jobfacts

Rail construction and maintenance operatives

SOC 2020 8153

Rail construction and maintenance operatives lay, re-lay, repair and examine railway track and maintain surrounding areas.

Also calledRail track maintenance workerRailway workerTrack operativeTechnicianMaintenance manTrack examinerand 45 more titles
Typical full-time pay£46,4002025 Provisional
Demand for workersElevated
New adverts a month136↑ 15%on last year · 373rd of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025

Half of full-time rail construction and maintenance operatives earn between £39,800 and £54,500 a year.

What full-time rail construction and maintenance operatives earn, 2025
£46,400 typical£38,500lowest 20%£54,50075%n/ptop 10%
Middle half (£39,800–£54,500)n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less thanNot published
Lowest 20% earn less than£38,500
25%£39,800
Median£46,400
75%£54,500
Top 20% earn more thanNot published
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £46,400
East of England!£54,200
South East!£50,000
West Midlands!£46,600
Scotland!£46,300
Yorkshire and The Humber!£43,500
London!£43,500
East Midlands!£42,100
North West!£40,900
North EastNot published by ONS–
South WestNot published by ONS–
WalesNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £46,400
East of England£54,200 (small sample)
South East£50,000 (small sample)
West Midlands£46,600 (small sample)
Scotland£46,300 (small sample)
Yorkshire and The Humber£43,500 (small sample)
London£43,500 (small sample)
East Midlands£42,100 (small sample)
North West£40,900 (small sample)
North EastNot published by ONS
South WestNot published by ONS
WalesNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £39,400
  • 2024 £44,100
  • 2025 Provisional£46,400
↑ 18% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 136 jobs for rail construction and maintenance operatives are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as elevated.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (4 in all)
Show as table
Aug 2026Not published
Jul 2026111
Jun 2026167
May 2026171
Apr 2026168
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 202695
Jan 2026131
Dec 202560
Nov 2025182
Oct 2025130
Sept 2025147
Aug 2025184
Jul 2025Not published
Jun 2025Not published
May 2025207
Apr 2025112
Mar 2025126
Feb 2025144
Jan 202598
Dec 202460
Nov 202479
Oct 2024118
Sept 2024123
Aug 2024105
Jul 2024141
Jun 2024114
May 2024118
Apr 2024139
Mar 202496
Feb 2024111
Jan 2024153
Dec 202380
Nov 2023125
Oct 202376
Sept 202387
Aug 2023110
Jul 2023106
Jun 2023140
May 2023134
Apr 2023108
Mar 2023120
Feb 2023158
Jan 2023227
Dec 202279
Nov 2022167
Oct 2022217
Sept 2022210
Aug 2022194
Jul 2022175
Jun 2022132
May 2022156
Apr 2022113
Mar 2022149
Feb 2022106
Jan 2022182
Dec 202199
Nov 2021113
Oct 202192
Sept 2021118
Aug 2021143
Jul 2021181
Jun 2021140
May 2021144
Apr 2021142
Mar 2021163
Feb 202188
Jan 2021101
Dec 202077
Nov 2020100
Oct 2020174
Sept 2020128
Aug 2020134
Jul 2020126
Jun 202078
May 202061
Apr 202053
Mar 2020164
Feb 2020177
Jan 2020122
Dec 201988
Nov 2019122
Oct 201986
Sept 201965
Aug 201963
Jul 2019104
Jun 201964
May 201977
Apr 201969
Mar 201980
Feb 201970
Jan 201980
Dec 201837
Nov 201846
Oct 2018108
Sept 201868
Aug 2018105
Jul 201869
Jun 201873
May 201888
Apr 201884
Mar 201870
Feb 201857
Jan 201897
Dec 201769
Nov 2017112
Oct 201783
Sept 201774
Aug 201770
Jul 201775
Jun 201777
May 201765
Apr 201771
Mar 201775
Feb 201769
Jan 201777
Is there a shortage of rail construction and maintenance operatives?
Elevated

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment; in 2024 it was critical.

