TLI27121Certificate IICurrentTLI training package

TLI27121 Certificate II in Rail Infrastructure

TLI27121 is the nationally recognised Certificate II in Rail Infrastructure. It prepares you for work as a railway track worker. It has been the current version on the national register since 2021, when it replaced TLI27120. Employers posted about 19 railway track worker jobs in June 2026, down 36.3% on a year earlier.

Often searched as Cert 2 in Rail Infrastructure · Register data synced 19 Sept 2026 from training.gov.au
Online job ads · June 2026
19last month
Railway track worker roles advertised across Australia
Down on a year earlier
Long-term outlook
Mixed
One structural signal up; current job ads down
Register status
Current
Replaced TLI27120 in 2021
Enrolments
Falling fast
Down 31.9% in a year
Funding status
Verification pending
Checked against official state program lists
The short answer

The signals behind the Certificate II in Rail Infrastructure are mixed, and both sides are worth weighing. Railway track workers are in national shortage. Job ads in June 2026 were down 36.3% on a year earlier and enrolments are falling. These are official statistics, not a promise about your result.

Jobs and Skills Australia

Is the work there?

Employers are posting fewer railway track worker jobs than a year ago. About 19 railway track worker jobs were advertised online in June 2026, down 36.3% on a year earlier. Over the last 12 months there were about 400 job ads, while 4,075 people were training in the qualification nationally (2025). Ads show the market. Enrolments show the pipeline. Neither is a job promise.

Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index · latest month June 2026 · ANZSCO 8216
19
Combined monthly online job ads across Railway Track Worker, to June 2026

Official shortage list

Australia's official shortage list rates railway track workers as in shortage. The 2025 Occupation Shortage List rates Railway Track Worker as in national shortage.

Jobs and Skills Australia, Occupation Shortage List · 2025 assessment

Ten year outlook

Railway track worker jobs are projected to stay about flat. Jobs and Skills Australia projections put these occupations at 5,764 workers in May 2025, 5,680 by May 2030 (down 1.5%) and 5,836 by May 2035 (up 1.2%).

5,764
workers, May 2025
5,680
workers, May 2030
5,836
workers, May 2035
Jobs and Skills Australia employment projections · May 2025 to May 2035
Occupation mapping by Get Course, shown with ANZSCO codes so it can be checked.
NCVER Student Outcomes

How graduates do

Certificate II in Rail Infrastructure graduates find work less often than is typical at Certificate II level. In the 2025 NCVER Student Outcomes survey, 74.5% were employed or in further study after training. The typical Certificate II result is 77.6%, across 63 qualifications. Median income after training was $58,000, against $41,400 typical. 91.9% were satisfied with the training, against 91.4% typical. Income here is the survey median about six months after training. It includes part-time work, so it is not the full-time award rate.

74.5%
employed or in further study after training (2025)
typical 77.6% across 63 Certificate IIs
$58,000
median income after training (2025)
typical $41,400 across 47 Certificate IIs
91.9%
satisfied with the training (2025)
typical 91.4% across 63 Certificate IIs
Level benchmarks are medians computed by Get Course across all Certificate IIs in the same collection, not official NCVER benchmarks.
NCVER Student Outcomes · 2025 survey
NCVER Total VET Activity

Who is training

Enrolments in the Certificate II in Rail Infrastructure are dropping fast. Across Australia, 5,985 people enrolled in 2024. In 2025 it was 4,075, down 31.9% in a year. National data for TLI27121 starts in 2022.

NCVER Total VET Activity · 2025 collection
training.gov.au · Australian Qualifications Framework

What does studying it involve?

The register and the national framework set some of this. Providers set the rest.

How long it takes
A Certificate II is typically 0.5 to 1 year of full-time study under the Australian Qualifications Framework. Providers set the exact length and pace.
Delivery
Providers set the delivery mode.
Credit for experience
Recognition of prior learning applies to TLI27121 like any qualification on the national register: an approved provider assesses your evidence against each unit.
training.gov.au national register; Australian Qualifications Framework.
State subsidised training lists

What does it cost, and who funds it?

State funding for TLI27121 is being verified against official program lists.

Eligibility and student contributions vary by program and provider. The official state listing is the source of truth. In a subsidised place the government pays most of the tuition and you pay a co-contribution set by the program and provider.

Official state subsidised training program lists, verified per state. Full-fee prices will appear here as partner courses are listed.
training.gov.au · unit packaging

What is in the qualification

The Certificate II in Rail Infrastructure is 16 units: 6 core, plus 10 electives chosen from 60 options on the register. Prerequisites apply to Three of them, marked below.

