Port Hedland train driver Ricardo Dann fondly recounts watching the sun rise over the Pilbara's striking red and spinifex green ranges ahead of him as 268 iron ore cars snake out behind his seat at the helm of a BHP locomotive.

They are among the moments Mr Dann, a Traditional Owner of the region, said made the job he has held for more than a decade now worthwhile.

They are the moments which inspired Jewell Albert to follow her father Mr Dann's footsteps into one of the Pilbara's most sought-after jobs as a mainline train driver too.

And sought-after the job was; some 5,000 people applied for the rail academy when it was established in 2021, of which 60 were selected for positions.

Jewell Albert and Ricardo Dann. Picture: Colin Murty.

Ms Albert said she had spent the past decade in various resources jobs while patiently waiting her opportunity to join her father on the rail line.

"When dad first applied... 10-11 years ago I was always on SEEK looking for that opportunity," she said.

"I've been searching high and low for that opportunity but they were very scarce.

"I didn't think I'd be here to be honest but yeah, I'm here."

Drivers are responsible for guiding the famous 2km-long trains from iron ore mines in the central Pilbara through the region's rugged ranges to ports dotted along the coast, in BHP's case the world's largest bulk export port at Port Hedland.

There's a lot riding on perfection; each train hauls about 40,000 tonnes of iron ore worth about $6.6m AUD at today's price and runs on a meticulously-timed system to maximise the amount of ore coming into port.

"Train handling is something you really have to get hold of otherwise, especially in undulating territory," Mr Dann said.

"If you don't handle it properly, you can easily snap the train which has happened in the past.

"So you really have to manage it properly and you have to plan 10km's ahead."

Mr Dann signed on as a mentor trainer for the rail academy, a role which has seen him offer guidance during the 10-month course his daughter has now graduated from.

Having graduated, Ms Albert is eager to get out on the rails once her assessments are completed.

"I definitely can't wait to actually be there by myself," she said.

"A bit daunting, but yeah, actually can't wait."

And that's not where her father's influence ends, with Ms Albert revealing she would like to one day be a mentor for the next generation of drivers as Mr Dann is now.

For BHP the intake hasn't finished yet - an extra 30 Hedland-based recruits have come on board as part of the miner's plan to hire 200 new train drivers over the next three years.

Some 20 per cent of the first intake which Ms Albert was part of where Indigenous, and more than 70 per cent were women.

BHP WA Iron Ore asset president Brandon Craig said the Academy would improve resilience in the industry and job opportunities in regional WA.

"We are excited to see the first round of recruits coming through BHP's Pilbara Rail Academy and joining our high calibre rail team in Western Australia," he said.

"Through our $20 million investment in the academy, we hope to ease the squeeze of rail driver availability in WA and create new pathways for people to join our team and pursue a rewarding career in mining."

Ms Albert and fellow recruits will become part of a network of 182 BHP locomotives operating on more than 1000km of track in the Pilbara.