Careers / Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators
Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$70,070
United States, 2025
Employment
19,580
United States, 2025
Typical education
Not recorded
Job Zone 2
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
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.
- O*NET code
- 47-4061.00
- Job zone
- 2
- Experience required
- None
Typical tasks
- Repair or adjust track switches, using wrenches and replacement parts.
- Patrol assigned track sections so that damaged or broken track can be located and reported.
- Engage mechanisms that lay tracks or rails to specified gauges.
- Cut rails to specified lengths, using rail saws.
- Operate single- or multiple-head spike driving machines to drive spikes into ties and secure rails.
- Operate track wrenches to tighten or loosen bolts at joints that hold ends of rails together.
- Raise rails, using hydraulic jacks, to allow for tie removal and replacement.
- Lubricate machines, change oil, or fill hydraulic reservoirs to specified levels.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$45,640
25th percentile
$51,280
75th percentile
$81,670
90th percentile
$87,420
Most important skills
- Operations Monitoring3.8
- Operation and Control3.8
- Equipment Maintenance3.3
- Repairing3.1
- Monitoring3.0
- Time Management3.0
- Judgment and Decision Making3.0
- Quality Control Analysis3.0
- Active Listening3.0
- Troubleshooting3.0
- Coordination2.8
- Complex Problem Solving2.8
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 10 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
10
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operations Monitoring | 3.8 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Operation and Control | 3.8 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Equipment Maintenance | 3.3 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Repairing | 3.1 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Monitoring | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Quality Control Analysis | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Troubleshooting | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Time Management | 3.0 | 2.9 | Not selected | 2.9 |
| Active Listening | 3.0 | 2.9 | Not selected | 2.9 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
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Compare with Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment OperatorsHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| MA | $94,330 | 570 | 2025 |
| MD | $92,030 | 320 | 2025 |
| Baltimore, MD | $87,410 | 50 | 2025 |
| NY | $87,150 | 3,590 | 2025 |
| New York, NY | $87,150 | 2,710 | 2025 |
| Boston, MA | $85,240 | 280 | 2025 |
| VA | $84,750 | 360 | 2025 |
| NM | $83,370 | 80 | 2025 |
| DE | $80,610 | 130 | 2025 |
| MT | $79,170 | 200 | 2025 |
| ID | $79,020 | 90 | 2025 |
| IL | $78,910 | 1,190 | 2025 |
| IN | $78,020 | 320 | 2025 |
| AZ | $76,620 | 170 | 2025 |
| MI | $75,450 | 290 | 2025 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $75,280 | 90 | 2025 |
| KY | $73,120 | 270 | 2025 |
| SC | $71,770 | 30 | 2025 |
| WY | $71,580 | 220 | 2025 |
| CA | $71,170 | 770 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.