Railway Yard and Track Workers
Job description
Yard Workers control traffic. These individuals catch and uncouple railcars.
Track Maintenance Workers lay, maintain, and repair railway tracks.
Environment
- Controlled ambient temperature
- Climatic conditions
- Equipment, machinery, tools
- Nontoxic dust
- Hazardous workplaces
- Noise
- Vibration
Main tasks
- Operate the controls and mechanisms that control traffic in marshalling yards.
- Align locomotives with cars to be coupled, uncoupled, or maintained.
- Maintain, plow, and repair railroad tracks.
- Maneuver railcars according to instructions.
- Lubricate moving parts of railcars and locomotives.
- Clean machines.
- Make minor repairs.
- Patrol sections of railway tracks to identify damaged or broken sections.
Advancement and mobility
- Experience leads to senior 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
Good
All of Québec
Non available
Total jobs for 2023
All of Québec
900
All of Québec
na
Gender distribution
All of Québec
Not available.
- 5.3% Female
- 94.7% Male
Not available.
- 5.3% Female
- 94.7% 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
$79,000
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.
-
NAICS 48, 4991% of jobs
-
NAICS 3312% of jobs
-
NAICS 212% of jobs
-
NAICS 232% of jobs
-
NAICS 512% of jobs
-
Others1% of jobs
All of Québec
Not available.
-
NAICS 48, 4991% of jobs
-
NAICS 3312% of jobs
-
NAICS 212% of jobs
-
NAICS 232% of jobs
-
NAICS 512% of jobs
-
Others1% of jobs
Training and requirements
Formation
No specific training
Also required
- Experience as a Railway Labourer.
Marshalling Yard Workers
- Canadian Rail Operating Rules Certificate.
Sometimes required
- A few years of secondary school education are usually required.
Main skills and characteristics
Skills
- Data collection
- Operations and control
- Monitoring operations
- Information processing
- Troubleshooting
- Equipment maintenance
- Quality control analysis
- Coordination
- Result evaluation
- Critical thought
- Repair
- Active listening
- Time management
- Judgment and decision-making
Abilities
- Control accuracy
- Limb coordination
- Manual dexterity
- Awareness of issues
- Hand-arm stability
- Reaction time
- Distance vision
- Depth perception
- Processing flexibility
- Near vision
- Visualization
- Speed control
- Static muscle power
- Perception speed
- Auditory attention
- Selective attention
- Oral comprehension
- Digital dexterity
- Core strength
- Dynamic strength
- Information organization
- Deductive reasoning
- Response orientation
- Physical flexibility in extension
- Overall coordination of the body
- Endurance
- Verbal skills
- Inductive reasoning
- Hearing sensitivity
Knowledge and attributes
- Capacity to work under pressure
- Critical thinking
- Focussed on results
- Capacity to work in a team
- Rigour
- Assiduity and punctuality
- Sense of observation
- Commitment to quality
- Tolerance to routine work
- Knowledge of mechanics
Interests
- Work in transportation and maintenance
- Work manually
- Work outdoors
Personality profiles (RIASEC)
- Realistic
- People with this profile prefer carrying out concrete tasks and being physically involved in what they do.
- Conventional
- People with this profile prefer specific, well-defined tasks. They like to respect the order of things and follow established rules.
- Investigative
- People with this profile prefer relying on theoretical knowledge before acting. They like observation, analysis and problem solving.
Official name of the NOC 74200
Railway yard and track maintenance workers
Job titles
- Railway track maintenance worker
- Yard worker - railway
- Locomotive servicer
- Locomotive engine servicer
- Track-maintenance-machine operator - railway
- Coupler - railway yard
- Yard coupler - railway
- Trackman/woman - railway yard
- Railway trackman/woman
- Trainman/woman - railway yard
- Yard trainman/woman
- Yardman/woman - railway
- Switch tender - railway yard
- Yard switchman/woman - railway transport
- Interlocking cabin switcher - railway yard
- Switching station switcher - railway yard
- Section worker - railway
- Anchor-applicator operator - railway
- Automatic anchor-applicator operator - railway
- Track broom machine operator - railway
- Trackmobile operator - railway
- Track-surfacing machine operator - railway
- Snowblower operator - railway
- Motor vehicle operator - pole yard
- Car controller - railway
- Railway car controller - railway yard
- Tank car controller - railway yard
- Maintenance of way employee - railway
- Tower operator - railway transport
- Journal box greaser - railway yard
- Railway car greaser
- Maintenance of way inspector - railway
- Railway line inspector
- Railway tie inspector
- Railway tank car servicer
- Rail grinder - railway
- Signal tower operator - railway
- Control tower operator - railway
- Ballast regulator operator - railway
- Spike puller machine operator - railway
- Lag bolter operator - railway
- Railway maintenance equipment operator
- Railway equipment operator
- Tamper operator - railway
- Tie tamper operator - railway
- Railway track tamper operator
- Mechanical tamper operator - railway
- Aligner-tamper operator - railway
- Tie shear operator - railway
- Spike machine operator - railway
- Tie-bed-scarifier operator - railway
- Rail-aligner operator - railway
- Car retarder operator - railway yard
- Tie crane operator - railway
- Rail-lifter operator - railway
- Machine operator - railway
- Tie axe unit operator - railway
- Tie-end-remover operator - railway
- Tie-injector operator - railway
- Railway-tie-injector operator
- Rail-grinder operator - railway
- Tie-plate-placer operator - railway
- Tie-placer operator - railway
- Ballast-equalizer operator - railway
- Transfer table operator - railway yard
- Rail saw operator
- Tie saw operator - railway
- Trackwalker - railway
- Track dresser - railway
- Locomotive maintenance attendant
- Railway train engine maintenance worker
- Track tamper - railway
- Rail sander
- Locomotive attendant - railway yard
- Fitter tracks - railway
- Track repairman/woman - railway
- Railway track repairer
- Locomotive distributor - railway yard
- Railway car distributor
- Freight car distributor - railway yard
- Gandy dancer - railway
- Signalman/woman - railway transport
- Railway signalman/woman
Skill type
Trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations
Last update: January 29, 2026
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