Automotive Mechanic cross train to Rail Mechanical Fitter
Pure Talent Group
Horsham
£43,000 Starting Salary, move to £48,500 after passing probation
Progression to £53,000
Company Van and fuel card
34 Days Holiday
Cross Train into the Rail Industry
Are you an Automotive Mechanic, Vehicle Technician, HGV Technician, Plant Fitter, Agricultural Engineer or Mechanical Fitter looking for something different?
Would you like to use your engineering skills on some of the UK's most advanced specialist maintenance equipment whilst receiving full rail industry training and excellent long-term career progression?
No previous rail experience is required.
Our client, one of the UK's leading rail engineering companies, is looking for mechanically minded engineers to join their specialist Mobile Maintenance Train (MMT) engineering team based in Horsham.
This is a unique opportunity to move into the rail industry whilst continuing to work on complex diesel, hydraulic, pneumatic and mechanical systems.
Salary & Benefits
- £43,000 starting salary
- Progression to approximately £48,500 after successful completion of initial technical competency training (typically around 6 months)
- Further progression to approximately £53,000 once fully qualified
- Company van provided
- Fuel card included
- 34 days annual leave
- Pension scheme
- Life assurance
- Healthcare cash plan
- Eye care scheme
- Employee wellbeing programme
- Fully funded hotels, meals and travel when working away
- Full rail engineering training provided
- Long-term career progression with structured competency-based salary increases
- Opportunity to work on highly specialised engineering equipment rarely seen outside the rail industry
These specialist trains operate overnight across the UK rail network supporting railway infrastructure maintenance and carrying sophisticated engineering equipment worth millions of pounds.
As an MMT Mechanical Fitter, your role is to ensure the train remains safe, reliable and operational through planned maintenance, inspections and fault finding.
The role combines:
- Mechanical maintenance
- Preventative servicing
- Fault diagnosis
- Hydraulic repairs
- Pneumatic repairs
- Diesel engine maintenance
- Mechanical drive systems
- Electrical fault finding
- Depot-based servicing
- Night-time engineering support
What You'll Be Working On The Mobile Maintenance Trains contain a wide variety of engineering systems including:
- Diesel engines
- Mechanical transmission systems
- Hydraulic equipment
- Pneumatic systems
- Compressors
- Electrical systems
- Onboard computer diagnostics
- Specialist railway engineering equipment
Working Pattern The role operates on a balanced five-week roster:
- 200 hours over a five-week period
- Average 40 hours per week
- Fully compliant with rail industry fatigue management standards
Day Shifts
Most day shifts are completed at the Horsham depot.
Typical hours are:
8:00am – 4:00pm
Daytime duties include:
- Planned maintenance
- Mechanical servicing
- Repairs
- Fault finding
- Inspections
- Replacing worn components
- Preparing trains for overnight operation
Night Shifts Night shifts provide one of the most interesting aspects of the role.
Typical examples include:
- 10:00pm – 6:00am
- 12:00am – 8:00am
At the start of the shift you report to depot before travelling onboard the Mobile Maintenance Train to its overnight worksite.
As the designated onboard engineer, you provide technical support should the train suffer a significant mechanical issue whilst supporting railway maintenance operations.
Minor faults are generally dealt with by train operators, meaning your role is often standby engineering support until required.
The trains contain welfare facilities including seating areas, kitchen facilities and workspaces, ensuring engineers remain comfortable throughout the shift.
Travel Your home depot will be Horsham, although occasional travel to other depots may be required for annual leave cover, sickness cover or operational requirements.
Where overnight stays are required, accommodation, parking and meals are fully funded by the company.
Annual Overhaul Programme Each summer engineers take part in a two-week overhaul programme in York where the Mobile Maintenance Trains are stripped down, serviced and rebuilt.
This provides valuable hands-on training and experience.
All travel, accommodation and meals are paid for by the company.
Full Training Provided No previous rail experience is necessary.
Your first six months will include:
- Classroom-based technical training
- Foundation engineering modules
- Practical depot experience
- Working alongside experienced engineers
- Technical competency assessments
- Safety training
- Hands-on servicing and maintenance
- Mechanical engineering experience
- NVQ Level 3 or equivalent practical experience (flexibility for strong candidates)
- Full UK Driving Licence
- Good fault-finding ability
- Positive attitude and willingness to learn
- Ability to pass medical, DBS and drug & alcohol screening
Send your CV through the link, and we will contact you asap for a chat about your transferable skills. #ENG1
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