Transit and Railroad Police
Protective Service
Patrols railroad yards, cars, stations, and other transit property, watching for trespassers, theft, and other threats to passengers, employees, and shipments. Checks credentials at secured areas, enforces transit traffic rules, and removes or helps arrest people who do not belong there. Investigates freight theft, damage, and lost passenger valuables, and writes reports on what was found. May take charge of security work at derailments, fires, floods, or strikes. The job tends to fit people who want station and yard patrol plus the follow-through of theft and trespass cases.
Typical education: Bachelor’s Degree (4-year)
Annual Median Wage in Field (2025)
$90'230
Median Wage Market Position
$90'230
What you might do
- Monitor stations and rail yards for trouble
- Investigate freight theft and missing passenger valuables
- Remove trespassers and thieves from railroad property
- Take charge of security at wrecks and fires
- Stop unauthorized people entering restricted rail areas
- Enforce traffic rules on the transit system
Skills that matter
- Listening for trouble on trains and platforms
- Questioning riders and yard trespassers
- Tracing freight theft and lost valuables
- Written reports of transit crime work
- Credential checks at secured rail areas
- Lead on wrecks, fires, or strike scenes
AI & the future of this role
Protecting riders and rail property requires visible presence, de-escalation, and on-site enforcement that remote systems cannot fully cover. Analytics may help monitor networks, but hands-on response and public-safety accountability are likely to sustain the work.
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Includes O*NET® 30.3 Database information by USDOL/ETA under CC BY 4.0; modified by LostInCareer. Wage/outlook from BLS. Attribution details