Best programs to become a signal and track switch repairer
You do not need a college degree to become a signal and track switch repairer. BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. The field of study that leads most directly to this job is Electrician (IPEDS completions).
1 college program at 505 schools trains signal and track switch repairers, graduating 35,302 people a year (IPEDS completions). The job pays a median of $92,460 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About 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.
Best programs to study to become a signal and track switch repairer
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 46.0302 | 35,302 | 100.0% | 505 | $39,766 | $9,500 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ivy Tech Community College Indianapolis, IN Public · 1 feeder program | 749 | Electrician | 40% | — | — |
| 2 | Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College Bowling Green, KY Public · 1 feeder program | 635 | Electrician | 58% | — | — |
| 3 | Elizabethtown Community and Technical College Elizabethtown, KY Public · 1 feeder program | 633 | Electrician | 59% | — | — |
| 4 | City Colleges of Chicago - Richard J Daley College Chicago, IL Public · 1 feeder program | 622 | Electrician | 27% | — | — |
| 5 | Owensboro Community and Technical College Owensboro, KY Public · 1 feeder program | 551 | Electrician | 54% | — | — |
| 6 | Apex Technical School Long Island City, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder program | 549 | Electrician | 78% | $17,771 | — |
| 7 | Lincoln Technical Institute - Union Union, NJ Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 520 | Electrician | 75% | $26,378 | — |
| 8 | NUC University Bayamon, PR Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 464 | Electrician | 54% | $9,377 | — |
| 9 | UEI College - Reseda Reseda, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 464 | Electrician | 74% | $27,592 | — |
| 10 | Bluegrass Community and Technical College Lexington, KY Public · 1 feeder program | 460 | Electrician | 43% | — | — |
| 11 | Lincoln Technical Institute - Whitestone Whitestone, NY Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 447 | Electrician | 67% | $34,271 | — |
| 12 | Tulsa Welding School - Houston Houston, TX Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 393 | Electrician | 70% | $34,116 | — |
| 13 | Gateway Community and Technical College Florence, KY Public · 1 feeder program | 358 | Electrician | 59% | — | — |
| 14 | UEI College - Riverside Riverside, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 348 | Electrician | 71% | $27,181 | — |
| 15 | Institute for Business and Technology San Jose, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 311 | Electrician | 84% | $26,509 | — |
| 16 | UEI College - Chula Vista Chula Vista, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 306 | Electrician | 71% | $28,465 | — |
| 17 | Lincoln College of Technology - Melrose Park Melrose Park, IL Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 302 | Electrician | 68% | $25,508 | — |
| 18 | J F Ingram State Technical College Deatsville, AL Public · 1 feeder program | 297 | Electrician | 21% | — | — |
| 19 | Lincoln Technical Institute - Mahwah Mahwah, NJ Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 282 | Electrician | 79% | $29,877 | — |
| 20 | UEI College - Bakersfield Bakersfield, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 279 | Electrician | 68% | $29,687 | — |
| 21 | Summit College San Bernardino, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 277 | Electrician | 62% | $25,402 | — |
| 22 | UEI College - West Covina West Covina, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 277 | Electrician | 67% | $27,767 | — |
| 23 | UEI College - Sacramento Sacramento, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 269 | Electrician | 60% | $28,742 | — |
| 24 | SOWELA Technical Community College Lake Charles, LA Public · 1 feeder program | 265 | Electrician | 43% | — | — |
| 25 | UEI College - Stockton Stockton, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 265 | Electrician | 71% | $27,036 | — |
| 26 | Pennco Tech - Blackwood Blackwood, NJ Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 264 | Electrician | 72% | $23,217 | — |
| 27 | Ashland Community and Technical College Ashland, KY Public · 1 feeder program | 260 | Electrician | 51% | — | — |
| 28 | Ogden - Weber Technical College Ogden, UT Public · 1 feeder program | 260 | Electrician | 53% | — | — |
| 29 | UEI College - Garden Grove Garden Grove, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 259 | Electrician | 63% | $26,221 | — |
| 30 | UEI College - Phoenix Phoenix, AZ Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 258 | Electrician | 57% | $32,886 | — |
| 31 | Somerset Community College Somerset, KY Public · 1 feeder program | 255 | Electrician | 43% | — | — |
| 32 | UEI College - Ontario Ontario, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 254 | Electrician | 66% | $27,167 | — |
| 33 | San Joaquin Valley College - Modesto Salida, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 253 | Electrician | 77% | $25,571 | — |
| 34 | UEI College - Gardena Gardena, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 250 | Electrician | 60% | $28,919 | — |
| 35 | National Career Education Citrus Heights, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 248 | Electrician | 83% | $25,889 | — |
| 36 | Southern California Institute of Technology Anaheim, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 241 | Electrician | 74% | $29,667 | 74% |
| 37 | Wake Technical Community College Raleigh, NC Public · 1 feeder program | 240 | Electrician | 33% | — | — |
