Rail Controller

Date Opened:
Wednesday, February 04, 2026 12:00 AMClose Date:
Wednesday, February 18, 2026 12:00 AM Department:
Charlotte Area Transit System Department Operations Management Salary: $75,471.00 - $94,339.00 Commensurate with Experience
** Welcome to the City of Charlotte
** Charlotte is America’s Queen City, opening her arms to a diverse and inclusive community of residents, businesses and visitors alike. Here you will find a safe, family-oriented city where people work together to help everyone thrive. The mission of the City of Charlotte is to deliver quality public services and promote the safety, health, and quality of life for all residents.

Our guiding principles include:
* Attracting and retaining a skilled and diverse workforce
* Valuing teamwork, openness, accountability, productivity, and employee development
* Providing all customers with courteous, responsive, accessible, and seamless quality services
* Taking initiative to identify, analyze, and solve problems
* Collaborating with stakeholders to make informed decisions
** SUMMARY
* * Rail Controllers monitor, manage, and control all scheduled revenue service, special train movements, special events, and activities along the rail right of way. This is a professional traffic management position of a difficult nature, requiring extensive supervisory skills and the ability to exercise sound judgment during highly stressful situations.
The Rail Controller must be able to multi-task, communicate in writing, and verbally provide instructions in a clear and concise manner. Adherence to rules/policies and procedures while exercising independent judgment is required in solving rail service issues and during rail emergencies. Start-up experience, including railcar commissioning, test track operations, system integration, control center procedures, and pre-revenue service, is desirable. This position reports to the Rail Controller Managers in Rail Transportation.

This is a security and safety-sensitive position.
This position comes with various benefits. Candidates will be required to complete and pass all CATS controller training and standardized tests. The candidate for this position must have the flexibility to work various scheduled shifts on a consistent basis.
The Rail Control Center is a 24/7 operation, and you would be an essential employee required to work extended hours, including holidays and weekends, with various days off.
** Major Duties and Responsibilities
*** Ensures the light rail system is safe and efficient by performing duties safely and complying with all applicable rules, laws, regulations, and procedures.
* Be knowledgeable of all emergency response and recovery procedures.
* Maintains two-way radio communications with LRT operators, Field Supervisors, Maintenance, and other personnel under FCC regulations during test and start-up operations and revenue/non-revenue service operations.
* Coordinates and manages red tag and supervisory power outages when personnel and contractors work on or near the right-of-way.
* Coordinates the removal and sectionalization of traction power by remotely operating traction power substation breakers and catenary sectionalization switches.
* Monitors train and on-track equipment movement on the mainline and rail yards, including revenue and non-revenue trains, test trains, student training, and special event trains.
* Adjust service levels and headways as indicated by operating conditions and passenger loads.
* Completes forms, incident reports, and maintains records and documents.
* Directly support continuous implementation and compliance of the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) State Safety Oversight Program Standards (SSOPS) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) regulations 49 CFR Part 673 and 672 related to the Safety Management System (SMS) and the CATS Agency Safety Plan (ASP).
* Support the safety performance goals of CATS. Encourage employees to proactively support and report safety concerns following the CATS Safety Reporting options described in your training and the ASP.
* As part of your responsibility to support the CATS Safety Culture, report safety concerns and issues through the various methods established by CATS as outlined in the ASP.
* Advocate and promote a strong safety culture within CATS regarding transportation services, capital programs, facility operations and maintenance, worksite procedures, employees, and customers following SMS and ASP.
* Participate in internal and external ASP audits.
* Performs related duties as required.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

NOTE:

Essential Duties are skills and abilities that candidates must be able to perform within their required scope of responsibilities.  
* Candidate must be available to work irregular hours and shifts depending upon the business needs of CATS.
* Must complete a 6-month probationary period.
* Demonstrate extensive supervisory skills and sound judgment always required of Rail Controllers.
* Be able to communicate effectively and clearly in…