Community Sentiment
Do you agree?
Do you agree with the AI automation risk score calculated for this occupation?
AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators?
Task-level automation exposure for Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators: 26 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
10%
weighted task index
26 of 26 tasks scored
Median Salary
$70,070 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
Low
19,580 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
+1.5%
employment change
1,200 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 39 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$44,150 – $94,330
Highest medians
Massachusetts $94,330
Maryland $92,030
New York $87,150
Virginia $84,750
New Mexico $83,370
Lowest medians
Louisiana $44,150
Iowa $45,640
North Carolina $47,700
Wisconsin $47,920
Ohio $47,980
State figures come from the 47-4061 row in the May 2025 state panel. States where the estimate was suppressed or too small to publish are absent.
What the score is made of
Each task is mapped to its work activities, scored for AI automation potential, and weighted by how important those activities are to the job. These are the components.
Automation potential 10%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 91%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 0%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 0%
Share in documenting, recording, and administrative activities.
Rewritten by O*NET 0%
Share of weighted tasks O*NET rewrote in a recent update. Reported, not folded into the score.
Consequence of error 39/100
Moderate
O*NET's own rating of how serious an uncorrectable mistake would be here — respondents, not us. Deliberately not in the index: the score measures what AI can do with the task content, and multiplying it by stakes would be our judgment dressed as data.
Constituent Task Mix
26 tasks for this occupation, weighted by work-activity importance. Shares below are of total task weight, not task count.
High exposure (≥ 60% of the task is automatable) 0%
0 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 0%
0 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 100%
26 tasks
How would you survive?
Move your week away from the high-exposure tasks and toward the ones that need judgment. The simulator recalculates the index as you shift the mix.
Simulate Upskilling →Constituent Tasks
#13645 · Core · 10% automatable
Repair or adjust track switches, using wrenches and replacement parts.
physical manipulation — Physical maintenance of mechanical equipment
Maintain mechanical equipment.
#13643 · Core · 22% automatable
Patrol assigned track sections so that damaged or broken track can be located and reported.
visual inspection — Physical locating of worn parts needs hands-on presence
Locate equipment or materials in need of repair or replacement.
#13656 · Core · 8% automatable
Engage mechanisms that lay tracks or rails to specified gauges.
physical manipulation — Heavy construction equipment operated manually
Operate heavy-duty construction or installation equipment.
#13648 · Core · 6% automatable
Cut rails to specified lengths, using rail saws.
physical manipulation — Metal cutting with tools, hands-on
Cut metal components for installation.
#13655 · Core · 8% automatable
Operate single- or multiple-head spike driving machines to drive spikes into ties and secure rails.
physical manipulation — Heavy construction equipment operated manually
Operate heavy-duty construction or installation equipment.
#13653 · Core · 8% automatable
Operate track wrenches to tighten or loosen bolts at joints that hold ends of rails together.
physical manipulation — Heavy construction equipment operated manually
Operate heavy-duty construction or installation equipment.
#13649 · Core · 10% automatable
Raise rails, using hydraulic jacks, to allow for tie removal and replacement.
physical manipulation — Crane/hoist operation demands real-time physical control
Operate cranes, hoists, or other moving or lifting equipment.
#13646 · Core · 10% automatable
Lubricate machines, change oil, or fill hydraulic reservoirs to specified levels.
physical manipulation — Physical maintenance of construction tools
Maintain construction tools or equipment.
#13651 · Core · 12% automatable
Drill holes through rails, tie plates, or fishplates for insertion of bolts or spikes, using power drills.
physical manipulation — Drilling construction materials is hands-on tool work
Drill holes in construction materials.
#13661 · Core · 8% automatable
Drive vehicles that automatically move and lay tracks or rails over sections of track to be constructed, repaired, or maintained.
physical manipulation — Heavy construction equipment operated manually
Operate heavy-duty construction or installation equipment.
#13644 · Core · 10% automatable
Clean tracks or clear ice or snow from tracks or switch boxes.
physical manipulation — Equipment and facility cleaning is hands-on
Clean equipment or facilities.
#13647 · Core · 10% automatable
Dress and reshape worn or damaged railroad switch points or frogs, using portable power grinders.
physical manipulation — Physical maintenance of mechanical equipment
Maintain mechanical equipment.
#13657 · Core · 10% automatable
Clean or make minor repairs to machines or equipment.
physical manipulation — Equipment and facility cleaning is hands-on
Clean equipment or facilities. Maintain construction tools or equipment.
#13654 · Core · 18% automatable
Observe leveling indicator arms to verify levelness and alignment of tracks.
physical manipulation — Alignment verification needs physical measurement tools
Verify alignment of structures or equipment.
#13660 · Core · 8% automatable
Operate single- or multiple-head spike pullers to pull old spikes from ties.
physical manipulation — Heavy construction equipment operated manually
Operate heavy-duty construction or installation equipment.
