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Signal and Track Switch Repairers vs Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers

Side-by-side · O*NET · BLS · AI-exposure research · Anthropic Economic Index

A factual, source-backed comparison of Signal and Track Switch Repairers and Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers on the dimensions both occupations carry. Every figure is a position within an independent published dataset — not a verdict on which job is better, safer, or more “future-proof.”

Signal and Track Switch Repairers Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers
Median pay · BLS OEWS
$83,600
$65,480
Employment · BLS OEWS
8,210
12,460
AI exposure (percentile) · task overlap, not automation
19th pct
6th pct

At a glance

Dimension Signal and Track Switch Repairers Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers
Median pay $83,600 $65,480
Employment 8,210 12,460
Employment outlook (2024–34) · BLS projection About average (+1.7%) About average (+1.0%)
Annual openings · BLS projection 800 1,000
Typical education · O*NET Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
AI exposure · published exposure studies Low · 19th pct Low · 6th pct
Global GenAI gradient · ILO ISCO-08 · via crosswalk 24th pct · 17% of tasks —
Observed AI use · Anthropic Economic Index — —
Mostly remote-capable · Dingel–Neiman No —

Pay and employment are BLS OEWS estimates; outlook and openings are BLS 2024–2034 projections; AI exposure and observed-use figures come from separate research and reflect exposure and usage, not predictions that either job will disappear. Compare like with like.

Skills

Shared: Critical Thinking, Operations Monitoring, Problem Sensitivity, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Control Precision, Transportation, Mechanical, Flexibility of Closure, Visualization, Manual Dexterity, Finger Dexterity, Visual Color Discrimination, English Language, Public Safety and Security, Multilimb Coordination, Far Vision, Deductive Reasoning, Inductive Reasoning, Reaction Time, Near Vision, Operation and Control, Information Ordering, Perceptual Speed, Active Listening, Judgment and Decision Making, Time Management, Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression, Selective Attention.

Specific to Signal and Track Switch Repairers

  • Troubleshooting
  • Equipment Maintenance
  • Repairing
  • Quality Control Analysis
  • Equipment Selection
  • Complex Problem Solving
  • Engineering and Technology
  • Telecommunications

Specific to Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers

  • Monitoring
  • Response Orientation
  • Rate Control
  • Speech Recognition
  • Written Comprehension
  • Speech Clarity
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Auditory Attention

Knowledge, skills & abilities O*NET rates as important for each occupation. “Shared” are common to both; the columns list what is distinctive to each (top by the order O*NET surfaces).

Tools & technology

Shared: Spreadsheet software , Office suite software , Electronic mail software .

Specific to Signal and Track Switch Repairers

Specific to Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers

Full profiles

This page is a summary. See the complete source-backed profile for Signal and Track Switch Repairers or Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers — tasks, the full skill graph, tools, work context, preparation, wages by percentile, industries, AI exposure and the AI work map.

More comparisons

Related occupations you can place side by side on the same sourced scale.

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

Cite this page
Plain

Singulariki. "Signal and Track Switch Repairers vs Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/compare/signal-and-track-switch-repairers-vs-railroad-brake-signal-and-switch-operators-and-locomotive-firers

APA

Singulariki. (2026). Signal and Track Switch Repairers vs Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/compare/signal-and-track-switch-repairers-vs-railroad-brake-signal-and-switch-operators-and-locomotive-firers

BibTeX 
@misc{singulariki-signal-and-track-switch-repairers-vs-railroad-brake-signal-and-switch-operators-and-locomotive-firers,
  title  = {Signal and Track Switch Repairers vs Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/compare/signal-and-track-switch-repairers-vs-railroad-brake-signal-and-switch-operators-and-locomotive-firers}
}

Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.