← All 785 jobsFile 53-4022
Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers
Mostly untouched
AI barely touches this work so far. The BLS expects 0.8% more of these jobs by 2035, slower than the 3.5% average.
- Rank
- #626 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- +0.8% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $68,840 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 10,700 in the US, with about 900 openings a year
The work, 15 activities
The job description, marked up.
Every activity in this job, the biggest first. Tap a line for the evidence.
- deleAI does this
- +AIAI helps
- stetStill yours
Still yours: Signal others to coordinate work activities18%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Operate transportation equipment or vehicles18%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Inspect vehicles13%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Monitor equipment operation10%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Monitor traffic conditions7%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Monitor safety or security of work areas, facilities, or properties5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Assemble equipment or components5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Communicate with others about operational plans or activities5%
AI performed this in about 1 in 354 Copilot conversations and completed it 90% of the time.
Still yours: Climb equipment or structures4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Monitor resources or inventories4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Maintain vehicles in working condition3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Schedule operational activities3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Maintain operational records2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Connect components or supply lines to equipment or tools2%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,570 conversations, and it got them there 96% of the time.
AI helps with this: Provide general assistance to others, such as customers, patrons, or motorists1%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 98 conversations, and it got them there 84% of the time. In this job the work is hands-on, so AI can only assist.
2025 to 2035
Ten years from now.
For every 100 of these jobs in 2025, the BLS projects 101 in 2035. Across all US jobs, about 104.
About 900 openings a year, from growth and from people who retire or move on.
Nearby
Where your skills travel.
The jobs closest to this one. None of them is much less exposed.
- Shares 56% of the workRail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers22% AI does, against 5% here+0.8% by 2035 · $60,600 · High school diploma
- Shares 51% of the workLocomotive Engineers26% AI does, against 5% here+0.5% by 2035 · $81,410 · High school diploma
- Shares 47% of the workAirline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers22% AI does, against 5% here+8.3% by 2035 · $232,140 · Bachelor’s degree
The wire
On the wire.
Nothing filed about this job yet. The latest from the Work front:
How to read this file.
deleAI does this. In US Bing Copilot conversations from January to September 2024, AI itself performed the activity, completed it and made a real difference often enough to count.
+AIAI helps. People brought the activity to AI as their own goal, and it usually got them there.
stetStill yours. It barely shows up in AI use, AI rarely finishes it, or in this job it needs hands.
Shares are weighted by how much each activity matters in the job, using O*NET. Microsoft’s own AI applicability score for this job is 0.03, higher than 6% of jobs.
Doing an activity is not doing a job. The researchers behind this data warn against reading it as job loss, and so do we. It is US data; the shape of the work travels.
Sources: Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025) · O*NET OnLine, 53-4022 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
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