South Western Railway & Network Rail careers insight event Basingstoke 25 Nov 26
Veterans now working on the railway explain how Forces experience carries into train driving, signalling, engineering and incident response.
South Western Railway and Network Rail are holding a joint careers day for the Armed Forces community at their Basingstoke Campus on Wednesday 25 November 2026. It is free, runs from 9.15am to 3pm, and covers jobs at both the train operator and the company that looks after the track.
The programme will include:
- Veterans who now work for the two companies talking about their move from the military into rail.
- An overview of both businesses, the range of roles, how recruitment works and the benefits on offer.
- A tour of the Wessex Integrated Control Centre at the Rail Operating Centre, subject to any operational incidents on the day.
- Sessions on engineering, and on train driver, guard and rail community officer roles.
- A mini careers fair with hiring managers and veterans, plus advice on CVs and interviews.
- A light lunch and time to meet the companies’ Armed Forces employee network.
The range of roles
Between them the two companies recruit station managers, train drivers, guards, signallers, controllers, timetablers and incident response staff, along with people for engineering and maintenance, safety, project management, IT, HR and other corporate roles. There are early careers routes as well.
Who can go
The day is for the ex-military community only. Service leavers need to be working with CTP, veterans with the Forces Employment Charity, and military families with the FEC Families Programme.
On the day
Dress is smart casual, with no jeans or trainers. Bring photo ID such as a passport, driving licence or MOD 90, as it is checked at the entrance. There is no guest parking on site apart from a few first-come blue badge spaces, and the nearest car park, next to the campus, is paid. The campus is about a 15-minute walk from Basingstoke station.
About the companies
South Western Railway runs services out of London Waterloo across south-west London and the south of England, and returned to public ownership in May 2025 as part of the move towards Great British Railways. Network Rail owns and maintains Britain’s railway track, signalling, bridges and tunnels.
Venue
Basingstoke Campus, Gresley Road, Basingstoke RG21 4FS.
Event Date: 25/11/2026
Event Time: 9.15am to 3.00pm
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