Subway / Light Rail Operator

Also called: Train Operator, Motorman, Streetcar Operator

Drives subway, light rail, or streetcar trains through a city, opening doors and keeping passengers safe.

A day in the life

You run your train along the route, stopping at each station, watching for people on the tracks, and announcing stops. Rush hour means tight timing; nights may be quiet. You're trained to evacuate passengers in emergencies.

Pay over a career

Starting
$55k
Typical
$82k
High
$110k

Approximate BLS figures for subway and streetcar operators; major cities with seniority pay more.

Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.

Training

High school diploma, about 0 years after high school. High school diploma plus several months of agency training.

Ways in: On-the-job training. Training cost: Get paid while you train.

Outlook

Growing about average (about 3% over 10 years). Grows with transit expansions.

Will it last? Our AI estimate

Medium risk for 10 years. Many new metro lines worldwide run driverless trains; U.S. systems change slowly, but fewer operator hires by 2036.

Start now, in high school

Classes: Physics, Algebra I.

Official data: O*NET occupation 53-4041.

More Public Transit careers

Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.