Rail transport operatives salary in the UK
The median full-time salary for rail transport operatives in the UK is £57,088 (ONS, 2025). After tax and National Insurance at 2026/27 rates that is about £3,639 a month.
Pay range for rail transport operatives
This is the ONS occupation group "Rail transport operatives" (SOC 2020 code 8234). ONS figures for 2025 show that one in ten earn less than £32,896, a quarter earn less than £42,815, half earn less than £57,088 and a quarter earn more than £72,157.
| Point in the pay range | Gross a year | Gross a month | Take-home a year | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £32,896 | £2,741 | £27,205 | £2,267 |
| 25th percentile | £42,815 | £3,568 | £34,346 | £2,862 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £57,088 | £4,757 | £43,668 | £3,639 |
| 75th percentile | £72,157 | £6,013 | £52,408 | £4,367 |
| 90th percentile | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
Take-home at England, Wales and Northern Ireland rates. Not published means ONS did not publish that figure because the estimate is not reliable enough. ONS rates the median for rail transport operatives as reasonably precise: its sampling error (coefficient of variation) is 9.3%. ONS estimates about 15,000 full-time employee jobs in this occupation. ONS says job counts like this are indicative only.
Where rail transport operatives rank
The median for rail transport operatives ranks 26th of 362 occupations on this site, in the top quarter, and 2nd of 35 in process, plant and machine operatives. It is £18,049 (46.2%) higher than the UK median of £39,039 for all full-time employee jobs. ONS change on the previous year: the median for rail transport operatives rose 7.5%, more than the 4.3% rise in the UK median for all full-time jobs.
Jobs with the nearest medians: Purchasing managers and directors (£58,005), Sales accounts and business development managers (£57,625), Human resource managers and directors (£57,529), Solicitors and lawyers (£56,977), Programmers and software development professionals (£56,914) and Brokers (£56,689).
How spread out pay is
The middle half of full-time rail transport operatives earn between £42,815 and £72,157, a gap of £29,342, or 51.4% of the median. That is £4,595 wider than the £24,747 gap for all UK jobs, and the 28th widest of the 223 jobs where ONS published both figures, one of the wider middle ranges.
The mean for rail transport operatives (total pay divided by the number of employees) is £58,716, which is £1,628 (2.9%) higher than the median. When the mean is above the median, a smaller number of higher salaries are pulling the average up. For all UK full-time jobs the mean is 24.3% above the median, so the gap for rail transport operatives is smaller.
Rail transport operatives and related jobs
Among these 5 jobs in the same ONS minor group, this one has the 2nd highest median. The highest median among them is £76,327 (train and tram drivers) and the lowest £34,700 (air transport operatives).
| Job | SOC code | Median salary | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Train and tram drivers | 8231 | £76,327 | £4,569 |
| Rail transport operatives | 8234 | £57,088 | £3,639 |
| Marine and waterways transport operatives | 8232 | £39,358 | £2,655 |
| Other drivers and transport operatives n.e.c. | 8239 | £35,670 | £2,434 |
| Air transport operatives | 8233 | £34,700 | £2,375 |
Take-home pay against all jobs
At the median, rail transport operatives take home about £3,639 a month, against £2,636 on the UK median for all jobs. Scotland has its own income tax bands, so take-home pay on the same salary is different there.
| Group | Median a year | Take-home a month | Take-home a month in Scotland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rail transport operatives | £57,088 | £3,639 | £3,498 |
| All full-time employee jobs, UK | £39,039 | £2,636 | £2,631 |
Related pages
All jobs in the Process, plant and machine operatives table, average salary by area, the take home pay calculator, salary to hourly calculator and pay rise calculator.
How this is worked out
Pay: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), 2025 provisional, SOC 2020 unit group 8234. Take-home: 2026/27 rates, tax code 1257L, no pension or student loan. How to read these figures.
Sources
- ASHE Table 14: earnings by occupation (4-digit SOC), 2025 provisional (ONS)
- ASHE Table 7: earnings by place of work, local authority, 2025 provisional (ONS)
- SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions of unit groups (ONS)
- Income Tax rates and Personal Allowances (GOV.UK)
- Scottish Income Tax (GOV.UK)
- National Insurance: how much you pay (GOV.UK)
Figures checked on 12 October 2026. ONS plans to publish its next ASHE figures on 22 October 2026. Read how we calculate or tell us about a mistake.
Frequently asked questions
On the median full-time salary of £57,088, take-home pay is about £3,639 a month (£43,668 a year) after 2026/27 income tax and National Insurance, with tax code 1257L and no pension or student loan. In Scotland, where income tax is different, it is about £3,498 a month.
ONS figures for full-time jobs (2025) show that one in ten earn less than £32,896, a quarter earn less than £42,815, half earn less than £57,088 and a quarter earn more than £72,157. ONS did not publish every point in the range because some estimates are not reliable enough.
Yes. The median for rail transport operatives is £57,088, which is £18,049 (46.2%) higher than the UK median of £39,039 for all full-time employee jobs (ONS, 2025). It ranks 26th of 362 occupations on this site.