Rail and Marine Traffic Controllers
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Job description
Rail Traffic Controllers coordinate the movement of trains on railways. These individuals are employed by rail transport companies.
Marine Traffic Regulators supervise and regulate marine traffic in waterways. They are employed by the Canadian Coast Guard or work in:
- Port facilities
- Channels
- Waterways
- Locks
Environment
- Controlled ambient temperature
Main tasks
Rail Traffic Controllers
- Operate and monitor the centralized control console to coordinate rail traffic.
- Record train movements on a graph.
- Calculate and record train arrival and departure times.
- Issue instructions to control train movements and track maintenance equipment.
- Receive, record, and transmit instructions to the crew.
- Supervise and train staff.
Marine Traffic Regulators
- Adjust and control boat movements using radar, monitors, or mobile communication systems.
- Note the position, route, speed, and time of arrival of boats.
- Transmit the authorizations to proceed to the vessels and inform them about traffic and weather conditions.
- Report emergency situations, accidents, distress calls, and hazards to the appropriate authorities.
- Maintain contact with marine control centres and vessels located in the area covered.
- Record the movement of vessels, their size, and type.
Advancement and mobility
Rail Traffic Controllers
- Experience leads to supervisory positions.
Hourly wage
Not available.Job prospects for 2024-2028
Les 2 champs de sélection ci-dessous vous permettent de comparer 2 régions. Les données des régions seront automatiquement mises à jour à la sélection. Par défaut, la province de Québec est sélectionnée pour la première région.
Job prospects for 2024-2028
Job prospects
All of Québec
Non available
Limited
Good
Very good
Non available
All of Québec
Non available
Limited
Good
Very good
Non available
Total jobs for 2023
All of Québec
100
All of Québec
na
Gender distribution
All of Québec
Not available.
- 0% Female
- 100% Male
Not available.
- 0% Female
- 100% Male
Job types
All of Québec
Not available.
- Full time
- Part time
Not available.
- Full time
- Part time
Yearly wage on 2020
All of Québec
$89,000
All of Québec
Other characteristics
All of Québec
- Non traditional for women
- None
All of Québec
- Non traditional for women
- None
Sectors of activity
All of Québec
Not available.
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NAICS 48, 4985% of jobs
-
NAICS 2115% of jobs
-
NAICS 2115% of jobs
-
NAICS 2115% of jobs
-
NAICS 2115% of jobs
-
Others0% of jobs
All of Québec
Not available.
-
NAICS 48, 4985% of jobs
-
NAICS 2115% of jobs
-
NAICS 2115% of jobs
-
NAICS 2115% of jobs
-
NAICS 2115% of jobs
-
Others0% of jobs
Training and requirements
Formation
Secondary school diploma
Also required
Rail Traffic Controllers
- Canadian rail operating rules Certificate.
Marine Traffic Regulators
- Several months of training.
Sometimes required
Rail Traffic Controllers
- Several years of experience in the railway industry usually required.
Main skills and characteristics
Skills
- Data collection
- Coordination
- Result evaluation
- Oral expression
- Critical thought
- Active listening
- Time management
- Judgment and decision-making
- Monitoring operations
- Operations and control
- Solving complex problems
- Reading comprehension
- System analysis
- Quality control analysis
- Active learning
- Systems evaluation
- Written expression
- Human resource management
- Persuasion
Abilities
- Verbal skills
- Oral comprehension
- Awareness of issues
- Speech clarity
- Speech recognition
- Distance vision
- Near vision
- Information organization
- Deductive reasoning
- Inductive reasoning
- Written comprehension
- Reaction time
- Auditory attention
- Selective attention
- Classification
- Written expression
- Control accuracy
- Perception speed
- Visualization
- Time sharing
- Depth perception
- Processing flexibility
Knowledge and attributes
- Capacity to work under pressure
- Critical thinking
- Autonomy
- Capacity to adapt
- Spoken and written bilingualism (French and English)
- Capacity to work in a team
- Rigour
- Respect standards and regulations
- Sense of observation
- Commitment to quality
Interests
- Draft, communicate, and inform
- Watch, defend, and secure
- Work in transportation and maintenance
Personality profiles (RIASEC)
- Realistic
- People with this profile prefer carrying out concrete tasks and being physically involved in what they do.
- Investigative
- People with this profile prefer relying on theoretical knowledge before acting. They like observation, analysis and problem solving.
- Social
- People with this profile prefer to be in contact with others, in particular to entertain, help or teach them.
Official name of the NOC 72604
Railway traffic controllers and marine traffic regulators
Job titles
- Chief train dispatcher
- Marine traffic regulator
- Centralized traffic control (ctc) operator - railway traffic
- Rail traffic controller
- Marine traffic controller
- Waterway traffic checker
- Chief rail traffic controller
- Train operator
- Locomotive dispatcher
- Train dispatcher
- Train dispatchers supervisor
Skill type
Natural and applied sciences and related occupations
Last update: January 29, 2026
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