Network Rail
Source: gov.uk (2025-11-10)

We, the undersigned, commit to honour the Armed Forces Covenant and support the Armed Forces Community. We recognise the value Serving Personnel, both Regular and Reservists, Veterans and military families contribute to our business and our country.

The Armed Forces Covenant

An enduring covenant between the people of the United Kingdom, Her Majesty’s Government and all those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces of the Crown and their families

The first duty of Government is the defence of the realm. Our Armed Forces fulfil that responsibility on behalf of the Government, sacrificing some civilian freedoms, facing danger and, sometimes, suffering serious injury or death as a result of their duty. Families also play a vital role in supporting the operational effectiveness of our Armed Forces. In return, the whole nation has a moral obligation to the members of the Naval Service, the Army and the Royal Air Force, together with their families. They deserve our respect and support, and fair treatment.

Those who serve in the Armed Forces, whether Regular or Reserve, those who have served in the past, and their families, should face no disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public and commercial services. Special consideration is appropriate in some cases, especially for those who have given most such as the injured and the bereaved.

This obligation involves the whole of society: it includes voluntary and charitable bodies, private organisations, and the actions of individuals in supporting the Armed Forces. Recognising those who have performed military duty unites the country and demonstrates the value of their contribution. This has no greater expression than in upholding this Covenant.

Section 1: Principles of the Armed Forces Corporate Covenant

1.1 We Network Rail will endeavour in our business dealings to uphold the key principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, which are:
- no member of the Armed Forces Community should face disadvantage in the provision of public and commercial services compared to any other citizen;
- and in some circumstances that special treatment may be appropriate especially for the injured or bereaved.
Section 2: Demonstrating our commitment

2.1 Network Rail recognises the value serving personnel, reservists, veterans and military families bring to our business. We will seek to uphold the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, by pledging to the following:
- Armed Forces Friendly
- UK Service Veterans And Leavers
- UK Service Spouses And Partners
- UK Reservists
- UK Cadets
- Armed Forces Day
- Reserve Forces Day
- Armed Forces Charities
- UK Wounded, Injured And Sick
We also pledge the following:

-Armed forces friendly: taking part in celebration of armed forces day and reserves day by hosting key events at our major regional stations. Using the AFC and ERS logos on marketing, collateral, website, publications and email footers. Running promotional campaigns such as forces recruitment films. Employing a dedicated defence engagement manager. Collaborating with other companies, both within the rail sector and across other sectors. Supporting and mentoring other companies to progress their own defence engagement programmes and assisting them through signing the AFC and nominating ERS awards. Offering network rail employees the opportunity to take 5 days paid leave to explore volunteering opportunities including working with armed forces charities Veterans: working with CTP, officers association and other charities such as Armed forces ex offenders. Run an effective programme of recruitment events such as recruitment fairs, insight days and offer work placements. Provide and maintain a dedicated forces recruitment page on our careers website. Offer a mentoring scheme to help new employees that join direct from the forces. Working with other partner organisations who have signed AFC on initiatives such as forces into rail. Creating an internal HR resourcing toolkit for armed forces engagement in order to up skill the internal HR and hiring manager community Reservists: Granting 10 days paid leave in addition to annual leave for military training. Supporting employer notification by reminding staff that serve as reservists to ensure the reserve HR database is up to date. Working with DRM communications team for events such as reserves and armed forces day by encouraging reserve case studies. Spouses: supporting and seeking employment of forces spouses and partners. Working with families federations for all three services to profile network rail as a forces friendly company. Engaging with specialist recruitment functions such as recruit for spouses. Cadets: Engaging with uniformed and none uniformed cadet instructors to establish what support network rail can offer. Offering insight days for older cadets looking for either apprenticeships, degree or further educations options. Supporting network rail employees who choose to serve as cadet force adult volunteers, we currently give 5 days paid leave per year and we are working towards giving the same paid leave as those in reserves forces Wounded/sick: working with CTP to offer opportunities to the WIS. Working with charities within the area to offer work placements to support ‘back to work’ initiatives

2.2 We will publicise these commitments through our literature and/or on our website, setting out how we will seek to honour them and inviting feedback from the Service community and our customers on how we are doing.