Assistant driver: training, responsibilities and functions. Steps to obtaining the profession of "electric train driver" According to it, candidates for vacant positions must provide the employer

Every time we leave the railway station for a trip, we are amazed at the strength and power of the machine, which powers a huge train consisting of several cars. Of course, such a device is difficult to operate, and it is simply impossible to cope with it alone. That is why trains, as a rule, are operated by two specialists at once: the driver and his assistant.

You may have a completely logical question: since modern trains are almost completely automated, why is it necessary today? Occupation: assistant driver? Is it really impossible for the driver himself to cope with the control of a computerized locomotive? No, he can not! The fact is that quite often in the process of controlling a train it becomes necessary to perform several technical operations at once in places remote from each other. In addition, the work of a driver has a number of features that make it possible to classify this profession as very difficult and dangerous, so the assistant driver often serves as “insurance” in case the driver loses his ability to work while on the road.

Who is a driver's assistant?

A railway transport worker who is part of a locomotive crew. The place of work of this specialist is all types of trains of different connections and destinations (freight, passenger, electric trains, etc.).

The name of the profession comes from the Latin word māchina (tool, device, mechanism). That is, the name itself directly indicates that we are talking about a specialist who helps operate the mechanism. It is interesting that initially those who operated a mechanism were simply called “mechanics,” and only later the responsibilities of specialists were redistributed: a mechanic began to be called a person who understands the principles of operation of the mechanism, and a machinist was a professional who controls the mechanism. This profession arose relatively recently, namely when the first steam locomotives appeared. In Russia this happened in the middle of the century before last.

What does an assistant driver do? First of all, it must be said that the assistant driver is not just a backup for the chief manager of a diesel or electric locomotive. He has his own, very important role and place in the cabin, and a lot depends on the activities of the assistant driver. Assistant driver job assumes employment in all cycles of the trip: before, during and after:

Before the trip, the assistant driver must inspect the locomotive and check its technical condition, identifying possible malfunctions. He must also check the adhesion of the locomotive to the rolling stock;
During the trip, the assistant driver monitors light and sound signals on the highway and reports them to the driver, ensures radio communication and its excellent condition (and this is very important and directly ensures the safety of passengers, as it connects the vehicle crew with dispatchers). He also monitors all instrument and sensor readings and, if necessary, warns the driver about malfunctions. In addition, this specialist must inform the driver where and when it is necessary to increase or decrease the speed of the locomotive;
After the trip, the assistant inspects the locomotive, uncouples it from the rolling stock and, together with the driver, takes it to sidings.

To summarize, we can conclude: assistant driver's activity comes down to ensuring the safety of passengers in transport, the serviceability of rolling stock and the acquisition of experience and professional skills that will subsequently help a specialist independently operate a locomotive.

What personal qualities should an assistant driver have?

Because the professional duties of an assistant driver are not much different from the activities of a person responsible for operating a locomotive, the personal qualities of this specialist, first of all, should include responsibility and discipline. In addition, the most important requirements for an assistant driver are:

good reaction;
attentiveness;
caution;
prudence;
endurance;
good visual memory;
ability to quickly switch attention;
stress resistance;
visual and hearing acuity;
high coordination of movement;
a penchant for working with technology.

An assistant driver is a profession in which people who have not received special education cannot work. You need to know a lot: the features of the train, the operation of the locomotive, the communication routes, as well as a thorough knowledge of the technical characteristics of the train, be able to read readings from complex instruments and monitor the normal operation of the locomotive.

Advantages of being an assistant driver

Basics advantage of being an assistant driver is in high demand. Despite the active development of air and sea water transport, the railway in Russia still remains the main means of transportation and cargo transportation. Therefore, the need for such specialists will only increase in the coming years.

Another advantage of this profession is the fact that the work of a locomotive crew is highly paid. The risks in the profession are very high, and the payment must be decent - today, specialists directly involved in operating a train receive on average about 40-50 thousand rubles.

