Train Driver Salary
Official ONS earnings for the UK, covering 26,000 jobs.
Median salary
£76,176
gross, per year, all employees
▲ 19.3% change on the previous year
Full-time only
£76,327
Mean
£73,202
Jobs measured
26,000
What a typical train driver takes home
On the median of £76,176, 2026/27 tax year, England, Wales and Northern Ireland rates, no pension or student loan.
Take-home a month
£4,562
Take-home a year
£54,739
Income Tax
£17,902
National Insurance
£3,534
What most train drivers actually earn
Half of train drivers earn between £63,585 and £81,905. Earning above £81,905 puts you in the top quarter of the profession.
The full pay range
Each bar is the salary at that percentile — the 25th means a quarter of train drivers earn less than this.
Train Driver salary by region
5 of 11 GB regions have a published figure for this occupation.
| Region | Median | Mean |
|---|---|---|
| London | £77,889 | £77,915 |
| South East | £76,715 | £75,792 |
| East | £75,608 | £71,460 |
| Scotland | £70,367 | £71,131 |
| West Midlands | £67,428 | £66,271 |
Where this figure comes from
- ONS occupation group
- Train and tram drivers
- SOC 2020 code
- 8231
- Measure
- Gross annual pay, all employees
- Edition
- ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Figures are estimates from a survey of PAYE jobs and are not financial advice.
Train Driver salary FAQs
What is the average Train Driver salary in the UK?
The median is £76,176 a year and the mean is £73,202, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Those cover all employees; full-time employees alone have a median of £76,327.
How much does a train driver earn per hour?
Across the UK the median hourly rate is £38.97 excluding overtime. ASHE publishes hourly pay by occupation nationally only.
What is a good Train Driver salary?
Half of train drivers earn between £63,585 and £81,905. Anything above £81,905 is in the top quarter for the role.
What is the starting salary for a train driver?
ASHE does not record experience, so there is no official starting salary. What it does show is that the lowest-paid 10% of train drivers earn under £41,998 and the lowest quarter under £63,585 — the range a new entrant is most likely to be offered.
Which part of the UK pays train drivers the most?
London, at a median of £77,889, is the highest of the 3 GB regions with a precise ONS estimate; East is the lowest at £75,608. Regions where ONS marks the figure as imprecise are not ranked.
Has train driver pay gone up in the last year?
ASHE puts the year-on-year change in the median at +19.3% for this occupation in the UK. That compares the latest survey with the one before it and is not adjusted for inflation.
How many train drivers are there in the UK?
ASHE counts around 26,000 employee jobs in “Train and tram drivers” (SOC 8231) in the UK. Self-employed work is not included.
Is this figure official?
Yes. It comes from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, an accredited official statistic based on employer PAYE records.
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