Call made for former signallers to help during COVID-19 crisis in the UK

As the operations teams of Network Rail’s Southern Region continue to work hard to keep signal boxes and control centres open 24/7 – ensuring that the UK’s key workers are able to keep travelling amidst the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis – the region has still been forced to appeal for former professional signallers to help as staff are lost to self-isolation and sickness.

With the need to keep lines running day and night to keep key workers getting to their jobs, as well as keeping vital food and medical supplies flowing across the country, Network Rail wants to retrain former staff in order to provide backup when staff numbers begin to run low.

John Halsall, Managing Director for Network Rail’s Southern Region, said: “This region carries half of all passengers in the country, as well as Channel Tunnel rail freight, and the pressure is on us to keep that going more than ever before. I’m appealing for signallers who’ve retired, left the railway, or moved on to other jobs in Network Rail that they can take a break from, to come back and help us keep the south moving. Under normal circumstances, we have enough signallers to keep trains running whatever happens, from flu to winter colds season, but these are not normal circumstances and, without signallers to route trains, there will be no way we can keep the whole network open. So, if you can help us, get in touch.”

Any former professional signallers who are interested in helping the railway are asked to email [email protected].

Controllers and local managers who are also qualified signallers are already back in signal boxes across Network Rail’s Kent, Sussex and Wessex Routes.