Network Rail - Train Delay Attributor (TDA) - Recruitment Discussion

[Banham7]

I've applied for two positions at Network Rail for the role of Train Delay Attributor based at York ROC and Romford ROC, as I have an interest in working within train performance.

I applied for the Romford role at the start of June, and the status has been "Application under consideration for assessment 2" since mid-June. I gather that this means I passed the initial assessment which has attached to the application with multiple choice questions and some longer answer "Why do you want to work for us" etc questions?

I have seen recently that the same position opened up in York, however three positions were available this time round, so I'm hoping for more success with that role. I'm just wondering if anyone in the forum have had any experience with the application process for Train Delay Attributor within Network Rail? Thanks!

 

[D6130]

I've applied for two positions at Network Rail for the role of Train Delay Attributor based at York ROC and Romford ROC, as I have an interest in working within train performance.

I applied for the Romford role at the start of June, and the status has been "Application under consideration for assessment 2" since mid-June. I gather that this means I passed the initial assessment which has attached to the application with multiple choice questions and some longer answer "Why do you want to work for us" etc questions?

I have seen recently that the same position opened up in York, however three positions were available this time round, so I'm hoping for more success with that role. I'm just wondering if anyone in the forum have had any experience with the application process for Train Delay Attributor within Network Rail? Thanks!

Won't these positions become redundant with the roll-out of Great British Railways?

 

[Horizon22]

Won't these positions become redundant with the roll-out of Great British Railways?

Not at all. There will still be a need to attribute delays to relevant departments, even if it is all the same company. It also helps support performance, service and infrastructure improvements and is not all about payments.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Jul 2025 ==

I've applied for two positions at Network Rail for the role of Train Delay Attributor based at York ROC and Romford ROC, as I have an interest in working within train performance.

I applied for the Romford role at the start of June, and the status has been "Application under consideration for assessment 2" since mid-June. I gather that this means I passed the initial assessment which has attached to the application with multiple choice questions and some longer answer "Why do you want to work for us" etc questions?

I have seen recently that the same position opened up in York, however three positions were available this time round, so I'm hoping for more success with that role. I'm just wondering if anyone in the forum have had any experience with the application process for Train Delay Attributor within Network Rail? Thanks!

York and Romford are quite some distance away from each other. I would have thought it might raise some eyebrows on the application having applied for both.

 

[Banham7]

York and Romford are quite some distance away from each other. I would have thought it might raise some eyebrows on the application having applied for both.

I have applied for both as I'm located in the Midlands and would have to move somewhere closer to be in a position to take on the roles, so hopefully the hiring managers would see the dedication of that

 

[godfreycomplex]

Not at all. There will still be a need to attribute delays to relevant departments, even if it is all the same company. It also helps support performance, service and infrastructure improvements and is not all about payments.

It is true to say however that the job will likely substantially change from what it currently is. Not saying that that should affect the OP’s judgement either way, just something to be aware of

 

[Javelin_55]

It is true to say however that the job will likely substantially change from what it currently is. Not saying that that should affect the OP’s judgement either way, just something to be aware of

How will the job substantially change?

As someone who used to do this job, I'm curious what makes you say that. TDAs are only the first part of the attribution process and I personally can't see the job changing for them in any substantial way.

 

[godfreycomplex]

How will the job substantially change?

As someone who used to do this job, I'm curious what makes you say that. TDAs are only the first part of the attribution process and I personally can't see the job changing for them in any substantial way.

Well the entire focus changes, they’ll be looking about “what will improve” rather than “who pays”, with all the changes in parameters that that will involve

 

[Javelin_55]

Well the entire focus changes, they’ll be looking about “what will improve” rather than “who pays”, with all the changes in parameters that that will involve

Performance improvement was, is, and will remain the true purpose of delay attribution.

The only reason payments are even involved at all is to make sure the responsible parties are financially incentivised to improve performance. But even so, that's an issue further down the line that TDAs shouldn't get involved in. As @Horizon22 said above, the different departments of GBR would presumably take on that responsibility.

 

[godfreycomplex]

The only reason payments are even involved at all is to make sure the responsible parties are financially incentivised to improve performance.

I’m, to put it mildly, not entirely certain that’s true.

