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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Signal and Track Switch Repairers?
Task-level automation exposure for Signal and Track Switch Repairers: 12 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
21%
weighted task index
12 of 12 tasks scored
Median Salary
$92,460 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
Low
8,720 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
+1.8%
employment change
800 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 21 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$58,840 – $126,440
Highest medians
Massachusetts $126,440
Washington $121,710
Minnesota $96,780
Arizona $96,460
Virginia $95,620
Lowest medians
Ohio $58,840
Kentucky $75,870
Florida $78,680
Tennessee $79,730
Georgia $79,860
State figures come from the 49-9097 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 21%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 66%
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 8%
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 12/100
Low
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
12 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) 8%
1 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 0%
0 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 92%
11 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
#13906 · Core · 23% automatable
Inspect and test operation, mechanical parts, and circuitry of gate crossings, signals, and signal equipment such as interlocks and hotbox detectors.
physical manipulation — Electrical probing and meter work by hand
Inspect equipment to locate or identify electrical problems. Test electrical circuits or components for proper functioning.
#13910 · Core · 19% automatable
Inspect electrical units of railroad grade crossing gates and repair loose bolts and defective electrical connections and parts.
visual inspection — Locating electrical faults requires hands-on inspection
Inspect equipment to locate or identify electrical problems. Repair electrical circuits or wiring.
#23936 · Core · 19% automatable
Test and repair track circuits.
physical manipulation — Hands-on mechanical testing in physical environment
Test mechanical equipment to ensure proper functioning. Repair worn, damaged, or defective mechanical parts.
#13908 · Core · 10% automatable
Drive motor vehicles to job sites.
situated mobility — Driving vehicles at work sites is situated mobility
Drive trucks or other vehicles to or at work sites.
#13905 · Core · 14% automatable
Install, inspect, maintain, and repair various railroad service equipment on the road or in the shop, including railroad signal systems.
visual inspection — Locating wear and damage requires physical inspection
Inspect mechanical equipment to locate damage, defects, or wear. Maintain work equipment or machinery.
#13909 · Core · 17% automatable
Tighten loose bolts, using wrenches, and test circuits and connections by opening and closing gates.
physical manipulation — Electrical probing and meter work by hand
Test electrical circuits or components for proper functioning. Adjust the tension of nuts or bolts.
#13907 · Core · 18% automatable
Inspect switch-controlling mechanisms on trolley wires and in track beds, using hand tools and test equipment.
visual inspection — Locating wear and damage requires physical inspection
Inspect mechanical equipment to locate damage, defects, or wear.
#13911 · Core · 10% automatable
Replace defective wiring, broken lenses, or burned-out light bulbs.
physical manipulation — Manual replacement of mechanical parts
Replace worn, damaged, or defective mechanical parts.
#13913 · Core · 20% automatable
Inspect, maintain, and replace batteries as needed.
visual inspection — Defect detection in electrical systems needs presence
Inspect electrical or electronic systems for defects.
#13912 · Core · 80% automatable
Record and report information about mileage or track inspected, repairs performed, and equipment requiring replacement.
text generation — Record parts and repair details from provided data
Record information about parts, materials or repair procedures.
#13914 · Core · 12% automatable
Lubricate moving parts on gate-crossing mechanisms and swinging signals.
physical manipulation — Physical lubrication task requiring hands and access
Lubricate equipment to allow proper functioning.
#13915 · Core · 10% automatable
Clean lenses of lamps with cloths and solvents.
physical manipulation — Cleaning parts for repair needs hands-on dexterity
Clean equipment, parts, or tools to repair or maintain them in good working order.
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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
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