Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators

Median salary

$70,070

Average salary

$68,740

Employment

19,580

Projected growth

1.6% growth

Annual openings

1,100

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

What Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators Do

Lay, repair, and maintain track for standard or narrow-gauge railroad equipment used in regular railroad service or in plant yards, quarries, sand and gravel pits, and mines. Includes ballast cleaning machine operators and railroad bed tamping machine operators.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: Moderate-term on-the-job training
Self-employed: Not available

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 2 of 5

Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed

Experience: Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
Education: Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Job training: Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

Transportationimportance 3.7/5
Mechanicalimportance 3.6/5
Building and Constructionimportance 3.5/5
Public Safety and Securityimportance 3.3/5
Administration and Managementimportance 3.0/5
Engineering and Technologyimportance 3.0/5
Mathematicsimportance 2.9/5
Education and Trainingimportance 2.9/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets5.0/5
Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions5.0/5
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.9/5
Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable4.8/5
Contact With Others4.6/5
Telephone Conversations4.4/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Roustabouts, Oil and Gas97% skill match
Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators97% skill match
Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders97% skill match
Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals97% skill match
Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons97% skill match
Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers97% skill match
Pile Driver Operators96% skill match
Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic96% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Operations Monitoringimportance 3.8/5
Operation and Controlimportance 3.8/5
Equipment Maintenanceimportance 3.3/5
Troubleshootingimportance 3.3/5
Coordinationimportance 3.1/5
Repairingimportance 3.1/5
Quality Control Analysisimportance 3.1/5
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.0/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

Timekeeping software

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Dependability
Cautiousness
Attention to Detail
Stress Tolerance
Perseverance
Integrity
Cooperation

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

RealisticHigh
ConventionalMedium
InvestigativeLow
ArtisticLow
SocialLow
EnterprisingLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where rail-track laying and maintenance equipment operators make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).