We cannot remain silent about the great opportunities for career growth. Not only that, after several years of successful work, an assistant driver can become a driver or move to the position of a foreman or section manager at a depot. In the long term, there is no upper career ceiling in this profession at all - you can even become the Minister of Railways.

Since technology is constantly improving, an assistant driver must constantly develop his technical skills and gain new knowledge, and this is an excellent opportunity to increase his level of erudition and “train” his brain. In other words, a specialist in this field can safely consider himself an intellectually developed person who understands the latest achievements of science and technology.

And lastly, locomotive crew workers are subject to increased demands in terms of health (the health of both the driver and his assistant is monitored before each trip), so representatives of this profession do not have to worry about the presence of any pathologies and chronic diseases.

Disadvantages of being an assistant driver

Disadvantages of being an assistant driver associated with difficult working conditions. Constant work in the confined space of a locomotive cabin, strain on vision and hearing, vibration, noise, road dust - all this accompanies the locomotive crew throughout the working day. This does not exclude a high degree of fatigue at the end of the working day, and the assistant driver is simply obliged to rest well, which is not always possible. Otherwise, fatigue accumulates, which can lead to irreversible consequences.

It is also worth noting that an assistant driver is a profession with a high risk to the life and health of a specialist. Transport disasters, unfortunately, are not uncommon. Therefore, it cannot be said that this profession is absolutely safe. At the same time, it is necessary to take into account the purely psychological disadvantage of the profession - a high degree of responsibility for the safety and lives of people, which leads to increased anxiety.

In order to become a driver, you need to study for a license, and to train as an electric train driver you will need, at a minimum, to go to college or technical school. Where to apply to become an electric train driver in Moscow? Let's find out.

Let's start with the most important things. If almost anyone can study for a license, then training a train driver is not so simple. After all, not all categories of citizens are allowed to drive trains.

And for some this work is not suitable for family reasons. Due to long flights, night shifts, work on weekends and holidays, many refuse to train as a train driver before even starting. Some people’s health does not allow it, and this work is harmful and carries a heavy load. In a word, driving trains is not for everyone.

But someone still controls them. And statistics stubbornly show that training to become an electric train driver in Moscow is always in demand, places in educational institutions are filled and there are never any difficulties with recruitment.

Requirements for training to become an electric train driver

Although higher education is not required for this profession, the candidate must still have knowledge of personnel management and technical equipment. Therefore, those who want to enroll as an electric train driver at a college or technical school need to seriously prepare for training, and already during the educational process it is imperative to study well.

Working in this profession is a great responsibility. Strong guys who have served in the army are welcome here. Therefore, after training you will need to serve. These are the conditions.

Recruitment for train driver training in Moscow

Recruitment for training electric train drivers in Moscow is open not only at Russian Railways, but also at the Metro. Candidates under the age of 35, who have served in the army and have a technical education, are invited to work. For those wishing to work as a subway driver, the metro provides training, having previously selected future drivers through a competition.

What kind of selection do candidates go through to become an electric train driver in the Moscow metro? If we talk about the metro, they accept people with specialized technical education. Profile - that is, technical and obtained earlier, for example, at a railway technical school. In a word, this path is not for beginners.

The competition framework consists of 3 parts:

The candidate is given a task, there is a commission of employees who also ask questions to determine the level of technical knowledge. Those who successfully pass this stage advance to the next.
Interview with a psychologist. Helps to find out how balanced the candidate is, has self-control and is capable of the upcoming energy-intensive shifts.
Medical commission. The candidate should not have problems with vision, hearing, he should not have chronic diseases or heart problems. You will also need to go to a narcologist, a psychiatrist and a skin and venereal disease clinic.

If you go through all the stages, you can become an electric train driver. In the metro they train for 6 months and 3 weeks. After completing theory and practice (half of the training period), students are enrolled on staff and paid a stipend. But the study is still ongoing. Each stage of training ends with passing an exam; those who do not pass the exam are expelled.

The school has strict discipline and students are required to abide by it. Upon completion of training to become a metro train driver, the employee is usually required to work in the metro for 3 years.

