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: Railroad Signal Maintainer · Signal and Communications Maintainer · Signal Inspector · Signal Maintainer · Signal Maintenance Technician · Signal System Testing Maintainer
Median pay (national)
$83,600
$57,410–$104,860 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
8,210
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
+1.7%
~800 openings/yr
Typical entry
High school diploma or equivalent
What the numbers say
Refit analysis ·Pay for signal and track switch repairers shows a broad range: the top 10% earn $104,860 versus $57,410 at the bottom 10% — 1.8x. The median of $83,600 leaves roughly 25% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change +1.7% from 2024 to 2034 — slower than the 3% all-occupation average. Even so, BLS projects about 800 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 23 states with released data, Massachusetts pays the most for this role (median $101,800, +22% vs the national median), while Kentucky sits lowest at $55,110 — a 85% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Reading Comprehension as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list.
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Top skills employers ask for
Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
- Speaking
- Active Learning
- Monitoring
- Learning Strategies
- Mathematics
- Science
What they actually do
Core O*NET tasks for this role.
- 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, maintain, and replace batteries as needed.
- Lubricate moving parts on gate-crossing mechanisms and swinging signals.
- Clean lenses of lamps with cloths and solvents.
- Inspect switch-controlling mechanisms on trolley wires and in track beds, using hand tools and test equipment.
Tools & technology
- Maintenance management software
- Supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA software
- Web browser software
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Word
Knowledge areas
- Transportation
- Mechanical
- English Language
- Public Safety and Security
- Engineering and Technology
- Telecommunications
- Computers and Electronics
- Building and Construction