Rail car repairers
Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul railroad rolling stock, mine cars, or mass transit rail cars.
Rail car repairers diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul railroad rolling stock, mine cars, or mass transit rail cars. The role reports a median annual salary of $65,680 in the US and is showing modest growth of 3% over the next decade. Entry typically requires a High school diploma or equivalent, and shows moderate AI exposure (0.42 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include Repairing, Troubleshooting, Equipment Maintenance, Critical Thinking, Quality Control Analysis.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £40,760 a year for Metal working production and maintenance fitters (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £31,226 to £52,357 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 5223). ONS rates this estimate precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Craft and related trades workers” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Rail car repairers, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 7. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Mechanical
- Production and Processing
- Design
- Administration and Management
- Building and Construction
- Engineering and Technology
- Transportation
- Mathematics
What you'd actually do
- Record conditions of cars, and repair and maintenance work performed or to be performed.
- Inspect components such as bearings, seals, gaskets, wheels, and coupler assemblies to determine if repairs are needed.
- Repair or replace defective or worn parts such as bearings, pistons, and gears, using hand tools, torque wrenches, power tools, and welding equipment.
- Inspect the interior and exterior of rail cars coming into rail yards to identify defects and to determine the extent of wear and damage.
- Remove locomotives, car mechanical units, or other components, using pneumatic hoists and jacks, pinch bars, hand tools, and cutting torches.
- Test units for operability before and after repairs.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Rail car repairers do?
Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul railroad rolling stock, mine cars, or mass transit rail cars.
How much does Rail car repairers earn?
The median annual salary for Rail car repairers in the US is $65,680.
What is the job outlook for Rail car repairers?
The role is showing modest growth of 3% over the next decade. Current US employment is approximately 17,900 workers.
How do I become rail car repairers?
The typical entry education is a High school diploma or equivalent. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Rail car repairers need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include Repairing, Troubleshooting, Equipment Maintenance, Critical Thinking, Quality Control Analysis, Operations Monitoring. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Rail car repairers?
Our AI-durability model gives Rail car repairers a score of 0.42 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Rail car repairers has low barrier to entry — generally accessible — you can enter with basic credentials and on-the-job learning.