A career as a signaller

[The Difference]

Yea I didn’t get it. I’m on a reserve list as the vacancies have been filled. I only had an email, no phone call. So seems unsuccessful get an email, successful get a call.

Unlucky mate. I am in the same boat as yourself for a Grade 9 job at Edinburgh. Sat in the reserve list since May, so not holding my breath I’m going to be offered anything. You never know though! As others have mentioned, a lot seem to be offered positions from the reserve list. Hopefully you do get offered one.

I had applied elsewhere before the Signaller job came up, and I am fortunate enough to be waiting for a date to do DMI for a Train Driver role at ScotRail, after successfully completing stage 1 psychometrics. Was a bit of a shock as I had heard nothing and a friend told me about the Signaller role, which I ended up having my heart set on. It looks like it wasn’t meant to be though. Hopefully I end up with this driver job out of it all at least.

 

[muz379]

Question: Does anyone know what grade Hornby Junction is supposed to simulate?

Difficult to say without knowing the timetable / amount of regulating done at the junction . And also the frequency of use of the UWC's , and the AHBC phone because stuff like that is relevant to a job evaluation panel . But lets say you have 6 trains an hour on the down with 2 for the branch and 4 for the main . And 6 on the up with 2 off the branch .With little need to regulate Id say a 3

Hey!
Just wondering if anyone is starting IST on 2nd September in York?
Also any tips or advice for IST would be greatly appreciated!
Eager to get started now.

If not already then get yourself comfortable with using the phonetic alphabet , and saying out numbers individually including the time . This isn't just for school , you will be doing it everyday as a signaller . You are also constantly assessed on your comms , in many cases it is miscommunications that can cause or exacerbate operational incidents .

As for when you get there , try and get comfortable using the simulator ASAP , it will stand you in good stead . And running the back desk and thinking of scenarios is good practice in itself .

Try and take some time out at the weekends to yourself/family time or time with friends . Later in the course you might want to spend a bit of time at weekends revising though but early on in the course try not to overdo it .

If you get stuck , or are unsure of something ask , ask the trainer , ask someone else in your class who gets it , practice it on the sim if the rulebook doesn't make sense . Especially in the earlier weeks , if you are unsure of something early on make sure you let the trainer know , they will move on if they think everyone in the class gets it and some of the principles and definitions you learn early on are the foundations to other rules you cover later on .

Dont treat it like a competition , you are all there to learn the job and go on and do it . Some people will do better than others in that classroom environment , but if you can as a group try and bond as well as you can and support each other . It was so nice after school hearing from everyone when they passed out at their respective locations .

 

[croydonboy]

Hi all, does anyone know how the Liverpool workstation work at MRoc? I have looked at some maps etc and I know locations but does anyone know if it’s controlled via ARS or DRS. Also is it the usual 2 on 2 off over there ? Thanks in advance

 

[Trothy]

Hi all, does anyone know how the Liverpool workstation work at MRoc? I have looked at some maps etc and I know locations but does anyone know if it’s controlled via ARS or DRS. Also is it the usual 2 on 2 off over there ? Thanks in advance

No automatic route setting of any kind. If fully staffed two 1.5 hour breaks for a 12 hour shift.

 

[croydonboy]

No automatic route setting of any kind. If fully staffed two 1.5 hour breaks for a 12 hour shift.

Thanks for the quick reply. I visited Mroc in the past and I’ve now gathered that different links have completely different setups.

 

[Swanseajack91]

Congratulations. I also accepted a conditional position. Training forecasted to start mid November (providing all checks are okay) possibly in Bristol.


From what I’ve read on here, being on the reserve list can often reap a positive result.

Same to you! I was given the same dates sounds like we will be on the same course.

 

[Mists]

Same to you! I was given the same dates sounds like we will be on the same course.

Aye! See you there, all being well!

 

[Badger27]

Has anyone heard from the Dumfries trainee positions yet?

 

[Swanseajack91]

Aye! See you there, all being well!

Fingers crossed mate, my medical is on the 2nd September!

 

[RyanBaxendale]

Hello, I start my E learning and ITS on the 16th September and was wondering the 75% off rail benefit when does that kick in is it after the ITS, after 6 months or even straight away? Only wondering as I will be commuting by train

 

[CoachB]

Hello, I start my E learning and ITS on the 16th September and was wondering the 75% off rail benefit when does that kick in is it after the ITS, after 6 months or even straight away? Only wondering as I will be commuting by train

For IST your travel and accommodation will be booked for you. You might not get any emails with the bookings until the week before starting IST. You're best speaking to your LOM about this.

