but that’s not a surprise really.

The trains I’m seeing are extremely quite with handfuls of passengers onboard, probably not paying the fare as guards round here are still on no revenue duties.

I’m not trying to scare anyone, but I’m sharing my concerns that the knives are out and I’m worried about the future.

I left a TOC (Guard) for signaller as I thought it would see me through to end, but I’m not so sure now.

I do hold onto the logic that even if the railway “closed” passenger wise we’d still have freight and you would still need LBs, T3s etc with the associated freight and OTM runs etc so there would be a need for us.

Any thoughts?

What's your source please?

 

[nom de guerre]

I'm in the best performing route in the UK...won't be any redundancies from us...you other routes better pull your fingers out

Oh, I dunno, TRain87- they can probably make a few ‘efficiencies’ and still be in mid-table

Just saying like...

 

[Tom Quinne]

What's your source please?

I don’t recall now, definitely read is somewhere.

 

[dubs]

I don’t recall now, definitely read is somewhere.

I think that if you’re going to share such deeply concerning information, then it’s best that you can provide a source.

Some of us have already been through devastating job losses this year.

 

[Tom Quinne]

I think that if you’re going to share such deeply concerning information, then it’s best that you can provide a source.

Some of us have already been through devastating job losses this year.

I don’t do this “state your source” business, I apologise my memory isn’t what it used to be shift work has that effect on some people.

I’m sure if your that concerned I’m lying for some kind of weird kick a google search will bring up the information.

 

[dubs]

I don’t do this “state your source” business, I apologise my memory isn’t what it used to be shift work has that effect on some people.

I’m sure if your that concerned I’m lying for some kind of weird kick a google search will bring up the information.

That is what I'd attempted to do initially, hence the request.

I'm not suggesting you'd do it for a 'kick', but I am suggesting that rumours this potentially devastating should be supported by something tangible.

 

[Tom Quinne]

That is what I'd attempted to do initially, hence the request.

I'm not suggesting you'd do it for a 'kick', but I am suggesting that rumours this potentially devastating should be supported by something tangible.

Indeed for all of us, no one is safe from being deemed surplus to requirements.

I really hope money can be found to be saved without touching jobs.