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OaSIS 2025 Version 1.0
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72604.01 – Railway traffic controllers

Railway traffic controllers coordinate passenger and freight train traffic on railways.

Overview

Example job titles

  • Centralized traffic controller - railway traffic
  • Locomotive dispatcher
  • Rail traffic controller
  • Train dispatcher

Core competencies

  • Coordinating to order information to follow railway traffic and to use signals and issue train instructions to operating crews and other personnel
  • Monitoring to closely monitor centralized traffic control (CTC) systems to coordinate railway traffic
  • Pattern Organization Speed to quickly organize and understand train schedules, track availability and other logistical patterns
  • Verbal Ability and Speech Clarity to convey instructions, updates and critical information clearly and concisely to train operators, maintenance crews and other stakeholders
  • Stress Tolerance to maintain composure while coordinating multiple trains and responding to unexpected issues for safety and efficiency in rail operations
  • Knowledge in Logistics to understand coordinating train movements and managing schedules for safe and efficient flow of rail traffic through complex networks

Main duties

This group performs some or all of the following duties:

  • Operate and monitor centralized traffic control systems to coordinate and follow railway traffic
  • Chart train movements, calculate arrival and departure times and record rail traffic information
  • Issue instructions to control the movement of passenger and freight train traffic and on-track mobile maintenance equipment
  • Receive, record and relay train instructions to train crew by hand or radio telephone
  • May supervise and train other railway traffic controllers.

Additional information

  • There is little mobility between traffic controlling occupations in the railway and marine sectors.
  • With experience, railway traffic controllers may progress to supervisory positions in rail transport operations.

Similar occupations classified elsewhere

Exclusions:

  • Supervisors, railway transport operations (72023)

NOC hierarchy breakdown

NOC version

NOC 2021 Version 1.0

Broad occupational category

7 – Trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations

TEER

2 – Occupations usually require a college diploma or apprenticeship training of two or more years; or supervisory occupations

Major group

72 – Technical trades and transportation officers and controllers

Sub-major group

726 – Transportation officers and controllers

Minor group

7260 – Transportation officers and controllers

Unit group

72604 – Railway traffic controllers and marine traffic regulators

Occupational profile

72604.01 – Railway traffic controllers

O*NET in-it

This page includes information from the O*NET 27.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Employment and Social Development Canada has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.