Installation, Maintenance, and Repair · Holland code RCI
Signal and Track Switch Repairers
Install, inspect, test, maintain, or repair electric gate crossings, signals, signal equipment, track switches, section lines, or intercommunications systems within a railroad system.
Also called: Signal Inspector, Signal Maintainer, Signalman, Train Control Electronic Technician, Railroad Signal Maintainer, Signal and Communications Maintainer, Signal Maintenance Technician, Signal System Testing Maintainer.
O*NET 49-9097.00
At a glance
- US median annual pay
- $92,460
- Middle half earn $79,720 to $99,320. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- Most common education
- Less than a High School Diploma
- 34% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
- Preparation needed
- Job Zone 3 of 5
- Medium preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
What the work involves
The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.
- Inspect and test operation, mechanical parts, and circuitry of gate crossings, signals, and signal equipment such as interlocks and hotbox detectors.
- Inspect electrical units of railroad grade crossing gates and repair loose bolts and defective electrical connections and parts.
- Test and repair track circuits.
- Drive motor vehicles to job sites.
- Install, inspect, maintain, and repair various railroad service equipment on the road or in the shop, including railroad signal systems.
- Tighten loose bolts, using wrenches, and test circuits and connections by opening and closing gates.
- Inspect switch-controlling mechanisms on trolley wires and in track beds, using hand tools and test equipment.
- Replace defective wiring, broken lenses, or burned-out light bulbs.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Critical Thinking3.8 / 5
- Active Listening3.0 / 5
- Reading Comprehension2.9 / 5
- Writing2.9 / 5
- Speaking2.9 / 5
- Active Learning2.9 / 5
Knowledge areas
- Transportation3.7 / 5
- Mechanical3.7 / 5
- English Language3.6 / 5
- Public Safety and Security3.5 / 5
- Engineering and Technology3.1 / 5
- Telecommunications3.1 / 5
Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.
Who tends to enjoy it
How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.
- Realistic92
- Investigative27
- Artistic0
- Social3
- Enterprising0
- Conventional58
The same work abroad
Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.
European occupation titles (ESCO)
- rail maintenance technician · DE Schieneninstandhaltungstechniker/Schieneninstandhaltungstechnikerin · FR technicien entretien infrastructure ferroviaire/technicienne entretien infrastructure ferroviaire
- rail traffic controller · DE Fahrdienstleiter Bahn/Fahrdienstleiterin Bahn · FR opérateur de la circulation ferroviaire/opératrice de la circulation ferroviaire
- train conductor · DE Zugbegleiter/Zugbegleiterin · FR contrôleur de train/contrôleuse de train
- rolling stock electrician · DE Schienenfahrzeug-Elektriker/Schienenfahrzeug-Elektrikerin · FR électricien sur le matériel roulant/électricienne sur le matériel roulant
- railway electronic technician · DE Elektroniker für Schienenfahrzeuge/Elektronikerin für Schienenfahrzeuge · FR technicien électronique de maintenance ferroviaire/technicienne électronique de maintenance ferroviaire
- level crossing signalperson · DE Schrankenwärter/Schrankenwärterin · FR garde barrière
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Transport and distribution clerks and assistants (4134)69,500 employed
- Building and civil engineering technicians (3114)20,100 employed
- Rail transport operatives (8234)13,700 employed
Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.
Pay across Europe, for the whole group
Median annual earnings of all employees in “Plant and machine operators and assemblers”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.
| Country | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Belgium | €39,630 |
| Netherlands | €37,567 |
| Austria | €37,304 |
| Sweden | €36,005 |
| Germany | €34,433 |
| Ireland | €32,617 |
| France | €28,550 |
| Italy | €28,330 |
| Spain | €24,409 |
| Portugal | €11,309 |
| Poland | €10,259 |
Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.
Exposure to AI
This occupation sits in the lower third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -0.86. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.
Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.
Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (49-9097).
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