How To Become A Rail Signal Mechanic: What It Is and Career Path

What is a rail signal mechanic and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a rail signal mechanic. For example, did you know that they make an average of $32.59 an hour? That's $67,797 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 5% and produce 76,300 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreRail Signal MechanicUS Average

Salary

5.3

Avg. Salary $67,797

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.7

Growth rate 5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

9.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.06%

Asian 2.35%

Black or African American 6.71%

Hispanic or Latino 16.52%

Unknown 4.79%

White 68.56%

Gender

female 0.00%

male 100.00%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

7.7

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

4.4

Complexity level is basic

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.0

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a rail signal mechanic

Explore rail signal mechanic education requirements

Most common rail signal mechanic degrees

Associate

44.4 %

High School Diploma

22.2 %

Certificate

22.2 %

Start to develop specific rail signal mechanic skills

Skills	Percentages
Mechanical Systems	31.70%
Test Equipment	24.22%
VAC	22.62%
Maintenance Inspections	21.46%

Complete relevant rail signal mechanic training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New rail signal mechanics learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a rail signal mechanic based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real rail signal mechanic resumes.

Research rail signal mechanic duties and responsibilities

Supervise mechanics in the diagnosis and repair of technical difficulties, installation and in mechanical failures of military equipment.
Coordinate with inspection department to ensure compliance with internal and FAA inspection and documentation requirements.

Prepare your rail signal mechanic resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your rail signal mechanic resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a rail signal mechanic resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable rail signal mechanic resume templates

Build a professional rail signal mechanic resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your rail signal mechanic resume.