Why do people think railway maintenance is so well paid?

[M84]

I've spoken to numerous people who have always said that maintenance/tech jobs are ridiculous money for a easy job.

From what I've seen, it's a fair wage for a skilled job and rightly so there are premiums for nights and weekends etc.

A NR employee from an assesment said to us once, "If you get offered anything, grab it with both hands" and also that a job on the railway was a lifestyle choice hence the higher pay.

So where does the notion of the railways being easy money come from?

 

[Horizon22]

I presume this is NWR work not TOC work but as you've already said:

From what I've seen, it's a fair wage for a skilled job and rightly so there are premiums for nights and weekends etc.

So that answers your question partly. The other but is the unionised nature of the railway has led to good contracts plus the anti-social nature of the job and working in all weathers for instance.

 

[BloominMan]

I remember seeing on here, that ATW night cleaners (not so maintenance based, but permanent nights and extremely unsociable) are on 34k basic IIRC+shift allowance.

There was an advertisement from July 2016 with the stated salary. No contract workers, all in house staff. Whereas Northern rail get them off the agency, 6 months probation then keep them on their minimum pay per annum but make them permanent.

There is money on all the railway, Network Rail has an abundance of overtime and rates for weekends etc. I know a guy who doubles his salary every year on there.

Some staff throughout the country will also still be on protected BR terms, with decent pay rates which increase with every pay rise.

Maintenance jobs can be extremely challenging though, hard work/heavy lifting over various distances; under tight time constraints and adverse weather at any given time.

Some people just can't hack it. I'm all for the pay more and make staff want to stay rather than pay less and receive less professional work.

Anything Conductor/Train driver you're looking at minimum 30k-50k+ respectfully.