After completing the training and passing the exam, the student receives the qualification “driver’s assistant.” His job responsibilities include: monitoring the serviceability of the train, closely monitoring the boarding and disembarking of passengers, answering calls from the driver's passengers, and learning to drive an electric train from the driver.

Training to become an electric train driver does not end there. Employees undergo periodic retraining. They undergo practice on simulators that simulate the operation of a train, study emergency situations and solve technical problems. They take exams to improve their qualifications, and if they pass successfully, they receive an additional payment to their salary.

Train driver training from scratch

Russian Railways also invites electric train drivers for training. The health conditions are the same, but to become an electric train driver you don’t have to have any education other than school.

Electric train drivers are trained, for example, at Railway College No. 52 and the Moscow College of Railway Transport.

You can go to study here after 11th grade or 9th grade. The duration of training will depend on the specialty received and the education received previously. The minimum is 10 months, and the maximum is about 4 years.

Summarize. You can enroll as a train driver in Moscow at several educational institutions, and if you have a technical education, you can undergo short-term training. Recruitment is carried out in colleges and technical schools of Russian Railways, as well as by the Metropolitan training centers.

The result of training to be a train driver is not yet a job. The candidate is expected to be at least 18 years old and have served in the military. You can start working first with an assistant. After a few years, it is possible to apply for the position of driver. This is what it is - a difficult position as a driver, but it is easy to go through this path if this is your calling, and not just a job.

Have you thought about becoming a locomotive driver? Then you've come to the right place. The profession of a locomotive driver is one of the most prestigious and responsible jobs in railway transport, which requires certain skills and abilities that allow, first of all, to ensure fast and, most importantly, safe delivery of passengers and cargo in certain directions.

The profession of a driver requires punctuality, responsibility, extreme concentration, attentiveness and stress resistance at the maximum level. Traveling over long distances requires endurance, as well as good reaction time, excellent vision and hearing. Physical fitness and temperament play one of the key roles when choosing this profession.

Profession locomotive driver - description

A diesel locomotive driver must have a significant amount of knowledge to perform work safely. In addition to the structure and principle of operation of the locomotive itself, the driver must have perfect knowledge of a number of regulatory documents, among which the main ones, of course, are

Railway Charter,
Rules of technical operation,
Alarm instructions,
Instructions for shunting work, etc.

Before sending the train, the driver must personally verify the serviceability of the locomotive, the correctness of the cargo, carry out a full or short test of the brakes and become familiar with the route.

A distinctive feature of the driver’s profession is constant monitoring of the situation along the route, readings from locomotive instruments and monitoring the correct operation of all components and mechanisms of the locomotive.

Skill to work in team is another important element in this profession. The driver must clearly and unquestioningly follow the commands of the duty officer or dispatcher, as well as interact with the assistant or compiler when performing, for example, shunting work.

Profession locomotive driver - pros and cons

The positive aspects of being a locomotive driver are decent wages, benefits package, benefits, and medical care. Well, what about romance, which consists of trips to various places throughout the country.

The disadvantages include the fact that the driver’s work is shift work. Shifts may be day or night, holidays, and sometimes weekends. In addition, the duration of a locomotive driver's stay on a trip is strictly limited by the duration of his shift, so he has to stay overnight in locomotive crew rest houses, and then wait for the opportunity to return to the original station.

The driver is constantly exposed to vibration, acceleration and magnetic field. For example, when working on an alternating current electric locomotive, which is as much as 25 thousand volts, the driver’s body is constantly under the influence of a strong magnetic field. DC electric locomotives operate under a voltage of 3 thousand volts, which also negatively affects the driver’s health over time.

Also, the disadvantages include the so-called appearances, which can be scheduled at any time of the day or night, for example, at 2-3 am, which is very inconvenient.

Profession locomotive driver - in demand

Locomotive drivers have always been very popular. Moreover, the demand for this kind of professionals is high not only on the railways of our country, but also at various enterprises of the mining and metallurgical complex that have railway infrastructure and are constantly experiencing a shortage of drivers.

