Rail travel assistants: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time rail travel assistants in the UK earned a median £46,062 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): 18% more than the £39,039 median for all full-time jobs.
What the figures show
That ranks 88th of 382 occupations on this measure.
The middle half of full-time jobs paid between £40,367 and £53,858.
Median full-time pay: women £39,736 a year, men £47,179 a year.
ASHE counts roughly 21,000 employee jobs, 90% full-time.
Since 2021 the median has risen 37.6% (from £33,465), faster than the 25.0% for all jobs.
The Annual Population Survey counts 23,900 people in this line of work across the UK.
Pay distribution, 2025 provisional
| Gross pay | Full-time, annual | Full-time, weekly | Full-time, hourly | All, annual | All, weekly | All, hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £31,853* | £635.80 | £15.80 | £25,837* | £539.00* | £15.49 |
| 20th percentile | £38,319 | £712.00 | £18.24 | £34,047* | £642.70 | £18.12 |
| 25th percentile | £40,367 | £754.00 | £18.86 | £38,170 | £711.20 | £18.61 |
| 30th percentile | £41,159 | £775.60 | £19.87 | £40,343 | £754.60 | £19.42 |
| 40th percentile | £43,583 | £850.50 | £20.93 | £43,030 | £818.80 | £20.61 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £46,062 | £906.30 | £22.77 | £45,240 | £897.40 | £22.73 |
| 60th percentile | £48,682 | £960.10 | £23.99 | £48,449 | £942.70 | £23.83 |
| 70th percentile | £51,554 | £1,034.80 | £25.52 | £50,792 | £1,029.30 | £25.42 |
| 75th percentile | £53,858 | £1,053.70 | £26.51 | £53,189 | £1,047.60 | £26.40 |
| 80th percentile | £56,962* | £1,118.90 | £27.81* | £56,188* | £1,106.90* | £27.61* |
| Mean | £47,477 | £940.40 | £23.47 | £45,309 | £904.40 | £23.42 |
Pay since 2021
| ASHE year | Full-time, annual median | Full-time, weekly median | Full-time, hourly median | All, annual median | All, weekly median | Jobs (thousands, indicative) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 revised | £33,465 | £662.10 | £17.49 | £33,203 | £651.00 | 22 |
| 2022 revised | £37,774 | £752.30 | £18.78 | £35,528 | £717.40 | 16* |
| 2023 revised | £36,227 | £755.70 | £19.72 | £35,695 | £722.70 | 19 |
| 2024 revised | £41,356 | £809.50 | £20.02 | £40,673 | £790.40 | 15* |
| 2025 provisional | £46,062 | £906.30 | £22.77 | £45,240 | £897.40 | 21 |
Rail travel assistants by region
UK: 23,900 (± 6,000), April 2025 to March 2026.
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What rail travel assistants do
Rail travel assistants issue, collect and inspect travel tickets, provide information and assistance to railway passengers, operate train doors, and perform a variety of duties on station platforms in connection with the arrival and departure of trains and the movement of goods and passengers, and on trains to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers. (ONS SOC 2020, 6214)
Also covers: conductor (railways), station assistant (underground railway), station supervisor, ticket inspector (railways), train conductor, train manager, call boy, carriage attendant, commercial guard, customer adviser, goods porter, mail porter, parcel porter, parcels porter, passenger assistant, passenger guard, platform foreman and platform inspector (42 titles in the ONS coding index).
- Examines and collects tickets at the ticket barrier of a railway station
- Helps with passenger enquiries and makes announcements over a public address system at stations
- Loads and unloads mail, goods and luggage, operates lifts and hoists and drives small trucks
- Assists passengers with special needs to board and leave trains
- Attends to the safety, welfare and comfort of passengers on trains and manages train crew
- Checks control panel operation before start of journey, operates train door controls and signals to driver to start or stop train
There are no formal academic entry requirements, although entrants are required to take a medical examination and have normal colour vision. Training is provided Off and on-the-job. NVQs/SVQs in Rail Services are available at level 2.
Related
Leisure and travel services (median £30,792) · Air travel assistants · Travel agents · salary percentile · UK average weekly earnings growth · Median
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026