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Subway and Streetcar Operators: Career Overview

Operate subway or elevated suburban trains with no separate locomotive, or electric-powered streetcar, to transport passengers. May handle fares.

What Do Subway and Streetcar Operators Perform?

Typical responsibilities of subway and streetcar operators include:

• Monitor lights indicating obstructions or other trains ahead and watch for car and truck traffic at crossings to stay alert to potential hazards.
• Operate controls to open and close transit vehicle doors.
• Drive and control rail-guided public transportation, such as subways, elevated trains, and electric-powered streetcars, trams, or trolleys, to transport passengers.
• Report delays, mechanical problems, and emergencies to supervisors or dispatchers, using radios.
• Regulate vehicle speed and the time spent at each stop to maintain schedules.
• Make announcements to passengers, such as notifications of upcoming stops or schedule delays.
• Direct emergency evacuation procedures.
• Complete reports, including shift summaries and incident or accident reports.

Skills and Knowledge

Effective subway and streetcar operators combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.

Most Important Skills

The competencies most important for this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Knowledge Areas

Other Subway and Streetcar Operators Job Titles

Common job titles for this role include:

• Combined Rail Operator
• Electric Motorman
• Elevated Motorman
• Light Rail Operator
• Light Rail Train Operator
• Light Rail Transit Operator
• Light Rail Vehicle Operator (LRV Operator)
• Monorail Operator

Employment and Demand

There are roughly 1,370,061 subway and streetcar operators working in the United States today. Employment is projected to decline by -4.4% over the projection horizon.

How Much Do Subway and Streetcar Operators Make?

Statistic	Value
Annual median	$42,817
Hourly median	$20.59
10th percentile	$24,964
25th percentile	$33,891
75th percentile	$51,744
90th percentile	$60,671

Wages vary widely based on experience, location, and industry.

Subway and Streetcar Operators Salary by State

State	Annual median salary
Washington	$86,750
Massachusetts	$84,820
Maryland	$82,590
California	$76,770
New Jersey	$68,960
Minnesota	$67,810
Georgia	$58,500
Utah	$57,200
Texas	$57,200

Top-Paying U.S. Regions

Compensation for subway and streetcar operators vary by region. Top regions by median wage:

Region	Median annual wage	Share of U.S. jobs	Location quotient
New England	$84,820	20.8%	3.75
Middle Atlantic	$79,382	17.2%	2.57
Far Western US	$78,594	23.5%	0.73
Plains States	$67,810	3.3%	0.72
Southeast	$58,500	6.6%	0.88
Rocky Mountains	$57,200	22.8%	8.81
Southwest	$57,200	5.8%	0.28

Where the Jobs Cluster

Metro area	State	Median annual wage	Employment
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	NY	$87,940	3,960
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	WA	$86,750	170
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD	MD	$81,290	160
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	CA	$75,660	150
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	MN	$67,810	120
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	GA	$58,500	230
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX	TX	$57,200	200

Which Industries Hire Subway and Streetcar Operators

The largest employers of subway and streetcar operators are concentrated in the following sectors:

Industry	Employment	Median annual wage
Transportation and Warehousing	440	$54,250

The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.

Tech Stack

• Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)

What the Workplace Is Like

The work environment for subway and streetcar operators is shaped by the following characteristics:

• In an Enclosed Vehicle or Operate Enclosed Equipment
• Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls
• Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
• Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions
• Contact With Others

How to Become Subway and Streetcar Operators

Typical subway and streetcar operators positions require a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. This career aligns with Some Preparation Needed (Job Zone 2), indicating the level of preparation typically expected.

Other Careers to Consider

Similar Occupations

• Transit and Railroad Police (Supplemental)
• Crossing Guards and Flaggers (Supplemental)
• Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance (Supplemental)
• Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists (Supplemental)
• Commercial Pilots (Supplemental)
• Air Traffic Controllers (Primary-Long)
• Airfield Operations Specialists (Supplemental)
• Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (Primary-Long)

Degree Programs

Students preparing for subway and streetcar operators typically earn programs in:

Transportation and Materials Moving

1 programs across 1 majors

• Ground Transportation

References

Statistics shown above are sourced from the following authoritative sources:

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
• BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
• O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.

SOC code: 53-4041.00 (Subway and Streetcar Operators).