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Becoming a train dispatcher requires formal education in transportation, logistics, or engineering, as well as experience in information systems and analytical skills. In the US, national train companies offer direct-to-the-job training, but completing the course does not guarantee a job offer. Train dispatchers are unionized and subject to federal standards and safety rules. The job is stressful but pays well, and experience in air traffic control or train dispatch is preferred. Other countries, such as Saudi Arabia, have similar requirements. Train dispatchers are also known as rail traffic controllers or SCADA operators.
The process to become a train dispatcher involves some formal education directly in the field of train dispatch or a related field such as transportation, logistics or engineering. As much of the modern train dispatch system is computer controlled, experience working in information systems is also helpful. Candidates with experience working in air traffic control, which has some similarities to modern train dispatcher roles, generally have a preference for openers. In addition, good analytical skills and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced work environment where multitasking is the norm is required. An important qualification is that there is no vision impairment in the ability to distinguish colors to track the video monitor and switch indicator lights.
In the United States, the process of becoming a train dispatcher can be easier than expected, as the large national train system companies offer direct-to-the-job training. A typical course lasts 28 weeks and involves studying everything from field safety training to hands-on teaching of shipping rules. Students are generally required to complete a simulated computer-aided dispatch exam to complete the course. After that, they undergo additional weeks of on-the-job training to become a dispatcher. The 13-14 week on-the-job training is unpaid; therefore, trainers of train dispatchers and rail traffic controllers must have another source of income during this period.
The starting salary for train dispatchers is good, ranking in the upper middle class range in the United States after a year of work. Work, however, carries with it a significant amount of stress. Candidates with two years of experience in air traffic control or train dispatch elsewhere are given strong preference for any job vacancy, as they may be used to the normal stressors of the job.
The US train dispatch field is also unionized, providing collective bargaining for working conditions and pay rates. Like air traffic control, the industry must also comply with federal standards and safety rules. Also, most major US train companies only offer training to become a dispatcher at one or two locations across the country, and completing the official course does not guarantee a job offer.
Several US technical colleges also offer courses in train dispatch, which may be acceptable to some train companies as a condition of employment. US qualifications to become a train dispatcher may also transfer to requirements in other countries. Saudi Arabia, for example, has a professional certification and/or training requirement and three years of experience to become a train dispatcher there.
Field listings in many countries can be classified as rail traffic controllers. Another term used for train dispatchers is SCADA (Supervisory Control And Data Acquisitions) operator. Generally, this refers to the monitoring of computer control systems involving infrastructure such as public and private rail networks.
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