Average Train Driver Salary in Australia for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Train Driver salary for 2024 in Australia and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the Australian dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the AUD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does a Train Driver Make in Australia?

A Train Driver working in Australia will typically earn around 32,900 AUD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 18,400 AUD to the highest average salary of 48,300 AUD.

Average Annual Salary
32,900 AUD
Average Monthly Salary
2,741 AUD

Lowest Annual Salary
18,400 AUD
Lowest Monthly Salary
1,533 AUD

Highest Annual Salary
48,300 AUD
Highest Monthly Salary
4,025 AUD

These are average salaries for a Train Driver in Australia and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Train Driver to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Train Driver salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Train Driver Salaries in Australia

So we've looked at the average salaries a Train Driver will earn in Australia. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Train Driver can earn between 18,400 AUD and 48,300 AUD on average in Australia. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Train Driver in Australia is 30,200 AUD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 30,200 AUD, and 50% of the population earn more than 30,200 AUD.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Train Driver salary in Australia, 25% of the population are earning less than 22,300 AUD while 75% of the population earn more than 22,300 AUD.

75% of the population earn less than 40,500 AUD, and 25% of the population earn more than 40,500 AUD.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Train Driver Salary by Experience Level in Australia

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average train driver salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Train Driver in Australia that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 18,900 AUD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Train Driver salary would increase to 24,200 AUD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Train Driver, the average salary would be 31,700 AUD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 42,000 AUD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Train Driver with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 45,600 AUD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Train Driver with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 48,600 AUD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
18,900 AUD
2-5 Years +34%
24,200 AUD
5-10 Years +30%
31,700 AUD
10-15 Years +21%
42,000 AUD
15-20 Years +9%
45,600 AUD
20+ Years +5%
48,600 AUD

Train Driver Salary by Education Level in Australia

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Train Driver in Australia based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • High School. A Train Driver in Australia with a high school education can earn an average salary of 21,300 AUD.

  • Certificate or Diploma. A Train Driver in Australia with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 32,300 AUD.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Train Driver in Australia with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 45,700 AUD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School
21,300 AUD
Certificate or Diploma +43%
32,300 AUD
Bachelor's Degree +38%
45,700 AUD

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in Australia is around 37,800 to 114,000 AUD and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Train Driver Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In Australia, a male train driver will earn an average of 31,700 AUD, while a female train driver will earn around 32,200 AUD.

This means that a male train driver earns approximately 2% less than a female train driver for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Australia

Male
31,700 AUD
Female +2%
32,200 AUD

Train Driver Average Pay Raise in Australia

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Train Driver in Australia is around 8% every 18 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in Australia is around 8% every 16 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 8 ÷ 18 ) × 12  = 5%

What this means is that a Train Driver in Australia can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 5% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Australia for 2024

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in Australia.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking
4%
Energy
8%
Information Technology
3%
Healthcare
7%
Travel
2%
Construction
6%
Education
1%

Train Driver Bonus and Incentive Rates in Australia

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Train Driver is a low bonus based job, with 28% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

72% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 1% to 3%.

Received Bonus
28%
No Bonus
72%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in Australia earn approximately 5% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
92,500 AUD
Private Sector -5%
87,900 AUD

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Train Driver

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Train Driver in Australia.

Job Title Category Salary
Bus Driver Courier / Delivery / Transport / Drivers 27,300 AUD
Car Driver Courier / Delivery / Transport / Drivers 27,400 AUD
CDL Driver Courier / Delivery / Transport / Drivers 34,000 AUD
CDL Truck Driver Courier / Delivery / Transport / Drivers 35,100 AUD
Chauffeur Courier / Delivery / Transport / Drivers 34,700 AUD
Courier Coordinator Courier / Delivery / Transport / Drivers 48,200 AUD
Courier Sales Manager Courier / Delivery / Transport / Drivers 68,500 AUD
Deck Officer Courier / Delivery / Transport / Drivers 30,800 AUD
Delivery Driver Courier / Delivery / Transport / Drivers 25,500 AUD
Delivery Specialist Courier / Delivery / Transport / Drivers 35,300 AUD
Delivery Supervisor Courier / Delivery / Transport / Drivers 41,500 AUD
Dispatcher Courier / Delivery / Transport / Drivers 22,400 AUD
Driver Courier / Delivery / Transport / Drivers 26,900 AUD
Driving Instructor Courier / Delivery / Transport / Drivers 36,000 AUD
Goods Receiving Expediter Courier / Delivery / Transport / Drivers 28,900 AUD
Limousine Driver Courier / Delivery / Transport / Drivers 33,500 AUD
Parking Inspector Courier / Delivery / Transport / Drivers 35,300 AUD
School Bus Driver Courier / Delivery / Transport / Drivers 30,700 AUD
Shuttle Driver Courier / Delivery / Transport / Drivers 27,700 AUD
Taxi Driver Courier / Delivery / Transport / Drivers 30,700 AUD
Third Officer Courier / Delivery / Transport / Drivers 28,900 AUD
Tram Driver Courier / Delivery / Transport / Drivers 30,800 AUD
Transport Officer Courier / Delivery / Transport / Drivers 28,900 AUD
Transportation and Shipping Supervisor Courier / Delivery / Transport / Drivers 44,200 AUD
Transportation Manager Courier / Delivery / Transport / Drivers 115,600 AUD
Truck Driver Courier / Delivery / Transport / Drivers 26,400 AUD

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in Australia, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

City Average Salary
Adelaide 33,600 AUD
Brisbane 33,800 AUD
Canberra-Queanbeyan 32,200 AUD
Gold Coast-Tweed 29,100 AUD
Gosford 29,300 AUD
Melbourne 34,000 AUD
Newcastle 30,700 AUD
Perth 30,300 AUD
Sunshine Coast 29,200 AUD
Sydney 33,500 AUD
Wollongong 26,300 AUD

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