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Train Service Controller (Northern)

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C J Snarzell

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Morning

I wanted to query this role that is presently being advertised by Northern. The job specification sets out clear objectives of what is required but I am still a little unsure about whether it would be suitable to an outsider? It does mention the candidate should have excellent geography of Northern's rail network (which is vast to say the least).

Coincidentally Transpennine Express are advertising a similar role based at the Ashburys ROC in Manchester but they want a candidate with at least three years railway experience which rules me out.

I applied for the Customer Information Controller with Northern back in July and the salary was around 36k whilst this new post is 50k which leads me to believe the candidate will need to be exceptional to say the least.

I've noted that other TOCs have advertised ROC roles recently which have included Resource Controller and Duty Route & Incident Manager. Another forum member was kind enough to advise me that Resource Controller's are the best roles to step into first before progressing to anything else.

Can I clarify if controller jobs are given different job titles with each respective TOC or is there a kind of ranking structure in ROC environments which will give me a general idea of the lower scale jobs that are accessible to people with no ROC experience?

Please offer some advice about this.

Regards

C J
 
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Louby

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i would say you need extensive knowledge of how things work on the railway, if you don't have this then my opinion would be not apply
 

tiptoptaff

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To be successful as a TSC, you will need to have a very strong railway background.
 

Hotdog

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I would also add it is a very different environment compared to customer facing roles and a different skill set.
 

C001

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Ignore previous comments ... I know of one company that has taken people that have never even worked near a railway line that work in control ... don’t get me wrong I don’t agree with this but it does happen.
 

156420

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A general overview, as there’s so much to include, I’d be here all day.

The role will definitely require some experience of managing service disruption, such as CSL2 incidents, a knowledge of the general railway and local PIDD (Passenger Information During Disruption) guidelines.

The role involves the above, as well as looking after maintenance of units, making sure the Fleet Maintenance Plan is delivered with units going for exam/overhaul within their threshold, so you will busy organising unit swaps a lot of the time. Allocation of Units in Genius overnight and throughout the day. As well looking at traincrew relief issues (although there’s a separate job for that anyway) and unit issues during service disruption, and supporting the Customer Information Controller with all relevant info so they can update Tyrell & CIS as well assisting the Senior TSC.

For me the natural progression is from a Customer Info Controller however, if you’re good enough there’s no reason why you can’t get it.

It’s a very high pressure job, but rewarding at the same time. Best job I’ve ever done.
 
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C J Snarzell

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Many thanks for the updates on here.

I had a feeling this job requires some degree of experience in the railway industry. Like all other jobs advertised there will be a high calibre of applicants so I'm going to pass on this one as I wouldn't pass the paper sift.

C J
 

C001

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Many thanks for the updates on here.

I had a feeling this job requires some degree of experience in the railway industry. Like all other jobs advertised there will be a high calibre of applicants so I'm going to pass on this one as I wouldn't pass the paper sift.

C J

if you don’t apply you don’t know, where I work and have done so for 16 years the past 2 new starts in control have been off the street ...you get all the training you need in there and just because someone internally applies doesn’t mean they will have experience too. Nothing to lose by applying .
 

Amanda

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I agree with Cumbria... What's the harm in applying? If they don't think you're remotely suitable you'll get a not entirely unexpected rejection straight away. It's not like it'll count against you when applying for any future jobs.

Incidentally I have just interviewed for the other role you mention, Customer Information Controller, with East Midlands Railway and am just waiting to find out if I made it into the talent pool or not. To be completely honest I had no idea the same job title was repeated across TOCs - as much as it might seem obvious, it never occurred to me! Salary with them is £32,485.
 
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