Engine driver for work trains: build great things.
As an engineering train engine driver, you transport material and machines to where they are needed. You drive engineering trains, coordinate material transports and do your work where the railway of the future is being built.
This video is provided by a third-party platform. To play the video, accept marketing cookies in the cookie settings then reload the page.
If passengers can’t spot a trace of our night-time operations the next morning, then we know we’ve done a good job.
MarcusWünsche
Engine driver for work trains, Active football and skiing fan, family-oriented person and bookworm.
Between the driver’s cabin and the construction site.
As an engineering train engine driver, you’re right in the thick of things as the railway of tomorrow takes shape. You work independently in the construction transport setting and ensure that material gets to the right place at the right time so that construction work can proceed safely and smoothly.
Your everyday work is anything but routine as you’re on the move in the driver’s cabin, yet also close to the action at the construction site. You work closely with various teams and are assisted by modern equipment.
The key factor is always safety. You keep an eye on everything, coordinate processes and help ensure that the construction work proceeds on schedule. A role with real responsibility, meaning and added value.
You will learn everything you need to know for the job as an engineering train engine driver during the paid training course. The course takes nine months and prepares you, step by step, for your everyday work at the construction site. You will combine theory and practice through a variety of different learning methods.
You will learn important theoretical basics like regulations, safety and handling of dangerous goods while gaining practical experience with tasks such as shunting and driving engineering trains. You will build your knowledge step by step and receive specific preparation for your task.
At the end of the course, you will receive engine driving privileges for engineering trains, which will be issued after a theoretical and practical examination by examiners certified by the Federal Office of Transport.
The job of an engine driver includes the following tasks:
You ensure that tonnes of materials get to the right construction site at the right time.
You independently drive engineering trains, perform shunting manoeuvres and ensure that every vehicle is positioned exactly where it is needed.
You plan which materials need to go where at what times, order train paths and ensure that the rails, machinery and gravel are ready exactly when they’re needed.
You keep an overview at the construction site at all times and ensure that all work proceeds safely – for you, your team and the whole operation.
You work in close coordination with other teams to ensure that everything works like clockwork and every agreement sticks.
Those interested in training to become an engine driver for work trains fulfil the following requirements:
You will have completed a minimum two-year recognised apprenticeship with a certificate of qualification, ideally in the construction industry and with experience in track construction, or you will have completed school-leaving examinations
Very good oral and written proficiency in German
You are in good health with unrestricted hearing and flawless colour vision (no red-green colour blindness)
You must be prepared to work irregular hours and perform on-call duties
You have a strong sense of responsibility and awareness of safety as well as the ability to keep a clear overview even in difficult or stressful situations
You have a cat. B driving license for road vehicles
Have you seen the information video? If so, you can apply online for a vacancy now. The application process includes a psychological and medical fitness examination, among other elements. The psychological examination is carried out by a psychologist and ensures that you are capable of meeting the requirements of this security-related role.
We have a fair and progressive remuneration system. We reward individual performance, take the nature of the job market into account and create transparency. We have also been awarded the We Pay Fair label.
Your salary.
Your gross monthly salary including the thirteen month's pay depends on age, experience and location. The graphics show the salary scale excluding extra pay.
Your entry salary.
Extra pay.
Up to 500-800 for night and Sunday work, depending on the shift plan. (Hourly rate for night work: CHF 6 / hourly Sunday rate: CHF 16).
Flat-rate subsistance allowance: CHF 19 per day.
Child benefit: CHF 320 for the first child (CHF 215 for each additional child) and other SBB benefits
Individual salaries will be fixed as part of the employment contract following our remuneration system which forms part of the collective agreement.
Additional benefits.
In addition to a fair and transparent salary, you also enjoy many other additional benefits at SBB. This includes a 2nd class GA travelcard as well as additional attractive discounts for family and international travel. We create the conditions that enable you to enjoy an optimum work-life balance – with family-friendly working conditions and additional holiday and recreational opportunities.
As an engine driver for work trains, you can look forward to challenging tasks and stimulating activities. Here you can achieve great things, contribute your expert knowledge and quickly take on responsibility. Your qualifications and dedication are crucial for our success.
SBB operates around the clock, which means you’ll be travelling through Switzerland on weekdays, weekends and holidays. Irregular working hours are the norm at SBB. This means you can enjoy quiet ski slopes during the week, you’ll no longer have to go shopping during busy times and you’ll be able to structure your free time more flexibly. Attractive conditions of employment are important to us: thanks to time bonuses, our locomotive drivers have more free time than office workers.
We support our employees in line with their personal needs and goals. To this end, we offer a broad range of internal cross-departmental and cross-divisional training and continuing education programmes. For example, as an engine driver for work trains, you have the opportunity to complete further training in the transportation of dangerous goods or in crane operation.
By completing relevant further training, different career paths are open to you: examination specialist, engine crew supervisor, engine driver training manager, staff deployment manager or team leader.
Without SBB, the country would come to a standstill. And without you, so would SBB. You make a valuable contribution to keeping our transport network up and running and ensure that rail transport will be safe and reliable in the future as well. Here, you can be proud of your work, because it creates real benefits for people all around Switzerland every day.
