How to become a railway traffic controller or marine traffic regulator
Official title: Railway traffic controllers and marine traffic regulators
Also called: Rail traffic controller, Marine traffic regulator, Waterway traffic checker, Marine traffic controller, Chief rail traffic controller, Centralized traffic controller - railway traffic, Centralized traffic control (ctc) operator - railway traffic, Train operator, Train dispatcher, Head train dispatcher, Locomotive dispatcher, Chief train dispatcher
Railway traffic controllers coordinate passenger and freight train traffic on railways. They are employed by rail transport companies. Marine traffic regulators monitor and regulate coastal and inland marine traffic within assigned waterways. They are employed by port, harbour, canal and lock authorities and by the Canadian Coast Guard.
Main tasks
- Railway traffic controllers
- 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
- Marine traffic regulators
- Direct and monitor vessel movements using radar or closed circuit monitors, remote radio systems and other telecommunication equipment
How to become one
Railway traffic controllers usually require completion of secondary school and several years of experience in the railway industry. Up to 35 weeks of a combination of classroom and on-the-job training is provided for railway traffic controllers. Railway traffic controllers require a Canadian Rail Operating Rules certificate. Marine traffic regulators require completion of secondary school and several months of formal traffic regulator training.
Pay · Outlook
- Median pay: $79,950 a year The middle half earn $74,100 to $101,400.
Related jobs
- Air pilots, flight engineers and flying instructors
- Air traffic controllers and related occupations
- Deck officers, water transport
- Engineer officers, water transport
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Questions people ask
How do I become a railway traffic controller or marine traffic regulator?
Railway traffic controllers usually require completion of secondary school and several years of experience in the railway industry. Up to 35 weeks of a combination of classroom and on-the-job training is provided for railway traffic controllers. Railway traffic controllers require a Canadian Rail Operating Rules certificate. Marine traffic regulators require completion of secondary school and several months of formal traffic regulator training.
How much does a railway traffic controller or marine traffic regulator earn in Canada?
Median full-time pay is $79,950 a year (Employment and Social Development Canada (Job Bank)). The middle half earn $74,100 to $101,400.
Do you need a degree to become a railway traffic controller or marine traffic regulator?
Usually not. Only 19% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Sources
- Statistics Canada: Census 2021: employment by occupation, gender and education (98-10-0449) (2021 Census), Statistics Canada Open Licence, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Statistics Canada: National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 (Version 1.0), Open Government Licence - Canada, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Employment and Social Development Canada (Job Bank): Wages by occupation (2025 (revised 2025-11-19)), Open Government Licence - Canada, retrieved 2026-10-03
Updated 2026-10-03