 

[Javelin_55]

I’m, to put it mildly, not entirely certain that’s true.

Then you may want to check the first page of the ORR's Schedule 8 Performance Regime factsheet.

In any case, since the point of the post was asking about experience in the TDA role, OP please message me if you have any questions.

 

[godfreycomplex]

Then you may want to check the first page of the ORR's Schedule 8 Performance Regime factsheet.

I’ve read the whole factsheet and I’m not convinced that reflects reality either. But there we are.

Best of luck to anyone applying!

 

[Klikli]

Hello,

I am just looking for some particular information that I cant find elsewhere..so thought someone on here may know. As a TDA is it all reflective work where you review train delays once they have happened or is this something you also do real time? I just wanted to understand where the element of pressure comes from. What does progression typically lead to from this role? and finally would you mind sharing what your shift pattern is typically like, incl hours?

Thanks!

 

[Banham7]

I have received news today that I have been selected for interview for the role at Romford. The email says that that interview will be competency based, does anyone know what this may involve? Thanks.

 

[Horizon22]

I have received news today that I have been selected for interview for the role at Romford. The email says that that interview will be competency based, does anyone know what this may involve? Thanks.

It will likely follow the 'STAR' interview format. Questions will take the form of "tell us about a time you did X" or "can you explain a time that Y happened and you needed to do Z. How did you do it?"

 

[Horizon22]

Hello,

I am just looking for some particular information that I cant find elsewhere..so thought someone on here may know. As a TDA is it all reflective work where you review train delays once they have happened or is this something you also do real time? I just wanted to understand where the element of pressure comes from. What does progression typically lead to from this role? and finally would you mind sharing what your shift pattern is typically like, incl hours?

Thanks!

Yes you will often do the role in "real time" to some degree. Often much will be done within the first hour of the delay. Sometimes the reason for the initial delay is obvious, but other times a train is late because of another train, and that train is late due to another one and so on.

You may be contacting signallers / controllers for further info.

 

[Klikli]

Thank you for this. I don’t suppose you have any idea what the shift pattern is like at all? Do you work in teams or is it a solo role?

 

[Horizon22]

Thank you for this. I don’t suppose you have any idea what the shift pattern is like at all? Do you work in teams or is it a solo role?

I believe it will be set earlies / lates / nights. You'd be based in a control centre alongside other NR colleagues. Different routes and times of day may have a different number of TDAs on so can't comment on specifics. But you'd work with others anyway.

 

[Javelin_55]

I just wanted to understand where the element of pressure comes from. What does progression typically lead to from this role? and finally would you mind sharing what your shift pattern is typically like, incl hours?

The pressure comes from trying to clear delays appearing on the screen in front of you in real time. You may also have additional duties that draw you away from the delays screen. In times of heavy disruption you could have hundreds to deal with, and it'll be sods law that's the time you come across an unusual delay that you get stuck on.

Progression - there isn't much direct progression within the role. Some TDAs become signallers as a relationship develops with that group of people, and some go into management (though I am a very firm believer that you shouldn't assume being good at a job means you'd be good at managing others who do it)

Shift patterns vary depending on location. My former TDA colleagues voted to change their pattern and moved to a 12 hour roster.

 

[D1015]

Shifts will either be eight hours or 12hr shifts.

The pressure arises from working in what is a cerebral job while all around you, you'll have TRCs, ICs and supports all yelling across the room especially during an incident or emergency. Compound to this, you'll often be the only TDA covering a very large or very busy patch so if you fall behind, you're screwed.

Furthermore, you're expected to resolve/code a delay roughly one every two minutes which frankly is bonkers considering the depth of information you have to trawl. Easily done if you can quickly see on TWM that your train was held up behind another train, and that the other train's holdup is already coded / attributed, or that if your region has access to the TOC concerned's train manager/guard reports, they've left a note explaining why they were late ("4min late off X due to wheelchair and disruptive passengers"). However not so easy if there's nothing as then you will need to watch the movement replay on TVM, go through incident logs, then start flicking through multiple pages of TRUST (which is a COBOL based mainframe access) which is time consuming.

