How To Become A Train Control Technician: What It Is and Career Path

What is a train control technician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a train control technician. For example, did you know that they make an average of $33.16 an hour? That's $68,968 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 9% and produce 3,200 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreTrain Control TechnicianUS Average

Salary

5.4

Avg. Salary $68,968

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.7

Growth rate 9%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

10.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.14%

Asian 3.25%

Black or African American 9.86%

Hispanic or Latino 17.75%

Unknown 5.14%

White 62.86%

Gender

female 16.71%

male 83.29%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

7.7

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

4.4

Complexity level is basic

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.0

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a train control technician

Explore train control technician education requirements

Most common train control technician degrees

Bachelor's

51.2 %

Associate

25.4 %

High School Diploma

10.8 %

Start to develop specific train control technician skills

Skills	Percentages
Safety Procedures	20.97%
Combat	11.26%
SME	9.05%
Action Reviews	8.80%
Training Support	4.63%

Complete relevant train control technician training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New train control technicians learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a train control technician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real train control technician resumes.

Research train control technician duties and responsibilities

Aid in development and maintenance of SPC program achieving product performance stability and creating a platform for continuous improvement.
Analyze, troubleshoot and repair ATC system including rail switches, etc.
Observe medical units during training exercises to control unit environment and provide feedback during the after-action review (AAR).
Respond to ATC malfunctions, completing repairs as assigned.

Prepare your train control technician resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your train control technician resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a train control technician resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable train control technician resume templates

Build a professional train control technician resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your train control technician resume.