The Rail Sector of the Transport and Logistics Industry is an increasingly important and growing component of the transport and logistics chain.
The relatively low operating and maintenance costs of rail equipment and infrastructure, its low impact on the emission of greenhouse gases and improved rail technology, reliability, speed and passenger/freight carrying capacity are all contributing to a dynamic and essential role for rail in the current and future Australian economy.
There are two main career areas in the Rail Sector: rail infrastructure and rail operations.
The infrastructure area of the Rail Sector is related to the construction and maintenance of the tracks, tunnels, bridges, signals, stations, railway crossings, terminals and other facilities which allow passenger and freight trains to run. Careers in the rail infrastructure area include track worker, signals technician and engineer, electrician, track work and engineering supervisors, equipment operators (for such equipment as bulldozers, front end loaders, forklift trucks, earth moving equipment, cranes and other machinery required in infrastructure construction and maintenance). Management staff are involved in supervising and managing rail infrastructure work as well as safety management, training, and quality assurance functions related to infrastructure activities.
The operations area is concerned with providing the passenger and freight services that use the rail infrastructure. This includes operating passenger and freight trains, providing ticketing and customer services both on trains and at railway stations and freight terminals, controlling the movement of trains within the rail networks, cleaning and maintaining locomotives, motive power units and rolling stock, and managing and coordinating the safe and efficient operation of the train services. Careers in the rail infrastructure area include train driver, guard, customer service staff, train controller, freight terminal operations staff, shunting and marshalling staff, freight customer service staff and rolling stock and locomotive maintenance staff. Management staff are involved in controlling and managing rail operations and in related safety management, training, and quality assurance functions.
