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.
Most important skills
- Troubleshooting
- Equipment Maintenance
- Repairing
- Quality Control Analysis
- Critical Thinking
- Operations Monitoring
- Equipment Selection
- Complex Problem Solving
Key knowledge
- Transportation
- Mechanical
- English Language
- Public Safety and Security
- Engineering and Technology
- Telecommunications
- Computers and Electronics
- Building and Construction
What the work involves
- Install, inspect, maintain, and repair various railroad service equipment on the road or in the shop, including railroad signal systems.
- Inspect and test operation, mechanical parts, and circuitry of gate crossings, signals, and signal equipment such as interlocks and hotbox detectors.
- Inspect switch-controlling mechanisms on trolley wires and in track beds, using hand tools and test equipment.
- Drive motor vehicles to job sites.
- Tighten loose bolts, using wrenches, and test circuits and connections by opening and closing gates.
- Inspect electrical units of railroad grade crossing gates and repair loose bolts and defective electrical connections and parts.
- Replace defective wiring, broken lenses, or burned-out light bulbs.
- Record and report information about mileage or track inspected, repairs performed, and equipment requiring replacement.
Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Realistic, Conventional, Investigative.
Qualifications and licensing
- Most common education
- Less than a High School Diploma (34% of respondents)
- Related experience
- Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years (19.3%)
- On-the-job training
- Over 3 months, up to and including 6 months (22.7%)
- Preparation level
- O*NET job zone 3: Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
- Licensing
- Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.
Check before planning
- Licensing for Signal and Track Switch Repairers is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.
Limits
- Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
- Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0
Work environment
How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).
Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.
| Condition | Level | Compared with other occupations | Most common answer (O*NET survey) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contact with others | Low | Lower on contact with others than 74% of occupations compared | — |
| Dealing with the public | Low | Lower on dealing with the public than 67% of occupations compared | 29% of surveyed respondents chose “Fairly important” |
| Teamwork | High | Higher on teamwork than 77% of occupations compared | — |
| Freedom to make decisions | High | Higher on freedom to make decisions than 77% of occupations compared | 60% of surveyed respondents chose “A lot of freedom” |
| Time pressure | Moderate | Lower on time pressure than 50% of occupations compared | 50% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day” |
| Conflict situations | Very low | Lower on conflict situations than 95% of occupations compared | 82% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month” |
| Dealing with unpleasant or angry people | Moderate | Lower on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 50% of occupations compared | 39% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day” |
| Consequence of error | High | Higher on consequence of error than 71% of occupations compared | — |
Work-pressure profile
- Time pressure: moderate
- Conflict situations: very low
- Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: moderate
- Consequence of error: high
Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.
Full answer distributions
Contact with others
- No contact with others: 0%
- Occasional contact with others: 26.81%
- Contact with others about half the time: 0%
- Contact with others most of the time: 17.16%
- Constant contact with others: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
n = 18, Incumbent 08/2021
Dealing with the public
- Not important at all: 18.75%
- Fairly important: 28.66%
- Important: 14.68%
- Very important: 12.89%
- Extremely important: 25.03%
n = 18, Incumbent 08/2021
Teamwork
- Not important at all: 0%
- Fairly important: 0%
- Important: 1.99%
- Very important: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Extremely important: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
n = 17, Incumbent 08/2021
Freedom to make decisions
- No freedom: 0%
- Very little freedom: 0%
- Limited freedom: 16.47%
- Some freedom: 23.24%
- A lot of freedom: 60.28%
n = 18, Incumbent 08/2021
Time pressure
- Never: 12.15%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 0%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 7.74%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 49.65%
- Every day: 30.46%
n = 18, Incumbent 08/2021
Conflict situations
- Never: 13.14%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 81.51%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 0.92%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 3.13%
- Every day: 1.3%
n = 18, Incumbent 08/2021
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people
- Never: 19.97%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 25.6%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 13.98%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 39.11%
- Every day: 1.33%
n = 18, Incumbent 08/2021
Consequence of error
- Not serious at all: 12.15%
- Fairly serious: 27.56%
- Serious: 5.39%
- Very serious: 12.15%
- Extremely serious: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
n = 18, Incumbent 08/2021
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O*NET-SOC 49-9097.00 · SOC 49-9097 (exact, high confidence) · dataset 2026.10.8