Profession locomotive driver - training

To master the profession of a driver, you must work as an assistant driver for two years, then undergo training and successfully pass exams. You can obtain a driver's profession in various institutions, from railway colleges, schools, specialized training centers, to medium and large enterprises that have licenses to train and issue certificates in the profession.

Profession locomotive driver - salary

A driver’s salary depends on many factors: length of service, number of hours worked, night shifts, wheel shifts, etc. On average, a driver earns around 700-1000 USD.

First step– medical examination

In the subway and on suburban trains, they are constantly announcing the hiring of drivers. Quite modest initial requirements (it is enough to be a man under 40 with a secondary education) and a good salary attract many, but the path to the position of “electric train captain” turns out to be long and full of obstacles...

The driver needs to have iron health: driving an electric train is harmful work. This is a large load on vision and hearing, exposure to electromagnetic radiation and vibration, dusty air (including metal dust, especially in the subway). It is no coincidence that a driver’s working day (or night) begins with a mandatory medical examination: checking blood pressure, temperature, cardiac activity, and an alcohol test. Therefore, no matter where you decide to study: in one of the electric depots (if we are talking about the metro) or in college (to work on electric trains), the first thing you will have to face is a harsh medical examination. First, doctors will carefully check your health, then you will undergo psychological testing to find out whether you are ready to be responsible for hundreds of people, to be collected and attentive for a long time, to make decisions literally in a split second.

In some educational institutions, for example, at the specialized Railway College N 52, the requirements are softer: it is enough to bring a regular medical certificate (086). However, before the last - train - practice, you will still have to undergo a full medical examination: over two years of study, your health may deteriorate (vision - due to computers, hearing - due to players, etc.). And if some indicators turn out to be below the norm (most of the candidates are eliminated during medical examinations), then you will not be a driver - you will have to be content with the profession of a mechanic and repair cars.

Main stages of the medical examination:

vision check (it must be perfect), fundus condition

audiogram (hearing test)

bicycle ergometry

fluorography

tests, vaccination certificates, medical record extracts

Examine specialist doctors: surgeon, neurologist, dentist, otolaryngologist, therapist.

If there is a deferment from military service, it should not be related to health. Drivers undergo a medical examination every three years.

The machinists– through college

If everything is in order with your health and psyche, you can start training. Electric train drivers in Moscow are trained by two educational institutions: Railway College N 52 and Moscow College of Railway Transport. Here, as part of primary vocational education (PPE), you can learn to become an assistant driver in ten months (after 11th grade) or in two years and ten months (after 9th grade). In principle, this may be enough to get started in the profession, but it is better to gain more in-depth knowledge and secondary vocational education (SVE) by enrolling in the specialty “Technical operation of railway rolling stock.” Studying will take two years and ten months after the 11th grade and almost four years after the 9th grade, but college graduates receive a higher qualification as a technician.

To enter Railway College No. 52, after the 9th grade you need to pass an exam in physics and the Russian language (dictation), after the 11th grade - in mathematics and Russian (exposition). At the Moscow College of Railway Transport you will study Russian (dictation) and mathematics (oral).

During your studies, you will receive the rank of mechanic for repairing rolling stock (by passing an exam after on-the-job training), and then begin studying the basic disciplines: maintenance of electric trains, auto brakes, etc.

To study in the underground

Colleges train universal specialists for both commuter trains and the metro, but those who want to work in the metro usually prefer a different path: they choose a depot (metro line), go to the appropriate personnel department and declare their intention to become a driver. The depot sends the candidate for training to the Training and Production Center (TPC) of the Moscow Metro.

The training is intensive: first you need to undergo mandatory plumbing practice and receive a rank, then study the equipment of the electric train, get acquainted with numerous instructions and professional terminology.

Vyacheslav Garanin, Head of the UOC of the Moscow Metro:

– Recently, we have managed to significantly reduce the training time: now we train assistant drivers in one month, and train drivers in six months. This was done through the introduction of modern technologies: computer programs that allow you to study the equipment of cars in detail, educational films (to see with your own eyes how, for example, cars are assembled, you don’t have to go to the factory), unique simulators, ready-made illustrated notes for each student ( they save the teacher's time by 70%.

