Network Rail reviews

3.8

74% would recommend to a friend

(2,608 total reviews)

Jeremy Westlake

75% approve of CEO

53% positive business outlook

Network Rail has an employee rating of 3.8 out of 5 stars, based on 2,608 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Network Rail employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Construction, Repair & Maintenance Services industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

3K reviews
3.0
Mar 13, 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I have never worked for a company which respect work/life balance so much. The maternity package is incredible and the support they give to working mothers I have never experienced before. There is room for promotion and they are very supportive of training and growth. Since covid, they support hybrid working between the office and home which is also very convenient for work/life balance.

Cons

The internal politics is tiresome and the biggest blocker to any project. They work in waterfall and as such projects are long and often abandoned before completion. The systems are dated and very restrictive. Because they’re government funded, although Network Rail have long term plans to improve their data and technology, the government have no interest is supporting the long term goals because of the risk elections bring. As such, funding is given and pulled on a regular basis and re-organisations also happen every few years as a result. There are far too many Band 1 and 2s and they very much look after their own. This wastes a lot of money on unnecessary wages which leaves wages low for the safety critical roles and the roles that operationally run the railway.

4.0
Mar 11, 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good quality office environment if based in Milton Keynes (largest headquarters building) with staffed gym and good (if not cheap!) canteen. Support for professional training. Opportunities to develop career and move with the company. Genuine commitments to staff welfare. Headline 35 hour week though longer is worked in practice.

Cons

NR is under a pay freeze since 2019-20 with no end in sight. Modernisation and change is under way. A lot of experienced staff recently left under a voluntary redundancy/early severance scheme and more cost cutting is on the way. Uncertainty about how transition to GBR (Great British Railway) will impact staffing - especially with a competition for "a new headquarters" - assumed to be outside the south east/south midlands. Little surprise that morale is poor at present. Too much is delegated to line managers not all of whom understand work-life balance, etc.

1.0
Feb 18, 2022

Great Company but a lot of bureacracy

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great company, amazing benefits, good training provided free of charge. A lot of emphasis placed on continuous improvement and the employees mental health and general happiness

Cons

New org structure due to COVID reducing funds means that the opportunities to progress now are slim - this is specifically within System Operator branch. The pay is NOT competitive

Viewing 403 - 405 of 2,608 Reviews

Glassdoor has 2,889 Network Rail reviews submitted anonymously by Network Rail employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Network Rail is right for you.