Locomotive Engine Drivers: Jobs in Demand in Europe (2025)
Locomotive Engine Drivers is an official occupation group (ISCO-08 code 8311) used by the International Labour Organization and Eurostat.
- Locomotive driver
- Metropolitan railway driver
- Train driver
Pay in the UK for this job
UK occupation used: Train and tram drivers (SOC 2020 code 8231). Placeivo matched this to ISCO-08 8311 by job title and duties; the UK and international occupation lists do not line up exactly. National figure for the whole United Kingdom, in pounds sterling (GBP), before income tax and National Insurance.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) 2025 provisional, Table 14 (occupation by 4-digit SOC 2020): tables 14.7a (annual pay, gross) and 14.1a (weekly pay, gross), full-time employee jobs, United Kingdom. Weekly pay is for April 2025; annual pay is for the tax year ending 5 April 2025, employees in the same job for at least a year. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
UK Skilled Worker visa for this job
This occupation (UK code 8231, Train and tram drivers) is not eligible for the Skilled Worker visa, according to the GOV.UK list of eligible occupations. Placeivo matched this UK code to ISCO-08 8311 by job title; the lists do not line up exactly.
This is a summary of official rules, not legal advice. Rules change and some people (for example those already on a Skilled Worker visa) have different rules. Always check GOV.UK before you apply.
Source: UK Visas and Immigration, GOV.UK tables "Skilled Worker visa: eligible occupations and codes" and "Skilled Worker visa: going rates for eligible occupation codes", updated 2025-07-22, retrieved 2026-10-15. General minimum salary from GOV.UK "Skilled Worker visa: Your job", checked 2026-10-15.
Compare UK visa going rates by job · Eligible occupations (GOV.UK) · Going rates (GOV.UK) · Salary rules (GOV.UK)
Latest locomotive engine drivers job ads
Real vacancies from the official public employment services, updated daily. Job titles are translated into English automatically; the full ad opens on the official site in German or Swedish (your browser's translate button turns it into English).
Germany
456 open ads- Train driver
German title: Lokführer
Piening GmbH (Rüsselsheim) · Frankfurt am Main · Posted 2026-10-15 - Train driver
German title: Lokführer
Flix · Stuttgart · Posted 2026-10-09 - Train driver
German title: Lokführer
Flix · Frankfurt am Main · Posted 2026-10-09 - Train driver
German title: Lokführer
Flix · Hamburg · Posted 2026-10-09 - Train driver
German title: Lokführer
LEIPA Logistik GmbH · Schwedt/Oder · Posted 2026-09-10 - Train driver
German title: Lokführer
BLG RailTec GmbH · Uebigau, Elster · Posted 2025-11-25
Source: Bundesagentur für Arbeit (German Federal Employment Agency). Ads are written by employers; Placeivo does not check them. See all ads in Germany
Sweden
2 open ads- Tunnel train driver wanted for Stockholm Metro
Swedish title: Tunneltågförare sökes till Stockholms Tunnelbana
Connecting Stockholm AB · Stockholm · Posted 2026-10-09 - Teacher/instructor railway - ProTrain training Malmö
Swedish title: Lärare/instruktör järnväg - ProTrain utbildning Malmö
ProTrain Bemanning AB · Malmö · Posted 2026-10-09
Source: Arbetsförmedlingen (Swedish Public Employment Service). Ads are written by employers; Placeivo does not check them. See all ads in Sweden
Where locomotive engine drivers are needed in Europe
| Country | EURES 2025 | Average gross pay, all plant and machine operators and assemblers (2022) | 1-bed rent in the capital |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | Shortage | €3,040 a month * | Vienna: €1,250 |
| Belgium | Shortage | Not yet verified | Brussels: €1,150 |
| Denmark | Shortage | €4,773 a month * | Copenhagen: €1,800 |
| Germany | Shortage | €2,907 a month | Berlin: €1,350 |
| Italy | Shortage | €2,300 a month * | Rome: €1,300 |
| Luxembourg | Shortage | Not yet verified | Luxembourg: €1,900 |
| Netherlands | Shortage | €3,120 a month | Not yet verified |
| Romania | Shortage | €924 a month * | Not yet verified |
| Slovakia | Shortage | €1,230 a month | Bratislava: €910 |
| Czechia | Surplus | €1,285 a month | Prague: €1,250 |
| France | Surplus | €2,308 a month * | Paris: €1,550 |
| Latvia | Surplus | €1,221 a month | Riga: €870 |
Pay: Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey 2022, mean gross monthly earnings of all plant and machine operators and assemblers in each country, in euros. This is the average for the whole occupation group, not for locomotive engine drivers alone, and before tax. * Firms with 10 or more employees only. Rent: Eurostat, good-quality 1-bedroom flat in the capital, 2025.
What locomotive engine drivers do
Locomotive engine drivers drive, or assist in driving, locomotive engines to transport passengers and freight.
Typical tasks
- Driving or assisting in driving a steam, electric or diesel-electric locomotive engine
- Driving an underground or elevated passenger train
- Driving a locomotive to haul carriages underground or on the surface of a mine or quarry
- Watching for track hazards, observing signals and indicator gauges
- Operating communications systems to communicate with train crews and traffic controllers to ensure safe operation and scheduling of trains
Finding locomotive engine drivers jobs in Europe
- EURES is the official job portal of the EU public employment services. The search above looks for "Train driver".
- Some jobs are regulated professions: before you can work, your qualification may need to be recognised in the new country.
- If you are not an EU/EEA citizen you will usually need a work permit or a visa such as the EU Blue Card. Check the rules of the country's immigration authority.
Cost of living where the jobs are
Take-home pay needed to rent a good 1-bedroom flat in the capitals of countries reporting a shortage:
About this data
- Shortage and surplus: European Labour Authority, EURES Report on labour shortages and surpluses 2025, annex table 21 (published 2026). Each country's public employment service reports which occupations it finds hard to fill or in oversupply. Countries not listed did not report this occupation as either.
- Definition, tasks and job titles: International Labour Organization, ISCO-08 structure and definitions.
- Pay: Eurostat, Structure of Earnings Survey 2022 (earn_ses22_48), by occupation group. United Kingdom, closest UK occupation: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (median pay of full-time employees).
- Job ads: Bundesagentur für Arbeit (Germany) and Arbetsförmedlingen (Sweden), refreshed about once a day.