The finale of the first stage of training is train practice. It takes place over several weeks on an electric train along a specific route. An important condition is that by this time the student must already be 18 years old. After successfully passing the exam, the graduate is awarded the qualification “driver’s assistant.” He will have to work in this position from several months (in the metro) to two years (on commuter trains): check the technical condition of the train, monitor boarding, respond to requests via passenger-driver communication and, of course, learn from the driver’s experience in driving an electric train.

Here, locomotive control is learned at a new level: future drivers train on simulators that simulate train control and learn how to get out of emergency situations. The training lasts four to six months, after which the graduate receives the right to drive an electric train.

Finally, the “fired” newcomer sits down at the driver’s controller - the main lever for controlling the train. He must gain experience, grow from a 4th class driver to a 1st class driver, and then take the position of driver-instructor. To increase the rank, the driver undergoes training again and passes an exam.

For those who have proven themselves well, the depot can offer free training at the Moscow State Transport University, and a specialist with a higher engineering education in the railways has significantly more opportunities for growth. Thus, in the administration of JSC Russian Railways or in the Department of State Railway Supervision there are managers who once worked as drivers.

Career and salary

The volume of passenger traffic is constantly growing, lines are developing. Therefore, commuter trains and subways are in constant need of drivers and assistants. But before you connect your life with driving an electric train, you should know: this is not a job for a year or two. In order to become “one of the people” on the railway, she will have to devote most of her life. The salary of assistant drivers is from 15 thousand rubles, drivers with experience, receiving bonuses and allowances, earn up to 25-30 thousand rubles.

Have you decided to train as an assistant driver or driver in the future? Then this article is for you. Here is comprehensive information about who is hired in this field, what types of rolling stock there are.

We will look at the main points regarding the profession of “driver’s assistant”:

education;
professional selection;
medical examination;
types of locomotives;
field of activity;
responsibilities;
errors;
average salary;
schedule.

Let's stop at each point and consider everything in detail. But still, let’s better start with what kind of profession this is and whether they will hire you.

Medical examination

Why did we suddenly decide to start with it? But because this is how it will be: first you will be sent to the clinic to undergo it. Below we list the most common diseases, due to which, unfortunately, drivers are not hired as assistant drivers. Ten years ago I studied at a railway college. Currently, the education system is completely different. But even then, before the young man took the test, he passed a medical examination. Currently, in almost any depot, a newly hired future assistant driver is first sent to the clinic. So, what are the main doctors? Let's list:

therapist;
ophthalmologist;
cardiologist;
neurologist;
surgeon.

Not all specialists are listed. In addition, you will be sent to the district clinic for a card, to a psychoneurological and drug addiction clinic. It is very important that you are not registered there.

The therapist listens to you and asks if you have any complaints. Next, your blood pressure will be measured. It should be normal. Under no circumstances should you take any medications to pretend to be well. Remember that accidents with transport workers happen for this very reason: keeping silent about illness.

You will have your hearing, nose, throat, and mouth checked by an ENT specialist. Slightly reduced hearing in one ear is already grounds for writing in the conclusion: “Unfit.” Therefore, if you have problems in this area or at least regular ringing in your ears, you will not be allowed to become an assistant driver.

Your vision must be one hundred percent. There should be no deviations in color perception. The optometrist examines your eyes very carefully. If you wear contact lenses or have had laser correction, you will not be able to hide it. In any case, you will not pass the medical examination.

The cardiologist should see only ideal cardiometry on the ECG without any deviations.

The surgeon examines you to make sure that all your limbs are intact and there are no problems with your posture. Coordination of movements is also important.

Professional selection

Congratulations if you passed the medical examination! Do you think that you can now count on the future position of “driver’s assistant”? You won't have training tomorrow, believe me. You still need to pass the professional selection process. If you have successfully passed all the doctors, then, unfortunately, you may fail at the psychologist.

