How to become a Train Conductor

Also called: Railway Conductor

Works on board trains, providing all kinds of services so passengers travel safely and comfortably to their destinations.

Main tasks

• Walking through each carriage before departure to check seats and berths and that control and electrical systems are working
• Taking part in roll calls before and after work
• Opening the doors at stations after checking the train has stopped in the right place
• Closing the doors after checking that passengers have finished getting on and off
• Checking the station staff's departure signal and passing it to the driver
• Announcing stations, arrival times and transfer information to passengers
• Showing passengers to reserved seats and checking tickets
• Collecting fare adjustments and selling tickets while walking through the train
• Adjusting lighting, ventilation, heating and cooling on the train
• Checking the platform from the window for safety when passing through stations
• Watching the track during the run
• Recording delays in arrival, departure and passing times at each station
• Helping passengers with disability get on and off
• Dealing quickly and properly with accidents and problems on the train and keeping order
• Guiding passengers to evacuate and keeping them safe in train accidents and disasters
• Working with the driver to protect the train if an accident happens
• Arranging an emergency stop if there is danger on the platform
• Giving crew proper instructions on service adjustments
• Blowing a whistle if a problem occurs on the platform, at the station or on the track
• Handing lost property from the train to station staff
• Walking through the train at the final station to check that all is well
• Cleaning and disinfecting the train
• Coupling, uncoupling and moving carriages on shunting signals
• Returning to the conductors' depot after the shift to record and report what is needed in the log
• Checking for snow build-up when it snows
• Collecting fares from passengers using unstaffed stations
• Taking part in training and study sessions to gain knowledge and skills

Workers in this job say high school or university is common. From job tag's survey of people in each job, who could give several answers. It shows what workers see as common, not how many workers hold each level.

How to become one

No particular qualifications or level of education are needed to start. People usually join a railway company after finishing school, work for a time as station staff, and then sit the company's internal exam to become a conductor. It includes a medical and a train-operation aptitude test to check suitability, and a written test on job knowledge. After becoming a conductor, you build experience on the job in serving passengers and handling problems. Some people stay conductors until retirement, while others become drivers after gaining experience as conductors. Through internal exams, some become deputy station masters, depot heads or station masters who guide and supervise conductors and drivers. You deal with passengers all the time, so customer service is important. You also need to judge and act calmly and properly when something goes wrong.

Pay · Job openings · AI and this job

• Average annual income: ¥5,832,100 Private sector only: employers with 10 or more staff. Public servants, such as public school teachers and police officers, are not in these figures.
• Monthly base pay (before overtime and bonus): median ¥315,700, and the middle half earn ¥243,000 to ¥379,500 a month.
• Pay measured for the wage survey group: Conductors
• 0.76 job openings per applicant at Hello Work (2025). A current demand signal, not a projection. It counts only the jobs and job seekers registered at Hello Work, Japan's public employment offices, and many graduate and professional hires never pass through it.
• Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Related jobs

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Train Conductor?

No particular qualifications or level of education are needed to start. People usually join a railway company after finishing school, work for a time as station staff, and then sit the company's internal exam to become a conductor. It includes a medical and a train-operation aptitude test to check suitability, and a written test on job knowledge. After becoming a conductor, you build experience on the job in serving passengers and handling problems. Some people stay conductors until retirement, while others become drivers after gaining experience as conductors. Through internal exams, some become deputy station masters, depot heads or station masters who guide and supervise conductors and drivers. You deal with passengers all the time, so customer service is important. You also need to judge and act calmly and properly when something goes wrong.

How much does a Train Conductor earn in Japan?

Average annual income in the private sector, bonus included, is ¥5,832,100 (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). The figure is for the wage survey group Conductors, which covers several jobs.

Do you need a degree to become a Train Conductor?

Not always. In this job's census occupation group, 26% of workers are university graduates.

Will AI change the work of a Train Conductor?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

• Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare: Basic Survey on Wage Structure (賃金構造基本統計調査) 2025: earnings by occupation (2025 survey (June 2025 pay, 2024 bonus), published 2026-03-24), Government Standard Terms of Use 2.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
• Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare: Employment Referrals for General Workers (一般職業紹介状況): Hello Work job-openings-to-applicants ratio by occupation (2025 annual (release of 2026-10-02)), Government Standard Terms of Use 2.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
• Statistics Bureau of Japan (MIC): 2020 Population Census (令和2年国勢調査) detailed sample tabulation: employed by occupation, sex, age and education (2020 Census (tables 9-1 and 15-1, published 2022-12-27)), Government Standard Terms of Use 2.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
• JILPT (職業情報データベース) via MHLW job tag: job tag download data: 解説系 (descriptions, how to become, related qualifications) and 簡易版数値系 (interests, tasks, education) (解説系 ver.7.01 (2026-06-04); 簡易版数値系 ver.7.00 (2026-03-17)), retrieved 4 October 2026
• International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 解説系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_description_7_01.xlsx）ver.7.01 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 簡易版数値系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_numeric_7_00.xlsx）ver.7.00 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

Sources: JILPT Occupational Information Database download data via job tag (解説系 ver.7.01 and 簡易版数値系 ver.7.00, downloaded 4 October 2026), processed by Peernovo; MHLW, Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025; Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2020 Population Census; MEXT, School Basic Survey 2025; MHLW, Employment Referrals for General Workers (Hello Work statistics). Figures processed by Peernovo. English job names, translations and the matching of jobs to statistical groups, schools and degree fields by Peernovo.

Updated 4 October 2026