Railroad Forums 

  • Amtrak Passenger Engineer Interview

  • General discussion about working in the railroad industry. Industry employers are welcome to post openings here.
General discussion about working in the railroad industry. Industry employers are welcome to post openings here.

Moderator: thebigc

 #1489957  by abc8251
 
Hello. I have an interview in NY next week for Locomotive Engineer with Amtrak. I was wondering if anyone can give me any advice on what things they may ask/what to expect. I want to be as prepared as I can. I currently operate light rail trains (kinda like a motorman's job). Thanks for any insights.
 #1489965  by DutchRailnut
 
think safety safety safety , and make sure you have nothing in your Driving history you can not answer for .
 #1489969  by SlotCanyoneer
 
I interviewed with Amtrak in October. Though I didn’t get the job and it wasn’t for a passenger engineer trainee. Here are some of the questions they asked based on what I can recall.

1) Name a time when there was a change in a policy at work and how you adapted to it.

2) Tell us about a challenge that you faced at work and how you dealt with it.

3) Name a time when you were missing a certain part or piece of equipment and how you found a solution to work around it??? Can’t remember exactly how this was worded but it was something similar to this. This one was a bit hard to answer 🤔At least for me.

4) Tell us about an unsafe situation at work and what you did about it

5) Tell us about a time when you were unsatisfied with your work and what you did to improve?? Again can’t remember the exact wording but it went something like that.

That’s pretty much it. Do you see a trend? Most of the questions are quite similar, but worded differently. There were three people doing the interview. A human resource person, terminal manager, and a union steward. Beforehand they explained the job to me and what the responsibilities were. After they asked if I had any questions. I wrote some questions down on a notepad so I wouldn’t forget. Anyways good luck to you!
 #1490230  by Seth6616
 
I am also interviewing for Locomotive Engineer thursday but i have a big problem my driving record is horrible DWAI and speeding tickets from 2 years ago. Is it wishful thinking i will make it past the background check ? or am i wasting my time?
 #1490450  by Acela150
 
Seth6616 wrote:I am also interviewing for Locomotive Engineer thursday but i have a big problem my driving record is horrible DWAI and speeding tickets from 2 years ago. Is it wishful thinking i will make it past the background check ? or am i wasting my time?
They normally look for DUI/DWI. Speeding tickets aren't anything to worry about. It's my experience that if you're honest with them, that will work in your favor.

So I'd show up. The worst that can happen is you're declined for the job. ;)
 #1490925  by 8th Notch
 
Seth6616 wrote:I am also interviewing for Locomotive Engineer thursday but i have a big problem my driving record is horrible DWAI and speeding tickets from 2 years ago. Is it wishful thinking i will make it past the background check ? or am i wasting my time?
FRA check for certification goes back 36 months and they are looking directly at OUI/DUI so you can pretty much forget it until the charges are older then 36 months. See the link below, it’s outlined in CFR Part 240

https://ecfr.io/Title-49/pt49.4.240#se49.4.240_1119" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 #1492462  by Acela150
 
Seth6616 wrote:you guys were right i didnt get accepted or even a rejection letter. ill try for other positions
This is my biggest problem with Amtrak. They never give you a thanks but no thanks email. But if your selected you know usually within a week. I can only hope that they improve on that.