You will be seated in front of a monitor, and you must dexterously find the dot that has just appeared on the screen. If you have an excellent reaction and increased attention, then you will succeed, it is important not to be distracted.

You may have to undergo other types of testing. It all depends on the enterprise: metro or Russian Railways. The type of locomotive also plays a big role.

Field of activity

Choose in advance where you want to work: in the metro or on the railway. Although it is planned to soon completely abandon two-person work on the Moscow metro, that is, there is no need for an assistant driver. Training is currently being conducted with the emphasis that you will then work only as a machinist. In other metros, perhaps they are still working with two people, but not everywhere.

On the railway, on the other hand, both are required. An assistant driver of a Russian Railways electric train undergoes training at the training and production center and directly with the driver to whom he is assigned.

Types of locomotives, electric trains and training features

In the metro there are electric trains, motor locomotives and railcars (utility trains). You choose who you want to study for yourself. You need to contact the electrical depot that is closest to your home.

There are more types of locomotives on Russian Railways:

motor-car rolling stock (suburban trains);
electric locomotive (passenger or freight);
diesel locomotive (passenger, cargo, mainline/shunting);
utility trains and restoration equipment.

Almost all of them (except for shunting ones) work is carried out by two people.

Electric train

An assistant electric train driver's training takes about 3-4 months. During this time, he must learn all the basics regarding duties, the structure of cars, learn about possible malfunctions and how to identify them.

Electric locomotive

Don't want to work on electric trains, are you more attracted to an electric locomotive? Then you need to go not to the multiple unit (locomotive) depot, but to the electric depot. Training an assistant driver of an electric locomotive is much simpler. It is worth noting that many railway universities and technical schools send students (volunteers) to work for Russian Railways for summer internships. Time will be spent only on passing the medical examination. Then, if you pass it (and the psychologist too), you are placed as an understudy. That is, there will be three of you in the cab: the driver, the assistant driver and you. Your task is to observe, ask questions about the topic, and learn. If you successfully pass the exam/test to the instructor, then you are allowed to work.

Locomotive

The training system on a diesel locomotive is approximately the same. But I want to warn you that working on this type of locomotive is much more harmful, since diesel fuel is released into the atmosphere. Many locomotive workers who have worked for ten years suffer from diseases of the lungs and upper respiratory tract. An assistant diesel locomotive driver is trained in the same way as an electric locomotive driver.

Responsibilities and Mistakes

It doesn’t matter what type of locomotive you choose, metro or Russian Railways, you must learn the three most important books:

You can be asked any question from these books. Therefore, on the very first day of work, purchase them and start reading and studying. In principle, training to become an assistant driver (RZD) comes down to three tasks:

treasured books: PTE, ISI, IDP;
the basics of designing and repairing a locomotive (including coupling and uncoupling);
attentiveness.

Your task while the train is moving is to monitor the clearness of the track, traffic lights, and speed. You must control the actions of the driver, including checking whether he is speeding where he should not. In emergency situations, the assistant must release the stop valve if the driver does not take any measures.

Mistakes of assistant drivers: Russian “maybe” and “nothing will happen.” Unfortunately, due to the distraction of locomotive crews, major accidents occur on Russian Railways. Quite often, the switch post attendants mistakenly move the switches to the wrong route. The assistant's task is to monitor how the arrow is positioned.

Salary and work schedule

The average salary of an assistant driver at Russian Railways is about 20,000 rubles. Everything will depend on the region and work experience. On the Moscow road the payment is much higher.

As for the schedule, mainline drivers and assistants do not have a stable schedule. They are given a regulated break between shifts (from 16 hours), as well as a monthly standard of hours. The locomotive crew may not even know when they will be called next time. Therefore, if you are a free person in every sense, then feel free to choose this profession. In conclusion, it is worth recalling: an assistant driver of a Russian Railways electric train undergoes training at a training center, and he receives a scholarship.

So we have studied the profession of an assistant driver and considered all the nuances. And all you have to do is answer your questions: do I have good health and do I have a desire?