Signal and Track Switch Repairers
Also called: Signal Inspector, Signal Maintainer, Signalman, Train Control Electronic TechnicianInstall, inspect, test, maintain, or repair electric gate crossings, signals, signal equipment, track switches, section lines, or intercommunications systems within a railroad system.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 1 of its 12 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 1.8% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 2.9% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other installation, maintenance, and repair workers”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 9.0 hires for every 10 job openings in transportation, warehousing, and utilities, which employs about 78% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.9.0 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | $96,460 | $77,490 to $105,770 | 100 |
| California | $84,670 | $84,640 to $103,180 | 390 |
| Colorado | $83,930 | $78,820 to $94,440 | 160 |
| Florida | $78,680 | $75,080 to $78,680 | 290 |
| Georgia | $79,860 | $62,050 to $96,190 | 440 |
| Illinois | $95,610 | $89,390 to $120,540 | 720 |
| Indiana | $92,200 | $91,210 to $92,460 | 220 |
| Kansas | $83,550 | $83,550 to $85,600 | 120 |
| Kentucky | $75,870 | $54,630 to $75,950 | 60 |
| Massachusetts | $126,440 | $96,600 to $126,440 | 160 |
| Michigan | $93,060 | $78,790 to $99,550 | 120 |
| Minnesota | $96,780 | $96,750 to $96,910 | 80 |
| Missouri | $86,300 | $77,810 to $86,530 | 250 |
| New Jersey | $82,990 | $82,990 to $101,680 | 260 |
| New York | $94,530 | $94,530 to $103,510 | 1,910 |
| Ohio | $58,840 | $58,800 to $70,870 | 150 |
| Oregon | not published | not published | 70 |
| Pennsylvania | not published | not published | 260 |
| Tennessee | $79,730 | $64,370 to $91,190 | 190 |
| Texas | $85,020 | $76,180 to $85,360 | 650 |
| Virginia | $95,620 | $95,400 to $95,620 | 170 |
| Washington | $121,710 | $92,580 to $121,710 | 210 |
| Wisconsin | $85,440 | $61,010 to $85,480 | 60 |
Nationally: $92,460. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 1 of its 12 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Drive motor vehicles to job sites. | Not published |
| Not much | Inspect and test operation, mechanical parts, and circuitry of gate crossings, signals, and signal equipment such as interlocks and hotbox detectors. | Not published |
| Not much | Install, inspect, maintain, and repair various railroad service equipment on the road or in the shop, including railroad signal systems. | Not published |
| Not much | Replace defective wiring, broken lenses, or burned-out light bulbs. | Not published |
| AI + software | Record and report information about mileage or track inspected, repairs performed, and equipment requiring replacement. | Not published |
| Not much | Tighten loose bolts, using wrenches, and test circuits and connections by opening and closing gates. | Not published |
See all 12 tasks
| Not much | Test and repair track circuits. | Not published |
| Not much | Inspect, maintain, and replace batteries as needed. | Not published |
| Not much | Inspect electrical units of railroad grade crossing gates and repair loose bolts and defective electrical connections and parts. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean lenses of lamps with cloths and solvents. | Not published |
| Not much | Lubricate moving parts on gate-crossing mechanisms and swinging signals. | Not published |
| Not much | Inspect switch-controlling mechanisms on trolley wires and in track beds, using hand tools and test equipment. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 12 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 12 tasks fall under 9 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inspect commercial, industrial, or production systems or equipment | |||
| Test performance of equipment or systems | |||
| Maintain tools or equipment | |||
| Repair tools or equipment | |||
| Adjust equipment to ensure adequate performance | |||
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Repair electrical or electronic equipment |
Show all 9 activities
| Operate transportation equipment or vehicles |
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for signal and track switch repairers specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved in from
of 277 moves in
- 1 Audiovisual Equipment Installers and Repairers Moderate +4.8% 7%
- 2 Electricians Moderate +9.2% 5%
- 3 Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers Moderate -3.4% 4%
- 4 Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers Moderate +6.8% 4%
- 5 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 4%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 34% less than high school
- 29% high school
- 24% postsecondary certificate
- 10% some college
- 4% associate's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 14 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 13% less than high school
- 41% high school
- 24% some college
- 11% associate's
- 9% bachelor's
- 1% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other installation, maintenance, and repair workers” · 2,068 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other installation, maintenance, and repair workers”
1 program: Electrician.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 4 registered apprenticeships in this occupation. Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Signal and Track Switch Repairers” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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