The 75% of rail travel does start right away but you have to apply for it. It can take a few weeks to sort out. However it's for leisure travel only. You're not allowed to use it to get to and from from work or for work purposes.

 

[RyanBaxendale]

For IST your travel and accommodation will be booked for you. You might not get any emails with the bookings until the week before starting IST. You're best speaking to your LOM about this.

The 75% of rail travel does start right away but you have to apply for it. It can take a few weeks to sort out. However it's for leisure travel only. You're not allowed to use it to get to and from from work or for work purposes.

Thanks for letting me know, I wouldn’t of thought I’d get accommodation as I probably live within a hour of where it’s held and I’m aware that I can’t use it to travel to work I’ll be on bike to work to try say a little fit as it’s only 30 mins on bike for me to where I’ll be posted it was just for the ITS but thank you for that really helpful

 

[CoachB]

Thanks for letting me know, I wouldn’t of thought I’d get accommodation as I probably live within a hour of where it’s held and I’m aware that I can’t use it to travel to work I’ll be on bike to work to try say a little fit as it’s only 30 mins on bike for me to where I’ll be posted it was just for the ITS but thank you for that really helpful

Yeah doesn't matter how close you live to IST they'll put you up in a hotel for the Sunday night to Friday morning each week of IST.
Due to the course being intensive it's preferred to stay in the hotel so you're out of your normal home environment so you can solely focus on the course.

 

[RyanBaxendale]

Yeah doesn't matter how close you live to IST they'll put you up in a hotel for the Sunday night to Friday morning each week of IST.
Due to the course being intensive it's preferred to stay in the hotel so you're out of your normal home environment so you can solely focus on the course.

Thanks for the help

 

[superdic]

Hi all, I just gone through the medical, and the lady there said that I got some weird readings of the blood pressure and ask me to see a GP for clarification.

Will the company decline the offer if the health result is not satisfactory? Or if it’s not a serious one they wil wait till u fixed the issue? I’ve booked the GP but quite anxious about it really. Any advices appreciated.

 

[muz379]

Yeah doesn't matter how close you live to IST they'll put you up in a hotel for the Sunday night to Friday morning each week of IST.
Due to the course being intensive it's preferred to stay in the hotel so you're out of your normal home environment so you can solely focus on the course.

They generally don't put you in a hotel the sunday night if you live within 90mins of the IST location . It is just Monday night to friday morning in the hotel with you travelling to IST on the Monday morning .

Hi all, I just gone through the medical, and the lady there said that I got some weird readings of the blood pressure and ask me to see a GP for clarification.

Will the company decline the offer if the health result is not satisfactory? Or if it’s not a serious one they wil wait till u fixed the issue? I’ve booked the GP but quite anxious about it really. Any advices appreciated.

Did they say specifically what the issue with your blood pressure was ?

It is not uncommon to have them ask to get something checked by your GP for a second opinion . When I did the hearing test my hearing in one ear was noticably worse than the other . When I went to my GP it turns out a seasonal cold I had not long since got over had left some inflamation in one of my ears .

Whilst certain things will make you fail the medical outright such as having defective colour vision or providing a positive sample in the Drug & ALcohol screening , in a lot of cases it is just ensuring that if you do have a medical condition it is controlled and will have no impact on your safety critical performance/ also checking that medication if any is safe for you to work on.

 

[Badger27]

Has anyone heard from the Dumfries trainee positions yet?

Still waiting. 2 weeks now. Every email I get I panic it’s a rejection one.

 

[CoachB]

They generally don't put you in a hotel the sunday night if you live within 90mins of the IST location . It is just Monday night to friday morning in the hotel with you travelling to IST on the Monday morning .

Don't know if the rules have changed on that as my whole class were put up in the hotel Sunday night to Friday morning even though we all lived between 35 minutes to just over an hour away.

My IST was in Scotland so unless there's different regional rules.

 

[Asp112233]

Hi guys,

So i officially start on the 16th September. But just had an email through about the 'warm welcome induction' on that day, either in Milton Keynes or Newcastle. Does everybody have to do this? If so, can anyone shed some light of what's involved? It's the first I've heard of it.

Thanks

 

[muz379]

Don't know if the rules have changed on that as my whole class were put up in the hotel Sunday night to Friday morning even though we all lived between 35 minutes to just over an hour away.

My IST was in Scotland so unless there's different regional rules.