#13652 · Core · 8% automatable
Grind ends of new or worn rails to attain smooth joints, using portable grinders.
physical manipulation — Abrasive hand work on physical surfaces
Smooth surfaces with abrasive materials or tools.
#13658 · Core · 5% automatable
Clean, grade, or level ballast on railroad tracks.
physical manipulation — Operating compaction equipment by hand on site
Spread sand, dirt or other loose materials onto surfaces. Compact materials to create level bases.
#20798 · Core · 10% automatable
Weld sections of track together, such as switch points and frogs.
physical manipulation — Welding is skilled hands-on metalwork
Weld metal components.
#13663 · Core · 10% automatable
Spray ties, fishplates, or joints with oil to protect them from weathering.
physical manipulation — Applying sealants requires hands-on coating
Apply sealants or other protective coatings.
#13665 · Core · 8% automatable
String and attach wire-guidelines machine to rails so that tracks or rails can be aligned or leveled.
physical manipulation — Heavy construction equipment operated manually
Operate heavy-duty construction or installation equipment.
#13664 · Core · 8% automatable
Push controls to close grasping devices on track or rail sections so that they can be raised or moved.
physical manipulation — Heavy construction equipment operated manually
Operate heavy-duty construction or installation equipment.
#13650 · Supplemental · 8% automatable
Adjust controls of machines that spread, shape, raise, level, or align track, according to specifications.
physical manipulation — Heavy construction equipment operated manually
Operate heavy-duty construction or installation equipment.
#13667 · Supplemental · 10% automatable
Paint railroad signs, such as speed limits or gate-crossing warnings.
physical manipulation — Applying paint requires physical brush or spray work
Apply paint to surfaces.
#13659 · Supplemental · 5% automatable
Drive graders, tamping machines, brooms, or ballast spreading machines to redistribute gravel or ballast between rails.
physical manipulation — Operating compaction equipment by hand on site
Spread sand, dirt or other loose materials onto surfaces. Compact materials to create level bases.
#13662 · Supplemental · 8% automatable
Turn wheels of machines, using lever controls, to adjust guidelines for track alignments or grades, following specifications.
physical manipulation — Heavy construction equipment operated manually
Operate heavy-duty construction or installation equipment.
#13666 · Supplemental · 6% automatable
Operate tie-adzing machines to cut ties and permit insertion of fishplates that hold rails.
physical manipulation — Wood cutting requires manual tool operation
Cut wood components for installation.
Embed this calculator on your site ↓
Bloggers & authors: Embed this interactive calculator directly in your articles or comparison guides. It loads dynamically via a responsive iframe (auto-resizing to prevent double scrollbars) and provides a direct, high-value tool for your audience.
<div class="giniloh-calculator-embed" data-calculator="rail-track-laying-and-maintenance-equipment-operators"></div>
<script src="https://giniloh.com/embed.js" async></script> Method
How this was scored
- 1. Tasks. O*NET task statements for this occupation, from a release whose newest record is dated 08/2026.
- 2. Work activities. Each task maps to 1–5 Detailed Work Activities; each activity belongs to one of 41 Generalized Work Activities that O*NET rates for importance (1–5) in this occupation.
- 3. Automation potential. Every work activity carries one score for how far current AI can perform it end-to-end. Tasks inherit the mean of their activities.
- 4. Weighting. Task weight = 0.35 + 0.65 × (importance − 1)/4, scaled by how often the task is performed and by 0.7 for Supplemental tasks. Importance is the task's own O*NET rating where it exists (18,369 of 18,838 tasks); the rest inherit their work activities' importance. The index is the weighted mean.
Check: across the 910 occupations where O*NET also rates how far machine speed sets the pace, this index moves opposite to it (Spearman ρ = -0.49). The more a job is paced by equipment, the less of its task content AI can address — the relationship you would expect if the scoring is working.
Sources · O*NET 31.0 (task records to 08/2026) · BLS OEWS May 2025 · BLS projections 2025-2035 · rubric v2.1 · tasks for O*NET, not a forecast
See the full method →Related Article
Best AI Proof Jobs in a Changing Market
Worried robots are coming for your paycheck? You’re not alone—but the real story is far more hopeful. This guide cuts through the scare headlines to reveal exactly where smart, sustainable career opportunities exist right now. We’ve curated a list of true ai proof jobs—roles in healthcare, skilled trades, and cybersecurity that not only survive automation but thrive because of human judgment and empathy. You’ll get specific, money-making data on projected growth (the BLS says wind turbine technicians, for instance, will grow 44% by 2032), real salary ranges from active job listings, and a simple self-assessment quiz to identify your own most resilient path. Plus, we name companies hiring today and the niche job boards they use. Stop worrying and start planning—your secure career is closer than you think.
Read Article ->