Train and tram drivers
Train and tram drivers drive diesel, diesel-electric, electric and steam locomotives that transport passengers and goods on surface and underground railways, and transport passengers in trams.
- Employees (UK)
- 26k
- Median annual pay
- £76,176
- Exposure score ?
- 2.8/10 Low 3.2/10 Low strict reading, with tools is 3.2/10 with-tools reading, strict is 2.8/10
- Wage exposure
- £555m £634m
Higher exposure than 88% of the 379 UK occupations we scored.
What this score means.
A few tasks in this role are within reach of AI, mostly paperwork, scheduling and routine writing. The shape of the role stays the same, and some parts get faster.
If you are in this role
Pick the two or three most repetitive things in your week and try a model on them. Most people underestimate what Claude or ChatGPT already does with admin-shaped work. The time you get back is the gain.
A few tasks in this role are within reach of AI, mostly paperwork, scheduling and routine writing. The shape of the role stays the same, and some parts get faster.
If you are in this role
Pick the two or three most repetitive things in your week and try a model on them. Most people underestimate what Claude or ChatGPT already does with admin-shaped work. The time you get back is the gain.
Where the work usually starts.
These are the most important tasks a language model can already handle directly. In a typical engagement the first wins come from building workflows around them, so they stop eating the team's time.
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Confer with conductors and other workers via radiotelephones or computers to exchange switching information.
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Read switching instructions and daily car schedules to determine work to be performed, or receive orders from yard conductors.
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Receive, relay, and act upon instructions and inquiries from train operations and customer service center personnel.
These are the most important tasks AI can already handle when paired with the right tools and context. The first wins usually come from building workflows around them. That is the difference between a model that could do the job and one that actually does it inside your business.
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Confer with conductors and other workers via radiotelephones or computers to exchange switching information.
-
Read switching instructions and daily car schedules to determine work to be performed, or receive orders from yard conductors.
-
Receive, relay, and act upon instructions and inquiries from train operations and customer service center personnel.
Every role has three or four places like these. Finding them takes an hour. Turning them into a workflow your team actually uses takes a few days.
Every task in the role.
Every O*NET task for this occupation, split by what AI can do unaided and what still needs a person. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central each task is.
Tasks via O*NET "Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers" (53-4013.00).
What AI can already do
5 of 23 tasks, unaided
Confer with conductors and other workers via radiotelephones or computers to exchange switching information.
Read switching instructions and daily car schedules to determine work to be performed, or receive orders from yard conductors.
Receive, relay, and act upon instructions and inquiries from train operations and customer service center personnel.
Report arrival and departure times, train delays, work order completion, and time on duty.
Record numbers of cars available, numbers of cars sent to repair stations, and types of service needed.
What still needs a person
18 of 23 tasks
Observe and respond to wayside and cab signals, including color light signals, position signals, torpedoes, flags, and hot box detectors.
Inspect engines before and after use to ensure proper operation.
Apply and release hand brakes.
Signal crew members for movement of engines or trains, using lanterns, hand signals, radios, or telephones.
Inspect track for defects such as broken rails and switch malfunctions.
Observe water levels and oil, air, and steam pressure gauges to ensure proper operation of equipment.
Couple and uncouple air hoses and electrical connections between cars.
Drive engines within railroad yards or other establishments to couple, uncouple, or switch railroad cars.
Inspect the condition of stationary trains, rolling stock, and equipment.
Spot cars for loading and unloading at customer locations.
Operate track switches, derails, automatic switches, and retarders to change routing of train or cars.
Ride on moving cars by holding onto grab irons and standing on ladder steps.
Perform routine repair and maintenance duties.
Drive locomotives to and from various stations in roundhouses to have locomotives cleaned, serviced, repaired, or supplied.
Pull knuckles to open them for coupling.
Provide assistance in aligning drawbars, using available equipment to lift, pull, or push on the drawbars.
Operate flatcars equipped with derricks or railcars to transport personnel or equipment.
Provide assistance in the installation or repair of rails and ties.
Tasks via O*NET "Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers" (53-4013.00).
What AI can already do
5 of 23 tasks, with tools
Confer with conductors and other workers via radiotelephones or computers to exchange switching information.
Read switching instructions and daily car schedules to determine work to be performed, or receive orders from yard conductors.
Receive, relay, and act upon instructions and inquiries from train operations and customer service center personnel.
Report arrival and departure times, train delays, work order completion, and time on duty.
Record numbers of cars available, numbers of cars sent to repair stations, and types of service needed.
What still needs a person
18 of 23 tasks
Observe and respond to wayside and cab signals, including color light signals, position signals, torpedoes, flags, and hot box detectors.
Inspect engines before and after use to ensure proper operation.
Apply and release hand brakes.
Signal crew members for movement of engines or trains, using lanterns, hand signals, radios, or telephones.
Inspect track for defects such as broken rails and switch malfunctions.
Observe water levels and oil, air, and steam pressure gauges to ensure proper operation of equipment.
Couple and uncouple air hoses and electrical connections between cars.
Drive engines within railroad yards or other establishments to couple, uncouple, or switch railroad cars.
Inspect the condition of stationary trains, rolling stock, and equipment.
Spot cars for loading and unloading at customer locations.
Operate track switches, derails, automatic switches, and retarders to change routing of train or cars.
Ride on moving cars by holding onto grab irons and standing on ladder steps.
Perform routine repair and maintenance duties.
Drive locomotives to and from various stations in roundhouses to have locomotives cleaned, serviced, repaired, or supplied.
Pull knuckles to open them for coupling.
Provide assistance in aligning drawbars, using available equipment to lift, pull, or push on the drawbars.
Operate flatcars equipped with derricks or railcars to transport personnel or equipment.
Provide assistance in the installation or repair of rails and ties.
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Related occupations.
Other roles in Process, plant and machine operatives, and roles close by exposure.
What it means for your sector.
This role's score comes from Eloundou et al's 2023 task labels, weighted by O*NET importance within each O*NET-SOC code, then bridged to UK SOC 2020 through ISCO-08 (the ONS coding index) and US SOC 2010 (the BLS crosswalk). Employment and median pay come from ONS ASHE Table 14.7a, 2025 provisional, which covers employees only.
Back to the mapMethodologySources (PDF)Built 29 April 2026
Pictures
- "Census pantograph and 1930s keypunches" by U.S. Census Bureau employees, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- "Shepard Barclay, St. Louis lawyer, in his office" by Missouri Historical Society via DPLA, no known copyright restrictions, via Wikimedia Commons
- "Accountant's Office LCCN2016824374" by National Photo Company Collection, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- "Employment service in Oulu in the spring 1931" by Finnish Heritage Agency (Museovirasto), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons