Rail Transportation Workers, All Other
All rail transportation workers not listed separately.
What it pays
Rail Transportation Workers, All Other earn a median of $27.10/hr — about $56,500 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $19.27/hr; the top 10% earn $39.99/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
Rail Transportation Workers, All Other earn a median of $27.10/hr — about $56,500 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $19.27/hr; the top 10% earn $39.99/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
What you'd actually do
- Interpret train orders, signals, or railroad rules and regulations that govern the operation of locomotives.
- Confer with conductors or traffic control center personnel via radiophones to issue or receive information concerning stops, delays, or oncoming trains.
- Receive starting signals from conductors and use controls such as throttles or air brakes to drive electric, diesel-electric, steam, or gas turbine-electric locomotives.
- Monitor gauges or meters that measure speed, amperage, battery charge, or air pressure in brake lines or in main reservoirs.
- Observe tracks to detect obstructions.
- Call out train signals to assistants to verify meanings.
How you get there
Typical entry-level education: High school diploma. Overall preparation: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).
The feel of the work
Much of the work happens outdoors. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)
Working for yourself
About 0% of rail transportation workers, all other are self-employed.
Who it tends to fit
This work tends to fit people who are hands-on and organized and detail-focused.
Work a simulated shift in this job — freeMake the real decisions this job involves, then see what your choices say about you.Related careers
- Flight Attendants
- Crane and Tower Operators
- Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters
- Locomotive Engineers
- Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels
- Commercial Pilots
Quick questions
- How much does a rail transportation workers, all other make?
- The median pay is $27.10 per hour — roughly $56,500 a year, with the real range running from about $19.27/hr (10th percentile) to $39.99/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Do you need a degree to be a rail transportation workers, all other?
- The typical entry-level education is: High school diploma. Overall preparation level: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).
- What does a rail transportation workers, all other actually do all day?
- Interpret train orders, signals, or railroad rules and regulations that govern the operation of locomotives. Confer with conductors or traffic control center personnel via radiophones to issue or receive information concerning stops, delays, or oncoming trains. Receive starting signals from conductors and use controls such as throttles or air brakes to drive electric, diesel-electric, steam, or gas turbine-electric locomotives.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Tasks & interests: O*NET. Career pathways shown in the app are draft archetypes — verify before relying on them. Trailhead is a free career guide for students — honest numbers, no hype.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.