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Train Driver salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a train driver is $156,100 per annum, before tax, up $33,200 since 2018.
- Your rate comes from an enterprise agreement that sets base pay by driver grade, with loadings added for night shifts, weekends, public holidays and overtime.
- Freight and long-distance rosters, including the mining haulage operators, tend to sit above suburban passenger work, partly because the trips are longer and often take you away from your home depot.
- When you weigh up two operators, find out whether the quoted rate includes penalties and allowances, how overtime is paid, and how the roster falls across a full year.
The median salary rose by $33,200 between 2018 and 2024; the dashed line shows a projection to 2028 based on the real ABS Wage Price Index growth rate, not a role-specific forecast.
How to negotiate a higher train driver salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time train driver salary is $156,100; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Driving and transport operations and Operations management tend to command a premium over general train driver experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Time it deliberately. Reviews, the end of a project you delivered, or taking on responsibility beyond your job description are stronger moments to ask than an arbitrary date on the calendar.
- Ask for a number, not a raise. "Based on the market rate and [specific contribution], I'd like to move to X" gets a clearer answer than "I think I deserve more."
Train Driver salary questions
How much do train drivers earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a train driver is $156,100 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is train driver pay rising or falling?
The median train driver salary is up $33,200 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
Related salaries
- Train Controller salary
- Railway Station Manager salary
- Tram Driver salary
- Truck Driver salary
- Railway Station Assistant salary
- Transport Conductor salary
Pay advice
- How to ask for a pay rise, and back it up with real numbersWhat national wage growth looks like right now, how to work out a figure for your own role, wording you can adapt for the conversation, and what to do if the answer is no.
- The average salary in Australia (2026)Full-time adults in Australia averaged $2,083.70 a week in May 2026. Several measures get called the average salary, and this explains which one fits your situation.
- Overtime pay, time in lieu and what your award saysOvertime rates come from your award or agreement, not one national rule. How rates work, what happens on a salary, and how time off in lieu works.