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Wednesday 7 May 2025

Forces couple at Network Rail in quest to help ex-service personnel find rail industry jobs

Region & Route:

Eastern

| Eastern: North & East

An armed forces couple are on a mission to highlight how former service personnel can find employment in the rail industry.

Charlotte Greenwood is a reservist, while husband Garry spent 11 years in the Army. Both now work at Network Rail, where 10% of the workforce has a military connection.

The York couple are the joint leads for Network Rail’s Armed Forces Employee Network in the North & East route, and are keen to highlight how transferrable skills like leadership and discipline make the rail industry ideal for post-services careers.

Charlotte, Network Rail associate sponsor, said: “As a reservist and military spouse, I’ve seen the challenges up close – but I’ve also seen how welcoming and supportive the rail industry can be.

“It’s important to recognise both the importance of what service leavers can bring to the table, and what we as an industry can offer them. Around 10% of Network Rail colleagues have a military background, and we should be proud of that.

“We don’t just talk about inclusion, we live it.”

Charlotte, aged 32, and Garry, 31, hosted their debut Insight event – alongside Northern and LNER – at York Rail Operating Centre (ROC) in April, welcoming service leavers, reservists, veterans and military families. About 35 attendees took part in workshops and heard from rail colleagues with first-hand experience of leaving the forces and forging a career in the railway.

Garry Greenwood, Network Rail technical surveyor, said: “The main mission is to make sure service leavers and veterans are in work by the time they leave.

“Their experience and knowledge are very useful – and it doesn’t have to be about trains. They have leadership skills, they do things by the book, and you never really move away from that, so they’re great transferrable skills.

“Both Charlotte and I felt the pressure when I was trying to find work. That’s one of the reasons we're really passionate about this, to give hope to people and make sure that no-one’s left behind.”

Paddy Hodgson, armed forces group chair at Northern, said: “When you’ve served in the military for many years, it’s important to be mindful of the adjustment required and taking the time to prepare yourself for a significant life-changing event when embarking on a new career. I’m passionate about supporting military insight events, as they are a great way of introducing candidates to the industry and sharing personal experiences of my journey into rail. Due to the abundance of transferable skills and experience, the rail industry is full of fantastic opportunities for service leavers and veterans.”

Keith Herriott, HR operations manager at LNER, said: “We are hugely passionate about supporting people with a military connection, both those already working with us and those looking to join. There are so many career opportunities on offer, with ex-service personnel working across every department of LNER, from directors to frontline colleagues, cyber security and train drivers.”

Click here to read more about Network Rail’s commitments to people with armed forces connections, and opportunities for ex-service personnel.