Train Dispatcher

Train Dispatcher

Location: Birmingham, GB

Department Name: EM HRSS (348103) G5

About Network Rail

Network Rail operates and maintains the railway infrastructure 24/7, 365 days a year. Our passengers and freight users are at the heart of everything we do. We help connect people to their friends and families and get goods to their destination safely and efficiently. We’re an organisation where people matter. When you’re part of our team, you matter to us and you matter to millions.

We’re continuing to build a more diverse and inclusive organisation which is representative of the passengers we serve. To do this, it’s essential we become a more open, diverse and inclusive organisation, harnessing the skills and expertise of all our people and attracting the best talent to help us have a safe, accessible railway for everyone. We’re an inclusive employer of choice and we welcome applications from everyone!

Brief Description

Our Route Central route is at the heart of Britain’s railway. The route covers a major part of the national rail network and is a key commuter line in and out of Birmingham, with hundreds of thousands of passengers, and thousands of tonnes of freight carried within our route each week. Within our route is the Chiltern Main Line between London Marylebone and the West Midlands, the Snow Hill line from Stratford-upon-Avon to Worcester, the Cross City line in Birmingham, and lines to other cities including Wolverhampton, Coventry, Walsall, and Oxford.

We are home to Birmingham New Street station, the busiest station outside of London with more than 170,000 passengers using it every day.

About the role

Please note internally this role is known as a Platform Assistant.

What will you be doing?

Birmingham New Street Station is the heart of Birmingham, and our station is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

As a Platform Assistant at Birmingham New Street Station, in this highly safety critical role you will be primarily responsible for ensuring trains depart safely and on time, and making sure customers benefit from exceptional service down on our platforms. It is a highly visible role and our passengers and freight users are at the heart of everything we do. We help connect people to their friends and families and get goods to their destination safely and efficiently. We’re an organisation where people matter.

You need to be prepared that there will be times where you will be managing some challenging situations as customers can get frustrated due to delays or disruption, however you will continue to provide excellent customer service at all times. Whatever the weather; whatever your shift; your enthusiasm will shine brightly and because Birmingham New Street is a fast-paced, busy environment, you’ll relish the challenge of thinking on your feet.

Due to the nature of the role, you will be expected to participate in a roster which will cover early mornings, evenings and night shifts which will also include weekends. Also, our station is sub surface, therefore you will be expected to work in all weather conditions.

In order to be successful in this role, we would like you to have/to be:

• The ability to speak, read and write English fluently and be numerate
• Computer literate
• Customer focussed
• Excellent people skills – from communicating, listening and questioning, to building relationships, being efficient, calm, polite, friendly and honest
• Flexible to the requirements of the job
• Able to use own initiative when appropriate
• Able to learn legislation that affects the role
• Meet the required benchmark for application screening questions

This role involves early mornings, evenings, nights and weekends, and is subject to a drugs and alcohol test and passing of the relevant medical assessment as you will be signalling trains.

Please note we onboard our Platform Assistants in cohorts due to the training programme which you will go on if successful, so you must be able to start on the 11th May 2026. This is subject to you successfully completing out onboarding checks and medical.

How to apply

Salary: Grade 1 £32,998

Closing date: 22/04/26. Late applications will not be accepted.

We’re an inclusive employer of choice, Disability Confident Leader employer, encourage people to work flexibly and we welcome applications from everyone.

Application process:

You will need to apply via our Oracle. Please attach your CV and complete the pre-screening questions at the start of the application process. If you are successful after the sifting, you will then be invited to an assessment centre.

If following the assessment day, you are successful and offered a position and do not already hold the relevant medical certificates for a safety critical role within Network Rail, we will arrange for you to attend a full medical and alcohol & drug test.