How to become a railway braker and related worker
Official title: Railway braker and related worker
Also called: Railway brakeman, Railway engine driver, Railway gateman, Railway shunter, Railway signalman, Railway yardmaster, Shunting engine driver, Switch tender (railway yard), Train brakeman, Train shunter, Yard coupler (railway), Railway gateman
Railway braker and related worker assists in preparing train for run, safeguards train during trip and switches cars. He/she checks car mechanisms such as couplings, air-brake lines and hand brakes before train departure, examines signalling equipment such as lamps, flags, detonators and fuses, observes train operation to detect over-heated journal boxes, loose couplings or other defects.
Main tasks
- Taking charge of and safeguarding trains during run
- Controlling flow of railway traffic over section of line by operating signals and switches from control panel or signal box
- Switching and coupling rolling stock in railway yards or train depots and sidings in accordance with orders about loading, unloading and makeup of trains
- Making up trains for hauling by locomotive or cable and directing their movement along haulage ways
- Checking train systems and equipment such as air-conditioning and heating systems, brakes and brake hoses prior to train run
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
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Questions people ask
Will AI change the work of a railway braker and related worker?
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Sources
- 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
Updated 4 October 2026