| 38 | Foothill College Los Altos Hills, CA Public · 1 feeder program | 235 | Electrician | 56% | — | — |
| 39 | Southern Careers Institute - Brownsville Brownsville, TX Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 231 | Electrician | 68% | $17,794 | — |
| 40 | Pitt Community College Winterville, NC Public · 1 feeder program | 225 | Electrician | 35% | — | — |
| 41 | Tulsa Welding School - Jacksonville Jacksonville, FL Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 218 | Electrician | 73% | $28,537 | — |
| 42 | UEI College - Huntington Park Huntington Park, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 218 | Electrician | 70% | $29,313 | — |
| 43 | Northshore Technical Community College Lacombe, LA Public · 1 feeder program | 216 | Electrician | 40% | — | — |
| 44 | Big Sandy Community and Technical College Prestonsburg, KY Public · 1 feeder program | 205 | Electrician | 38% | — | — |
| 45 | San Joaquin Valley College - Ontario Ontario, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 201 | Electrician | 64% | $26,900 | — |
| 46 | Pennco Tech - Bristol Bristol, PA Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 200 | Electrician | 84% | $22,272 | — |
| 47 | UEI College - Oceanside Oceanside, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 198 | Electrician | 69% | $26,941 | — |
| 48 | Escuela Tecnica de Electricidad Ponce, PR Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 196 | Electrician | 95% | $8,859 | — |
| 49 | Refrigeration School Inc Phoenix, AZ Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 196 | Electrician | 76% | $26,791 | — |
| 50 | San Joaquin Valley College - Temecula Temecula, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder program | 196 | Electrician | 82% | $27,730 | — |
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
What signal and track switch repairers earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $84,670 | 390 | 0.38× | 52 | 7,464 |
| Kentucky | $75,870 | 60 | 0.51× | 16 | 3,918 |
| Texas | $85,020 | 650 | 0.82× | 23 | 1,974 |
| New Jersey | $82,990 | 260 | 1.08× | 13 | 1,589 |
| Florida | $78,680 | 290 | 0.53× | 38 | 1,390 |
| Georgia | $79,860 | 440 | 1.59× | 22 | 1,201 |
| Illinois | $95,610 | 720 | 2.10× | 10 | 1,163 |
| New York | $94,530 | 1,910 | 3.51× | 5 | 1,095 |
| Pennsylvania | — | 260 | 0.77× | 18 | 1,077 |
| Arizona | $96,460 | 100 | 0.56× | 12 | 910 |
| Indianamoderate | $92,200 | 220 | 1.24× | 3 | 909 |
| Minnesota | $96,780 | 80 | 0.48× | 15 | 683 |
| Virginia | $95,620 | 170 | 0.74× | 17 | 472 |
| Wisconsin | $85,440 | 60 | 0.38× | 10 | 352 |
| Kansas | $83,550 | 120 | 1.44× | 12 | 324 |
| Ohio | $58,840 | 150 | 0.49× | 13 | 287 |
| Colorado | $83,930 | 160 | 1.01× | 5 | 268 |
| Tennessee | $79,730 | 190 | 1.03× | 11 | 262 |
| Michigan | $93,060 | 120 | 0.48× | 10 | 215 |
| Washington | $121,710 | 210 | 1.04× | 5 | 165 |
| Massachusettslimited | $126,440 | 160 | 0.77× | 2 | 61 |
| Missourimoderate | $86,300 | 250 | 1.51× | 3 | 49 |
| Oregonlimited | — | 70 | 0.68× | 1 | 3 |
Skills and knowledge
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- 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.
Skills
- Critical Thinking3.8
- Active Listening3.0
- Writing2.9
- Reading Comprehension2.9
- Speaking2.9
- Active Learning2.9
- Monitoring2.9
- Learning Strategies2.6
Knowledge areas
- Transportation3.7
- Mechanical3.7
- English Language3.6
- Public Safety and Security3.5
- Engineering and Technology3.1
- Telecommunications3.1
Abilities
- Problem Sensitivity3.8
- Arm-Hand Steadiness3.8
- Control Precision3.8
- Manual Dexterity3.6
- Finger Dexterity3.6
- Flexibility of Closure3.6
Core activities
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials3.8
- Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment3.8
- Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards3.6
- Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment3.6
- Getting Information3.6
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work3.5
How to get in
How to become a signal and track switch repairer
- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 1 majors mapped to Signal and Track Switch Repairers1 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 46.0302Electrician
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become a signal and track switch repairer?+
You do not need a college degree to become a signal and track switch repairer. BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. The field of study that leads most directly to this job is Electrician (IPEDS completions).
Which college majors lead to becoming a signal and track switch repairer?+
The field of study that leads most directly to this job is Electrician (IPEDS completions). In all, the NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 1 program to this job, which graduates about 35,302 people a year.
How much do signal and track switch repairers earn?+
The median is $92,460 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $62,610 at the 10th percentile to $119,550 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for signal and track switch repairers growing?+
BLS projects a +1.7% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, little or no change, with roughly 800 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
505 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 1 program that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do signal and track switch repairers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Signalman, Signal Inspector, Signal Maintainer, Train Control Electronic Technician among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 49-9097.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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