Also called: Division Superintendent, Terminal Superintendent, Road Foreman
Manages train operations over a whole territory or rail yard, overseeing crews, safety, and on-time movement.
You review overnight train delays and safety reports at 6 a.m., then head out to a rail yard to check on crews. If a derailment happens, you're on scene coordinating cleanup and getting the line reopened. You're on call a lot.
Estimated; Class I railroad management pay with bonuses.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 8 years after high school. Usually a bachelor's degree (many railroads have management trainee programs) or years as a conductor/engineer.
Ways in: 4-year college, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, Civil Engineering.
Growing slowly. Steady, small number of positions.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. AI and precision scheduling plan train moves; leading crews and safety decisions stay human, with leaner management.
Classes: Business, Statistics, Speech.
Official data: O*NET occupation 11-3071.
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.