Yeah I imagine different routes will have different approaches towards it , most of us didn't live that far away so just stayed in the hotel Monday night to friday morning .

 

[Kraken]

Hi guys,

So i officially start on the 16th September. But just had an email through about the 'warm welcome induction' on that day, either in Milton Keynes or Newcastle. Does everybody have to do this? If so, can anyone shed some light of what's involved? It's the first I've heard of it.

Thanks

If they have started doing a proper induction day that will be a welcome change. I was plonked in the corner of a spare office in the PSB on my first day before being handed a few random ends of cast-off PPE and then doing some haphazard e-learning. 4 years later I still have no ID card, or really basic knowledge about how Network Rail is organised. Not that I need it to do my job but still, it would have been nice to have a proper start.

 

[matt96]

Edit: This was originally a post to ask about what I could expect on my level 'Pre Placement HSW Medical Level 5' for a G7 signaller role. I have now been and passed so listed below is what happened whilst there, the tests took roughly 1 hour.

• Questions: Asking various questions about any previous or current medical issues. Standard stuff like have you ever had TB etc.
• Current medication: Went through my current medication, physically took the prescribed medication with me to show. (Sertraline in my case, was no problem)
• BMI: Weight and height checks. I am overweight but wasn't an issue.
• Blood pressure: First test high but ok, second test was perfect.
• Breath test: Blow test to check for alcohol.
• Urine test: Wee sample in a tube to check for drugs, this was quite awkward as she stood right outside the cubicle. If you're a shy p*sser then you might struggle
• Hearing test: A lengthy test whilst sat in a small sound proof cubicle with headphones on pressing a button when you hear a sound.
• Eye sight test: I was surprised at how simple this was. Colorblind test, reading out numbers from a book. Covering one eye at a time and reading out letters on a board.
• Mobility test: Moving you head left to right and touching toes etc, I cannot touch my toes was no issue.

I hope this helps, this was my last hurdle so naturally I was quite nervous but it really wasn't anything to worry about. Just waiting on my official start date now.

Just wondering if I could ask if you got a start date? If so how is it going? Also may I ask what dose of Setraline you are/were on. I am on 100g and the GP has passed me on the medical but dropped a condition of working supervised until my dose is lowered or until I stop taking all together. Still waiting back to see if I still get the role I was offered in April (Feels like I wont get the role at this moment in time). Just wondered if you or anyone else has had issues about being on Sertraline.

 

[2step786]

Hi all,

Not sure if this is the right place to post so here goes:

I have been one of the lucky few to have reached the interview stage for a Traffic Manager position at TFL for the Elizabeth Line. It is essentially a Signaller role but with additional responsibilities such as timetable amending and electrification and ventilation management.

At this stage, we are required to undergo a
written timetable test, scenario group assessment and an interview.

My question is in regards to the written timetable test and scenario group assessment. Does anyone have any idea on what that could or will consist of?

 

[DavidAtkin]

Hi guys. New to this thread just wondering if anyone has heard of any trainee signaller job opportunities coming up in central Scotland ?

 

[ZackCulross]

Hi guys. New to this thread just wondering if anyone has heard of any trainee signaller job opportunities coming up in central Scotland ?

Sure the advertised in April time for central Scotland

Edinburgh was may, possibly more soon but can never tell unfortunately.

 

[Badger27]

16 days since my interview now. Emailed asking if any updates and they replied saying not yet.

Not sure how it can take so long to let people know.

 

[RailwayRookie]

16 days since my interview now. Emailed asking if any updates and they replied saying not yet.

Not sure how it can take so long to let people know.

Jobs are generally heavily applied for, if you were one of the first interviewees you'd wait longer than the last. Plus there may be people on the decision making side on leave or a number of other operational reasons to consider. Its never been a quick turnaround unfortunately.

 

[Swanseajack91]

16 days since my interview now. Emailed asking if any updates and they replied saying not yet.

Not sure how it can take so long to let people know.

took about 20 days for them to get back to me in Wales mate.

 

[Buiadh]

Hi guys. New to this thread just wondering if anyone has heard of any trainee signaller job opportunities coming up in central Scotland ?

There are some internal vacancies around Perth and Stirling currently, whether they make it to external or not is another question.

They could be filled by people on a reserve list, also.

 

[joestankey18]

The

yea i do understand that, just seems unfair to do it so late. i took them like 5 months ago and am now having to re do. if i hadn’t of put in my notice i wouldn’t be so nervous

“The decision to mandate an invigilated retest would originate from higher management following extensive deliberations ” - HR