Rail tie-up creates training centre amid clamour for lineman jobs

a nEW rail partnership has generated 20 jobs and has the potential to train up to 100 indemand workers over the next two years.

The agreement between Carillion Rail and austrian electric transport specialist SPL Powerlines has led to the creation of a dedicated training facility in Coatbridge, north Lanarkshire.

it comes as the industry looks to ramp up capacity and expertise ahead of network Rail’s £2 billion investment in further electrification of major routes. By 2016, the sector is likely to need upwards of 2,000 skilled linemen – about ten times current capacity.

The Scottish unit will supplement Carillion’s own overhead training operation at Bishopbriggs. SPL Powerlines is also developing a centre at Doncaster, in South Yorkshire.

Some 20 posts have been created at Coatbridge, bringing the workforce to 35. Between the new training centre and the Bishopbriggs facility, the partnership anticipates training about 100 people in the next couple of years in Scotland.

Mark Davies, managing director of Carillion Rail, said: “The scale of network Rail’s electrification expansion is transformational.

“We have already secured early enabling work on the high-profile glasgow-to-Edinburgh improvement programme and our agreement with SPL strengthens further our leading role in this market.”

The jobs boost comes after it emerged this week that hundreds of posts were at risk at rail repairs and refurbishment company Railcare, which has operations at Springburn.