How To Become A Train System Operator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a train system operator 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 system operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $34.61 an hour? That's $71,992 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -7% and produce -8,600 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreTrain System OperatorUS Average

Salary

5.6

Avg. Salary $71,992

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.6

Growth rate -7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 2.64%

Asian 1.84%

Black or African American 7.78%

Hispanic or Latino 12.64%

Unknown 4.58%

White 70.52%

Gender

female 33.90%

male 66.10%

Age - 47.5

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 - 47.5

Stress level

8.6

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.2

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.8

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a train system operator

Explore train system operator education requirements

Most common train system operator degrees

Bachelor's

51.4 %

Associate

30.0 %

High School Diploma

8.6 %

Start to develop specific train system operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Training Programs	37.63%
Classroom Training	20.82%
NERC	16.60%
Training Materials	14.83%
Computer System	3.43%

Complete relevant train system operator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New train system operators 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 system operator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real train system operator resumes.

Research train system operator duties and responsibilities

Manage trouble ticketing systems and escalations to ensure VoIP service availability.
Gain on-hand experience establishing and maintaining LOS radio links with corresponding elements in tactical environments.
Provide excellent customer service and significantly improve the MSE equipment repair rate.

Prepare your train system operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your train system operator 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 system operator 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 system operator resume templates

Build a professional train system operator 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 system operator resume.