Train Operations Rules and Procedures
What the exam tests
Train Operations Rules and Procedures covers the authority to move a train, signal obedience, braking, door operation, station stops, and communication with the rail control center. Questions often describe a situation and ask which action is permitted, which must come first, or who must be notified.
Core rules
- A train may move only with proper authority: a signal indication, a written or verbal instruction allowed by the rules, or a hand signal from a qualified employee.
- Red means stop. Yellow means caution: control speed and be prepared to stop at the next signal or obstruction. Green means proceed, but never faster than conditions allow.
- Restricted speed means a speed that lets you stop short of a train, obstruction, switch, or end of track; it is not a fixed number.
- Secure the operating cab, keep the dead-man or alertness device engaged, and never leave the controls unattended while the train is in service.
- Door operation follows a sequence: stop in the platform zone, confirm the indicator, open only on the correct side, observe the platform, then close and confirm interlock before taking power.
Worked example
You are approaching an automatic signal displaying red. There is no trip stop and no one has given you authority. The correct action is to stop and stay stopped. You may not treat the red as a stop-and-proceed just because the block looks clear; you need the specific authority your rules provide. Call control, state your location and signal number, and wait.
Traps
Assuming yellow authorizes full speed; moving on a verbal instruction that does not match the rule; opening doors before the train is fully stopped; and leaving the cab to check something without securing the train.