Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers
Also called: Brakeman, Carman, Railroad Switchman, Terminal CarmanOperate or monitor railroad track switches or locomotive instruments. May couple or uncouple rolling stock to make up or break up trains. Watch for and relay traffic signals. May inspect couplings, air hoses, journal boxes, and hand brakes. May watch for dragging equipment or obstacles on rights-of-way.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 2 of its 25 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 0.8% 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, 5.1% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other rail transportation workers”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 9.0 hires for every 10 job openings in transportation, warehousing, and utilities, which employs about 94% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $56,050 | $45,880 to $71,650 | 240 |
| California | $58,770 | $58,650 to $70,000 | 1,340 |
| Colorado | $76,140 | $70,680 to $97,940 | not published |
| Florida | $58,250 | $45,080 to $58,410 | 130 |
| Georgia | $75,540 | $62,050 to $103,270 | 250 |
| Illinois | $76,290 | $49,140 to $86,590 | 1,210 |
| Indiana | $64,530 | $62,510 to $77,680 | 160 |
| Iowa | $80,910 | $57,290 to $82,240 | 220 |
| Kansas | $66,990 | $66,750 to $66,990 | 390 |
| Kentucky | $56,410 | $56,260 to $61,570 | 170 |
| Louisiana | $54,260 | $47,800 to $63,220 | 210 |
| Maryland | $79,180 | $49,920 to $84,860 | 100 |
| Michigan | $66,970 | $51,520 to $77,930 | 190 |
| Missouri | $67,110 | $67,110 to $67,290 | 730 |
| New Jersey | $74,160 | $63,710 to $78,500 | 70 |
| New Mexico | $72,340 | $63,800 to $76,590 | 100 |
| New York | $83,530 | $63,700 to $83,530 | 220 |
| North Carolina | $54,810 | $37,950 to $56,930 | 110 |
| Ohio | $67,770 | $49,640 to $70,210 | 280 |
| Pennsylvania | $55,470 | $38,140 to $73,350 | 350 |
| Texas | $71,580 | $46,810 to $71,860 | 1,650 |
| Washington | $85,140 | $83,480 to $85,140 | 740 |
| West Virginia | $46,900 | $44,260 to $60,810 | 120 |
| Wyoming | $45,490 | $44,920 to $56,270 | 400 |
Nationally: $68,840. 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 2 of its 25 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Raise levers to couple and uncouple cars for makeup and breakup of trains. | Not published |
| Not much | Observe train signals along routes and verify their meanings for engineers. | Not published |
| Not much | Signal locomotive engineers to start or stop trains when coupling or uncoupling cars, using hand signals, lanterns, or radio communication. | Not published |
| Not much | Inspect tracks, cars, and engines for defects and to determine service needs, sending engines and cars for repairs as necessary. | Not published |
| Not much | Inspect couplings, air hoses, journal boxes, and handbrakes to ensure that they are securely fastened and functioning properly. | Not published |
| Not much | Conduct brake tests to determine the condition of brakes on trains. | Not published |
See all 25 tasks
| Not much | Pull or push track switches to reroute cars. | Not published |
| Not much | Observe signals from other crew members so that work activities can be coordinated. | Not published |
| Not much | Observe tracks from left sides of locomotives to detect obstructions on tracks. | Not published |
| Not much | Signal other workers to set brakes and to throw track switches when switching cars from trains to way stations. | Not published |
| Not much | Receive oral or written instructions from yardmasters or yard conductors indicating track assignments and cars to be switched. | Not published |
| Not much | Make minor repairs to couplings, air hoses, and journal boxes, using hand tools. | Not published |
| AI + software | Monitor trains as they go around curves to detect dragging equipment and smoking journal boxes. | Not published |
| Not much | Connect air hoses to cars, using wrenches. | Not published |
| Not much | Climb ladders to tops of cars to set brakes. | Not published |
| Not much | Inspect locomotives to detect damaged or worn parts. | Not published |
| AI + software | Record numbers of cars available, numbers of cars sent to repair stations, and types of service needed. | Not published |
| Not much | Set flares, flags, lanterns, or torpedoes in front and at rear of trains during emergency stops to warn oncoming trains. | Not published |
| Not much | Operate and drive locomotives, diesel switch engines, dinkey engines, flatcars, and railcars in train yards and at industrial sites. | Not published |
| Not much | Check to see that trains are equipped with supplies such as fuel, water, and sand. | Not published |
| Not much | Operate locomotives in emergency situations. | Not published |
| Not much | Start diesel engines to warm engines before runs. | Not published |
| Not much | Monitor oil, temperature, and pressure gauges on dashboards to determine if engines are operating safely and efficiently. | Not published |
| Not much | Refuel and lubricate engines. | Not published |
| Not much | Ride atop cars that have been shunted, and turn handwheels to control speeds or stop cars at specified positions. | 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 25 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 25 tasks fall under 15 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operate transportation equipment or vehicles | |||
| Signal others to coordinate work activities | |||
| Inspect vehicles | |||
| Monitor equipment operation | |||
| Maintain vehicles in working condition | |||
| Communicate with others about operational plans or activities | |||
| Test performance of equipment or systems | |||
| Connect components or supply lines to equipment or tools |
Show all 15 activities
| Schedule operational activities | |||
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Assemble equipment or components | |||
| Monitor safety or security of work areas, facilities, or properties | |||
| Monitor resources or inventories | |||
| Monitor traffic conditions | |||
| Climb equipment or structures |
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 railroad brake, signal, and switch operators and locomotive firers 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 next
of 757 moves out
- 1 Hoist and Winch Operators Low +0.2% 7%
- 2 Computer, Automated Teller, and Office Machine Repairers High -3.0% 5%
- 3 Computer Occupations, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 4 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 5 First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers Very high +0.1% 4%
Where people moved in from
of 960 moves in
- 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 6%
- 2 Human Resources Specialists Very high +6.4% 6%
- 3 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 6%
- 4 Hoist and Winch Operators Low +0.2% 5%
- 5 Sales Managers High +4.5% 4%
Combined from the 2010 occupations “Locomotive Firers” and “Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators”, which BLS merged into yours. The data has no figures for “Locomotive Firers”, so it isn't included. Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 5% less than high school
- 41% high school
- 28% some college
- 15% associate's
- 11% bachelor's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other rail transportation workers” · 179 people surveyed.
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other rail transportation workers”
1 program: Railroad and Railway Transportation.
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
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
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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