20 years seems very short, though. Retirement age for train drivers in Europe (BE, FR, NL) seems to be around age 60, so that's a good 40 years of work.
Are US railway working conditions really so much worse that people's bodies basically fall apart in half the time?
It may be more related to having to work your way up to engineer. I don't know how it works in the US but I could see having to have 10+ years experience in the industry in other jobs before you can become a train driver.
Same thing with airline pilots; they're all older.
Are US railway working conditions really so much worse that people's bodies basically fall apart in half the time?