  • TLIB0012Maintain and use hand tools
  • TLID0020Shift materials safely using manual handling methods
  • TLIE1003Participate in basic workplace communication
  • TLIF0025Follow work health and safety procedures
  • TLIF2010Apply fatigue management strategies
  • TLIU2008Apply environmental procedures to rail infrastructure
View the 60 elective options
  • CPCCCM2007Use explosive power tools (has prerequisites)
  • CPCCCM2008Erect and dismantle restricted height scaffolding (has prerequisites)
  • CPCCWHS2001Apply WHS requirements, policies and procedures in the construction industry
  • MEM12023Perform engineering measurements (has prerequisites)
  • RIICCM201ECarry out measurements and calculations
  • RIICCM203ERead and interpret plans and job specifications
  • RIICCM205FCarry out manual excavation
  • RIICCM207ESpread and compact materials manually
  • RIICCM208ECarry out basic levelling
  • RIICCM209ECarry out concrete work
  • RIIHAN301EOperate elevating work platform
  • RIIMPO317FConduct roller operations
  • RIIMPO318FConduct civil construction skid steer loader operations
  • RIIMPO319EConduct backhoe/loader operations
  • RIIMPO320FConduct civil construction excavator operations
  • RIIMPO321FConduct civil construction wheeled front end loader operations
  • RIIMPO322EConduct civil construction tracked front end loader operations
  • RIIMPO326EConduct water vehicle operations
  • RIIWHS204EWork safely at heights
  • RIIWHS205EControl traffic with stop-slow bat
  • RIIWHS302EImplement traffic management plans
  • TLIB1093Clean equipment and restore worksite
  • TLIB2001Check and assess operational capabilities of equipment
  • TLIB2034Maintain poles and associated hardware
  • TLIB2084Carry out routine maintenance of structures
  • TLIB2085Apply track fundamentals
  • TLIB2086Apply awareness of structures fundamentals
  • TLIB2091Measure and record track geometry
  • TLIB2092Operate minor mechanical equipment
  • TLIB2097Install and maintain guard rails
  • TLIB2121Maintain rail joints
  • TLIB2125Apply awareness of tram or light rail track fundamentals
  • TLIC0010Propel and operate light on-track equipment
  • TLIC2058Travel medium or heavy self-propelled on-track equipment
  • TLIC3045Operate road/rail vehicle
  • TLIF0008Apply safety critical communications in the rail environment
  • TLIF0015Recognise the impact of human capabilities/limitations on human performance in a rail environment
  • TLIF0020Safely access the rail corridor
  • TLIF2062Apply awareness of safeworking rules and regulations
  • TLIG0003Work effectively with others in a team
  • TLIK2010Use infotechnology devices in the workplace
  • TLIS0002Install and maintain surface track drainage
  • TLIS2004Install and maintain rail bonding systems
  • TLIS2020Install overhead wiring structure
  • TLIS2030Carry out track ballasting
  • TLIS2031Install railway sleepers
  • TLIS2033Install and repair temporary track supports
  • TLIS2034Install and repair rail fastening systems
  • TLIS2035Install and repair fences and gates
  • TLIS2044Carry out rail installation
  • TLIW0001Apply rail grinding fundamentals
  • TLIW0006Heat and cut materials using oxy-LPG equipment for the rail industry
  • TLIW0007Operate under track protection rules
  • TLIW2028Identify the principles of ballast cleaning operations
  • TLIW2029Identify the principles of ballast regulator operations
  • TLIW2030Identify the principles of dynamic track stabaliser operations
  • TLIW2031Identify the principles of self-propelled rail grinder operations
  • TLIW2032Identify the principles of tamping machine operations
  • TLIW2033Identify the principles of mechanised track laying operations
  • TLIW2038Place and remove temporary speed restriction equipment
training.gov.au national register, TLI27121 release 1
Same training package

What skill sets come from the TLI training package?

Event Infrastructure Skill Set
TLISS00231 · skill set guide
Rail Adjustment Skill Set
TLISS00127 · skill set guide
Road Safety Skill Set
TLISS00155 · skill set guide
Travel Track Vehicle Under Occupancy Authority Skill Set
TLISS00140 · skill set guide
Operate Signalling/Point Control Equipment Skill Set
TLISS00222 · skill set guide
Aluminothermic Welding Skill Set
TLISS00104 · skill set guide
Where to study

Where can I study TLI27121?

No Get Course partner currently lists this qualification. Check the national register for organisations approved to deliver it, and remember that approval to deliver is a regulatory fact, not a recommendation. You can browse live courses from our partners and enquire today.

Browse courses
How we calculate these figures

Get Course maps TLI27121 to its occupations using the register’s own outcome wording, shown with ANZSCO codes (here, 8216) so the mapping can be checked. Job advertisement counts come from the Jobs and Skills Australia Internet Vacancy Index and count online ads, not vacancies filled. Enrolment counts come from NCVER Total VET Activity and count people in training, not completions. Outcome benchmarks marked “typical” are medians computed by Get Course across all Certificate IIs in the same NCVER collection; they are derived figures, not official NCVER benchmarks. Funding rows appear only after verification against the official state program list. Source vintages: register training.gov.au, synced 6 September 2026; NCVER Student Outcomes survey 2025 survey; Jobs and Skills Australia Internet Vacancy Index latest month June 2026; Occupation Shortage List 2025 assessment; NCVER Total VET Activity 2025 collection; employment projections May 2025 to May 2035 release; register synced 19 Sept 2026. Page last updated 19 Sept 2026.

About this page. Every number on this page shows its source and date. Register data synced 19 Sept 2026 from training.gov.au. Compiled by Get Course from public data sources. It is not provided or endorsed by any training organisation, and nothing here is advice about your individual situation. Statistics describe groups; your result depends on you. If you represent a training organisation and want to correct or add to this page, contact hello@getcourse.com.au.