  • Visas grantedUsual
  • Online job advertsUsual
  • Wage growthWell above usual
  • Pay against similar jobsAbove usual
  • Hours workedUsual
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
45%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for construction operatives, which includes rail construction and maintenance operatives. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London61
Manchester11
Basildon8
Bristol, City of8
Glasgow City8
Wakefield8
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole7
Birmingham6
Gloucester6
Leeds6
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where rail construction and maintenance operatives are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. Fewer than 10 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of rail construction and maintenance operatives
n/p
n/p
n/p
n/p
n/p
n/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–24Not published
25–34Not published
35–44Not published
45–54Not published
55–64Not published
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent!41%
Higher education below degree–
Not published
A levels or equivalent!32%
GCSEs or equivalent!51%
Other qualifications–
Not published
No qualifications!27%
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent41% (small sample)
Higher education below degreeNot published
A levels or equivalent32% (small sample)
GCSEs or equivalent51% (small sample)
Other qualificationsNot published
No qualifications27% (small sample)

Main employers: construction of railways and underground railways (72%), passenger rail transport, interurban (67%), repair and maintenance of other transport equipment (37%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
41%
as their highest qualification
Most common qualification
GCSEs or equivalent
held by 51%
Apprenticeships
3
from level 2
Apprenticeships take
15 months to 3 years
typically

Routes in

You can get into this job through:

College

You might find it useful to take an engineering qualification at college before looking for work as a trainee.

Courses include:

  • engineering operations
  • mechanical engineering
  • maintenance engineering technology
Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do a Rail Engineering Operative Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship, or Rail Engineering Technician Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship.

You can find apprenticeships with companies like Network Rail and Transport for London.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

Apply directly

If you're over 18, you could look for rail track maintenance worker vacancies. You'll usually start as a trainee.

You'll find it useful to have:

  • experience of manual work in a related role like construction or engineering
  • GCSEs including English and maths

You can find out more about working in rail engineering from:

  • Network Rail
  • Routes into Rail
  • Transport for London

What you’ll need

  • take regular drug and alcohol checks
  • have a driving licence so you can drive rail company vehicles
  • live no more than an hour away from the location you wish to work

As a rail track maintenance worker, you'll work in a safety critical environment around live wires and on train tracks. You'll have a medical as part of the selection process. This will include checks of your hearing and vision.

You might also need to:

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for rail track maintenance worker. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Apprenticeships

3 for this job

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • patrols length of track and visually inspects rails, bolts, fishplates and chairs for distortion or fracture
  • checks tightness of bolts and wedges, replaces damaged rail chairs and repacks ballast under sleepers if necessary
  • lubricates points, examines fences, drains, culverts and embankments and carries out any necessary maintenance
  • spreads ballast and lays sleepers or metal plates at specified intervals
  • positions lengths of rail, sets of points and crossovers and secures rail with bolts, wooden wedges or clips
  • fastens together sections of rail by bolting fishplates to rails

Skills

  • dig soil mechanically
  • follow health and safety procedures in construction
  • guide operation of heavy construction equipment
  • inspect asphalt
  • inspect construction sites
  • inspect construction supplies
  • inspect drainage channels
  • inspect railways visually
  • inspect road signs
  • lay base courses
  • lay pipe installation
  • pave asphalt layers
  • perform drainage work
  • position guardrails and toeboards

Knowledge

  • compaction techniques
  • dredging consoles
  • excavation techniques
  • mechanical tools
  • rail infrastructure
  • road traffic laws
  • work trains
  • asphalt mixes

Suits people who like

  • Practical, hands-on work
  • Organising and following procedures

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for process, plant, machine and construction operatives, a group of 25 jobs that includes rail construction and maintenance operatives.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 19%about 142,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 2035496,000including people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

jobfacts is independent. It is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Education, Skills England, the National Careers Service, the Home Office, the European Commission or the U.S. Department of Labor.