Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators
Machines can already do 21% of this job's tasks. By 2035 that rises to 61%. The job changes before it disappears.
Share of the work machines can do
Worldwide baseline, 2026 to 2050
Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators in 2026: the short answer
- Today: machines can do 21% of this job's tasks, and AI use is already seen in 0% of them.
- Forecast: machines can do half of its tasks by 2033, and 61% by 2035, according to the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit.
- Size: 19,580 people do this job in the United States, on a median pay of $70,070 a year.
- Contact with people: it scores 77% for contact with people.
- Also called: Machine Operator, Track Equipment Operator (TEO), Track Inspector, Track Laborer.
Updated by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit. These are worldwide baseline figures; the Workforce Starburst shows them for your country. Go deeper: How ready am I? or an executive briefing.
How the work changes, task by task
The tasks that take up most of the day, with the share of each that machines can do in 2026 (dark) and 2035 (pink). Worldwide baseline.
| Task | Share of the day | Machines can do | 2026 to 2035 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patrol assigned track sections so that damaged or broken track can be located and reported | 8% | 30% to 75% | |
| Repair or adjust track switches, using wrenches and replacement parts | 7% | 20% to 60% | |
| Adjust controls of machines that spread, shape, raise, level, or align track, according to specifications | 7% | 30% to 75% | |
| Drive graders, tamping machines, brooms, or ballast spreading machines to redistribute gravel or ballast between rails | 7% | 20% to 60% | |
| Operate track wrenches to tighten or loosen bolts at joints that hold ends of rails together | 6% | 20% to 60% | |
| Raise rails, using hydraulic jacks, to allow for tie removal and replacement | 6% | 20% to 60% | |
| Clean tracks or clear ice or snow from tracks or switch boxes | 6% | 3% to 30% | |
| Clean or make minor repairs to machines or equipment | 6% | 3% to 30% |
The skills this job runs on
The skills rail-track laying and maintenance equipment operators use most, most used first.
Safer jobs nearby
Jobs with a similar skill shape where machines can do less of the work by 2035.
- Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders56% of tasks by 2035 · US median $50,270
- Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians50% of tasks by 2035 · US median $79,870
- Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists34% of tasks by 2035 · US median $61,770
- Roof Bolters, Mining57% of tasks by 2035 · US median $78,540
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Questions
When will machines do half of the tasks of Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators?
Machines can do half of its tasks by 2033. That is the worldwide baseline from the 311 Workforce Starburst, before adjusting for country.
Will AI take the job of rail-track laying and maintenance equipment operators?
Machines can do 21% of the tasks of rail-track laying and maintenance equipment operators today and 61% by 2035. The job changes before it disappears: the routine tasks move first.
Sources and citing
Tasks and their share of the day: O*NET 31.0, occupation 47-4061.00 (US Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0). Pay and jobs: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. AI use today: Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY). Scoring and forecast: the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit; after 2035 the figures extend each trend, with lower confidence. Foresight, not advice.
Cite as: 311 Institute (2026). Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators: the outlook to 2050. 311 Workforce Starburst. https://www.311institute.com/jobs/rail-track-laying-and-maintenance-equipment-operators/