It’s not just passenger numbers that are soaring: Network Rail has been swamped by 8,000 young people applying for just 200 places on its now famous rail engineering apprenticeship scheme.
Says Network Rail Director Peter Henderson, ‘The huge numbers we’re attracting each year shows young people recognise an apprenticeship can offer a path to a challenging and rewarding career.’
Network Rail wants to see more ways of funding older age apprentices. The scheme is attracting people in their twenties and thirties. A career in railway engineering is seen as stable and well paid.