Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators
Also called: Rail-Track Equipment Operators
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.
Also called: Ballast Cleaning Machine Operator, Machine Operator, Portable Grinding Machine Operator, Rail Maintenance Worker, Rail Track Layer, Rail Track Maintainer
Median pay
$70,070
per year, U.S.
Pay range (10th–90th)
$45,640 – $87,420
People employed
19,580
Holland code
RCI
Realistic · Conventional · Investigative
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Is this career right for you?
These are the things that stand out in this job compared with other U.S. jobs (O*NET 31.0 work context). Answer honestly.
- 1.Do you prefer a steady pace without constant deadlines?
- 2.Are you OK with hours that change?
- 3.Are you OK working outdoors in all kinds of weather?
The hard parts
- Work outdoors in all weather
- Mistakes can have serious consequences
Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators pay by state
Highest-paying states
Annual median pay by state (39 states with published data). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators salary in every state →
What rail-track laying and maintenance equipment operators do
- 01Repair or adjust track switches, using wrenches and replacement parts.
- 02Patrol assigned track sections so that damaged or broken track can be located and reported.
- 03Engage mechanisms that lay tracks or rails to specified gauges.
- 04Cut rails to specified lengths, using rail saws.
- 05Operate single- or multiple-head spike driving machines to drive spikes into ties and secure rails.
- 06Operate track wrenches to tighten or loosen bolts at joints that hold ends of rails together.
Skills that matter most
- Monitoring
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Speaking
- Learning Strategies
- Active Learning
Knowledge
- Public Safety and Security
- Transportation
- Mechanical
- Production and Processing
- Mathematics
Work styles that stand out
- Dependability
- Attention to Detail
- Cautiousness
Education and first steps
O*NET has no education survey data for this job.
How people get started
- Usually needs a high school diploma (O*NET Job Zone 2).
- Related work experience: none.
- On-the-job training: over 6 months, up to and including 1 year.
Most common answers from O*NET 31.0 Education, Training and Experience.
Interest fit (Holland code)
O*NET occupational interest scores, scale 1–7. Take the Free Career Test to compare with your own.
Career changes
Change from rail-track laying and maintenance equipment operators
- Pile Driver Operators93% · +5%
- Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators87% · −15%
- Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining85% · −18%
- Rail Car Repairers84% · −4%
- Millwrights82% · −6%
Change into rail-track laying and maintenance equipment operators
Jobs whose skills carry over best (skill match, their median pay).
- Pile Driver Operators90% · $73,300
- Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining84% · $57,430
- Continuous Mining Machine Operators83% · $61,810
- Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators83% · $59,850
- Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators83% · $53,340
Majors that lead here
- Construction/Heavy Equipment/Earthmoving Equipment Operation
From the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk.