At our upcoming Making a Point: Developments in S&C Design, Installation and Maintenance seminar, we will hear from Jamie Kelly, Programme Manager for Light Rail & Metros at VolkerRail, who will share insights from more than 35 years working in the industry.
How did you start your career in the rail industry?
I started working for my father as a platelayer at the steelworks in Scunthorpe as a summer job after college, and then never left the industry.
Tell us a little about your career experiences to date.
With 35 years of uninterrupted experience within the heavy and light rail sectors, I am starting to understand the discipline. Whilst my first experience of the industry was driving a tractaire on Hull Docks towing rails, my experiences have broadened to include a wide range of track-related activities, ranging from high-speed routes and light rail systems to industrial and military applications.
My career includes time spent working for Tier 1 organisations on a national basis, as well as developing and building a successful railway engineering company, which I sold in 2022.
What does an average day look like for you?
My current role affords me the opportunity to develop teams and programmes of work to support the light rail sector in the UK and to progress VolkerRail’s best interests within the industry. The bulk of my time is spent understanding and developing people to deliver positive outcomes for both the business and our clients.
Why did you want to present at a RailEI technical seminar?
I want to communicate the challenges faced within the light rail sector to an audience of predominantly heavy rail engineers, and to offer the wider industry insights into the unique challenges faced by light rail design, construction and maintenance engineers.
What’s the best bit of advice you have for someone looking to work in the rail industry?
Jump in with both feet. A can-do attitude, coupled with a genuine interest in the sector, will open doors to many opportunities. And of course… enjoy the challenge!
What are some of the biggest challenges of your current role?
Understanding funding cycles and mid- to long-term budgets in order to enable investment in people, systems and processes.
What do you enjoy most about your current role?
The team, the clients and the challenge. It is very different to working in the heavy rail sector, and that has been a real revelation.
Our thanks to Jamie for sharing his experience and perspective with the RailEI community, and we look forward to his contribution to the Seminar.
