Transportation and Material Moving · Holland code RCS

Subway and Streetcar Operators

Operate subway or elevated suburban trains with no separate locomotive, or electric-powered streetcar, to transport passengers. May handle fares.

Also called: Light Rail Operator, Rail Operator, Rapid Transit Operator (RTO), Train Operator, Combined Rail Operator, Light Rail Train Operator, Light Rail Vehicle Operator (LRV Operator), Streetcar Operator.

O*NET 53-4041.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $86,380; Middle half earn $61,980 to $90,140. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED); 87% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 2 of 5; Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Monitor lights indicating obstructions or other trains ahead and watch for car and truck traffic at crossings to stay alert to potential hazards.
Operate controls to open and close transit vehicle doors.
Drive and control rail-guided public transportation, such as subways, elevated trains, and electric-powered streetcars, trams, or trolleys, to transport passengers.
Report delays, mechanical problems, and emergencies to supervisors or dispatchers, using radios.
Regulate vehicle speed and the time spent at each stop to maintain schedules.
Make announcements to passengers, such as notifications of upcoming stops or schedule delays.
Direct emergency evacuation procedures.
Complete reports, including shift summaries and incident or accident reports.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Active Listening3.6 / 5
Speaking3.4 / 5
Monitoring3.3 / 5
Reading Comprehension3.1 / 5
Critical Thinking3.0 / 5
Active Learning3.0 / 5

Knowledge areas

Transportation4.4 / 5
Public Safety and Security3.9 / 5
Customer and Personal Service3.7 / 5
English Language3.2 / 5
Education and Training2.8 / 5
Telecommunications2.6 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic82
Investigative6
Artistic0
Social30
Enterprising21
Conventional54

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

train driver · DE Schienenfahrzeugführer/Schienenfahrzeugführerin · FR conducteur de train/conductrice de train
bus driver · DE Omnibusfahrer/Omnibusfahrerin · FR conducteur d’autobus/conductrice d’autobus
trolley bus driver · DE Oberleitungsbusfahrer/Oberleitungsbusfahrerin · FR conducteur de trolleybus/conductrice de trolleybus
tram driver · DE Straßenbahnfahrer/Straßenbahnfahrerin · FR conducteur de tramway/conductrice de tramway

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Bus and coach drivers (8212)117,600 employed
Train and tram drivers (8231)40,600 employed
Rail transport operatives (8234)13,700 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Plant and machine operators and assemblers”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Plant and machine operators and assemblers, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€39,630
Netherlands	€37,567
Austria	€37,304
Sweden	€36,005
Germany	€34,433
Ireland	€32,617
France	€28,550
Italy	€28,330
Spain	€24,409
Portugal	€11,309
Poland	€10,259

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the middle third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -0.62. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (53-4041).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

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