Train Operator

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Work Tasks

• Run trains that carry people and freight through cities and across country
• Organize train crews and review schedules
• May collect tickets and money, keep records of cargo and passengers
• May couple and uncouple cars or operate switches
• Work for freight and passenger railroads, and urban transit systems
• Work with locomotives, subway trains, light-rail cars; gauges and meters; timetables and schedules, tickets and fares; train signals and computers

Salary, Size & Growth

• $57,500 average per year ($27.75 per hour)
• A medium occupation (116,900 workers in 2010)
• Expected to grow moderately (1.1% per year)

Education/Training

• Minimum for Entry: A high school diploma and on-the-job training
• Employers Prefer: Railroad's own training programs
• Skills/Courses: Good judgement, communication skills, mental alertness; good people skills; good eyesight and hearing.