# 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.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/signal-and-track-switch-repairers
- SOC code: 49-9097.00
- Career family: Installation and repair
- Median annual pay: $92,460 (10th percentile $62,610, 90th percentile $119,550)
- Projected growth: Slower than average, +1.8%
- Openings a year: 800
- Typical entry education: High school diploma
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code RCI)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 92 |
| Investigative (I) | 27 |
| Artistic (A) | 0 |
| Social (S) | 3 |
| Enterprising (E) | 0 |
| Conventional (C) | 58 |

## What you'd do

- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials (importance 70/100)
- Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment (importance 69/100)
- Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards (importance 65/100)
- Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment (importance 64/100)
- Getting Information (importance 64/100)
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work (importance 62/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 60/100)
- Performing General Physical Activities (importance 58/100)
- Handling and Moving Objects (importance 56/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 56/100)

## Skills

Troubleshooting, Equipment Maintenance, Repairing, Quality Control Analysis, Critical Thinking, Operations Monitoring, Equipment Selection, Complex Problem Solving, Operation and Control, Active Listening

## Knowledge

Transportation, Mechanical, English Language, Public Safety and Security, Engineering and Technology, Telecommunications, Computers and Electronics, Building and Construction, Law and Government, Mathematics

## Also called

Communications Maintainer, Electric Track Switch Maintainer, Gate Technician, Light Rail Signal Technician, Rail Signal Designer, Rail Signal Inspector, Rail Signal Mechanic, Rail Track Maintainer, Railroad Signal Maintainer, Railroad Transportation Signal Maintainer

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Electrical and Power Transmission Installers](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/4603) (CIP 4603, 441 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Alpena Community College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/alpena-community-college-45) | Electrical and Power Transmission Installers | $59,252 | $108,690 | $9,564 |
| [Texas State Technical College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/texas-state-technical-college-2708) | Electrical and Power Transmission Installers | $78,758 | $107,186 | $9,168 |
| [Richmond Community College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/richmond-community-college-2230) | Electrical and Power Transmission Installers | $71,836 | $102,948 | not reported |
| [Ivy Tech Community College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/ivy-tech-community-college-1314) | Electrical and Power Transmission Installers | $85,737 | $93,860 | $5,483 |
| [Minnesota State Community and Technical College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/minnesota-state-community-and-technical-college-1719) | Electrical and Power Transmission Installers | $63,636 | $90,982 | $12,000 |
| [State Technical College of Missouri](https://www.collegesref.com/college/state-technical-college-of-missouri-2594) | Electrical and Power Transmission Installers | $61,782 | $90,503 | $12,000 |
| [Metropolitan Community College Area-Nebraska](https://www.collegesref.com/college/metropolitan-community-college-area-nebraska-1664) | Electrical and Power Transmission Installers | $77,958 | $90,225 | $5,500 |
| [Dakota County Technical College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/dakota-county-technical-college-759) | Electrical and Power Transmission Installers | $55,089 | $82,544 | $12,000 |

## Related careers

- [Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/electrical-and-electronics-repairers-powerhouse-substation-and-relay): $103,020 median pay
- [Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/electrical-power-line-installers-and-repairers): $95,320 median pay
- [Electrical and Electronics Installers and Repairers, Transportation Equipment](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/electrical-and-electronics-installers-and-repairers-transportation-equipment): $84,890 median pay
- [Rail Car Repairers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/rail-car-repairers): $67,530 median pay
- [Avionics Technicians](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/avionics-technicians): $82,280 median pay
- [Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/control-and-valve-installers-and-repairers-except-mechanical-door): $74,340 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.