# 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.

- **SOC code:** 49-9097.00
- **Canonical URL:** https://singulariki.com/roles/role-49-9097-00
- **Also known as:** Signal Inspector, Signal Maintainer, Signalman, Train Control Electronic Technician, Railroad Signal Maintainer, Signal Maintenance Technician, Signal System Testing Maintainer, Signal Technician
- **Frame:** "AI exposure" means task overlap (how codifiable the work is), not jobs lost or a forecast. Every figure below is traced to a named public dataset.

## What this work is

**Core tasks** (O*NET):
- Inspect and test operation, mechanical parts, and circuitry of gate crossings, signals, and signal equipment such as interlocks and hotbox detectors.
- Inspect electrical units of railroad grade crossing gates and repair loose bolts and defective electrical connections and parts.
- Test and repair track circuits.
- Drive motor vehicles to job sites.
- Install, inspect, maintain, and repair various railroad service equipment on the road or in the shop, including railroad signal systems.
- Tighten loose bolts, using wrenches, and test circuits and connections by opening and closing gates.
- Inspect switch-controlling mechanisms on trolley wires and in track beds, using hand tools and test equipment.
- Replace defective wiring, broken lenses, or burned-out light bulbs.
- Inspect, maintain, and replace batteries as needed.
- Record and report information about mileage or track inspected, repairs performed, and equipment requiring replacement.
- Lubricate moving parts on gate-crossing mechanisms and swinging signals.
- Clean lenses of lamps with cloths and solvents.

## Skills, tools, capabilities

**Knowledge, skills & abilities** (O*NET, highest importance first):
- Troubleshooting _(transferable_skill)_
- Equipment Maintenance _(transferable_skill)_
- Repairing _(transferable_skill)_
- Quality Control Analysis _(transferable_skill)_
- Critical Thinking _(essential_skill)_
- Operations Monitoring _(transferable_skill)_
- Problem Sensitivity _(ability)_
- Arm-Hand Steadiness _(ability)_
- Control Precision _(ability)_
- Transportation _(knowledge)_
- Mechanical _(knowledge)_
- Equipment Selection _(transferable_skill)_

**Skills in demand:**
- Equipment Maintenance _(Specialized Skill)_
- Critical Thinking _(Common Skill)_
- Visualization _(Specialized Skill)_
- Finger Dexterity _(Common Skill)_
- Equipment Selection _(Specialized Skill)_
- English Language _(Common Skill)_
- Complex Problem Solving _(Common Skill)_
- Inductive Reasoning _(Common Skill)_
- Deductive Reasoning _(Common Skill)_
- Information Ordering _(Specialized Skill)_
- Telecommunications _(Specialized Skill)_
- Time Management _(Common Skill)_

**Tools & technology:**
- Microsoft Excel _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Office software _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Outlook _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft PowerPoint _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Word _(hot technology)_
- Maintenance management software
- Supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA software
- Web browser software

## AI exposure & outlook

- **AI task-overlap index:** 15th percentile (Low) across all occupations — composite of current-era exposure studies (ai-exposure-index-v1).
- **Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.):** 24th percentile (Low) — source: felten_aioe.
- **LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou):** 11th percentile (Low) — source: eloundou_gamma.
- **AI assistant applicability (Microsoft):** 19th percentile (Low) — source: microsoft_applicability.
- **Frey–Osborne (2013, historical computerization estimate):** 78th percentile — kept separate from current-era studies.
- **Remote-capable (Dingel–Neiman):** no — task structure, not who actually works remote.
- **Projected employment (BLS 2024–34):** 1.7% growth (About average); 0.8k annual openings; 8.7k → 8.8k jobs.
- **Pay & employment (BLS OEWS, May 2024):** median $83,600; 8,210 employed.

## Sources

- **O*NET** (30.3) — U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development. https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html
- **BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)** (May 2024) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/oes/
- **BLS Employment Projections** (2024–2034) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/emp/
- **Microsoft “Working with AI”** (working-with-ai) — Microsoft Research. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/
- **“GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.)** (arXiv 2303.10130) — OpenAI / academic. https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130
- **AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE)** (Felten, Raj & Seamans) — academic. https://github.com/AIOE-Data/AIOE
- **Frey & Osborne (2013)** (frey-osborne-automation) — academic. https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/publications/the-future-of-employment/
- **Dingel & Neiman (2020)** (dingel-neiman-workathome) — academic. https://github.com/jdingel/DingelNeiman-workathome

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_Generated from Singulariki's joined dataset; data snapshot 2026-06-02T21:00:32.945303+00:00. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-49-9097-00_