Or then your specific delay is say 5mins, you look into it, and it was knocked off by a train running 2mins late, and that train was knocked out by another train only two mins late, and then that third train was 2 late because a fourth train delayed it by 2-3mins. Because then you have to create cases for each of these delays, classified as "sub thresholds" and investigate each of =those= delays so that you can create the case for the last one, then link the one after that, link the third one to that, so in the end you can then link your specific delay to all of that. You can end up spending 30mins plus to account for 3mins of actual presented delay. (and then your manager will possibly be stood there, tapping their foot, demanding why your output rate was slow.)

In a major incident, the ripple effect will be horrific. Train after train will be delayed and each one will present on screen rapidly. You can have a backlog of over 100 delays all requiring the same meticulousness and needing to be done within a certain time but frankly, as someone who has done it for a good while, you will almost never have it wrapped up until long after.

There is no set progression from TDA; however you may be able to ask for days where you can shadow a signalling team, a manager or a TRC/IC to gain insights into those roles as often in our ROC TDAs go onto TRC and IC roles, or management roles.
TDA is a job I would consider carefully. However, when you apply, you sit the same psychometrics as you would to go into a signalling role (multi tasking and so on) so if you are successful you could use it as a stepping stone, pass out from your probation and then consider your next steps. TDA is on the signalling grades in terms of Grade, Ts and Cs (though beware: TDA is not a safety critical role, so you are not safeguarded in the same way as actual signallers are. It is advertised as safety critical, but you are not actually under the same means.)

 

[Spartacus]

Well the entire focus changes, they’ll be looking about “what will improve” rather than “who pays”, with all the changes in parameters that that will involve

Level 1 TDA won't change one bit, it's all about the initial cause investigation, what people do with the information down the line is of little consequence.

 

[Horizon22]

Level 1 TDA won't change one bit, it's all about the initial cause investigation, what people do with the information down the line is of little consequence.

Indeed. As mentioned, really there is a performance and ultimately "attribution" role and nothing to do with finance. It's ultimately "which category was at the core responsible for the delay?"

Level 2 & 3 will be the ones to challenge things, especially in complicated disruption and/or reactionary delays with lots of secondary services affected which impacts multiple operators.

Even under GBR there will be a financial "pot" that moves between different departments/routes. But it's a ultimately a very helpful performance tool because it can help with trend and pattern analysis.

 

[Spartacus]

But it's a ultimately a very helpful performance tool because it can help with trend and pattern analysis.

Or as I like to say when ever anyone comments on it, particularly after what a certain minister said (which did absolutely nothing for TDA morale), how can you know how to run the trains on time if you don't know what's making them late in the first place?

 

[Browngeo]

Would anyone be able to help, I’ve been asked to complete two assessments. Verbal Reasoning and Multitasking capabilities.
I had to do some for a previous application for a Signaler. Would these be the same assessments ? I did them back in January and can’t remember the names. Many thanks.

 

[D1015]

Would anyone be able to help, I’ve been asked to complete two assessments. Verbal Reasoning and Multitasking capabilities.
I had to do some for a previous application for a Signaler. Would these be the same assessments ? I did them back in January and can’t remember the names. Many thanks.

Cannot be 100percent sure that they will be 100 percent the same, but they are similar to the point that by doing these, entering a grade 5 TDA role, you can once in Network Rail, apply for signaller roles and not have to resit the psychometrics as your TDA ones are valid for I believe three years.

 

[kbourbery]

I've applied for two positions at Network Rail for the role of Train Delay Attributor based at York ROC and Romford ROC, as I have an interest in working within train performance.

I applied for the Romford role at the start of June, and the status has been "Application under consideration for assessment 2" since mid-June. I gather that this means I passed the initial assessment which has attached to the application with multiple choice questions and some longer answer "Why do you want to work for us" etc questions?

I have seen recently that the same position opened up in York, however three positions were available this time round, so I'm hoping for more success with that role. I'm just wondering if anyone in the forum have had any experience with the application process for Train Delay Attributor within Network Rail? Thanks!

I've just been offered an interview for the same role at Glasgow, have read all the comments about the role which are honestly great, but I was wondering if you had any advice about the interview itself? Or how your interview went or had any feedback or anything at all would be great! Cheers