Train Engineer vs. Conductor

A train engineer is someone who operates passenger or freight trains, while a conductor is a railroad employee who coordinates the daily activities of a train crew. Train engineers, also known as locomotive engineers, generally travel long distances with locomotives or commuter trains. They monitor a train's speed, air pressure, and battery use to make sure a train is operating as efficiently as possible. They may also check a train's mechanical conditions and make maintenance and mechanical adjustments when necessary.

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

What is a train engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted Expert

Libby Toping

As a child, were you fascinated with toy cars? How about toy trains? Some people never outgrew their love and fascination with trains. Some people choose to build a career in it! Are you curious about careers that will let you work closely with locomotives? Well, one such profession is a train engineer! Train engineers operate trains, ensuring that they arrive safely to their destination.

There are various paths to becoming a trained engineer, but they all start with getting a high school diploma and completing the required training program. Then, they often start as brake operators, train conductors, or switch operators. Based on their skill and competence, they get promoted.

Train engineers are also responsible for checking the train and ensuring that all parts are working well. They are also alert at all times for any possible emergency. If you want to be a train engineer, you need to show responsibility. You should know how to monitor different diagnostics on a train. You should also be quick on your feet and make decisions on the go.

What general advice would you give to a Train Engineer?

Libby Toping

Engineer intern, Crafton Tull

It has definitely been a unique time to start my first job. COVID-19 has caused many of my peers to struggle to find a job, so I think it has caused me to recognize how thankful I am to have a job that I enjoy working and that allows me to improve my community, even in the midst of a pandemic. There are certainly struggles with virtual meetings and mask-wearing, but learning to be flexible and adaptable are skills that I think will make me a better engineer in the long run!

ScoreTrain EngineerUS Average

Salary

6.4

Avg. Salary $82,531

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

9.0

Growth Rate 4%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

1.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.62%

Asian 1.92%

Black or African American 12.28%

Hispanic or Latino 10.59%

Unknown 4.92%

White 69.65%

Gender

female 19.03%

male 80.97%

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

9.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

8.4

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

2.6

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a train engineer

Explore train engineer education requirements

Most common train engineer degrees

Bachelor's

74.1 %

Master's

10.5 %

Associate

7.7 %

Start to develop specific train engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
Pi Planning	21.13%
Release Train	16.67%
Scrum	12.64%
RTE	10.62%
PI	7.42%

Complete relevant train engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New train engineers 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 engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real train engineer resumes.

Research train engineer duties and responsibilities

Manage general facilities including commissioning, building management systems, and calibrations for GMP area for tablets production operation.
Used VRML and Java for interfacing (EAI).
Gain experience as an EIT.
Support the scrum development team by resolving impediments.

Prepare your train engineer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your train engineer 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 engineer 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 Engineer Resume templates

Build a professional Train Engineer 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 Engineer resume.

Apply for train engineer jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a train engineer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do train engineers rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

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1 Star

Train Engineer reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020

Cons

very little