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Railway Track Workers

Railway Track Workers lay and repair tracks for railways, tramways, quarries and mines, and install and repair signals and other equipment.

Transport & logisticsLicensed workANZSCO 8216
5,636People employed
+1% ▲Growth to 2035
92%Work full time
38Median age
Source: ABS · JSA, 2025-26ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) Labour Force via Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA), February 2026; ABS Employee Earnings and Hours May 2025; JSA Employment Projections, May 2025 base. ANZSCO 8216.More about our sources: How we check our facts

What they do

The main tasks of this occupation, from the national occupation standard.

spreading and tamping ballast to provide firm foundation for sleeperscutting rails to length and grinding worn and rough rail endsplacing sleepers across roadbeds, and positioning and fastening rails on sleepersdrilling bolt holes, and bolting and welding rail sectionsremoving and replacing worn and damaged rails, sleepers and switchescleaning and lubricating switches
Source: JSA occupation profileTask list from the Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profile for ANZSCO 8216 (ANZSCO task statements).More about our sources: How we check our facts

The outlook

A steady field: around 5,836 jobs in railway track workers through 2035

The field shrank 1% in the year to February 2026, losing about 100 workers. Most of the jobs are in NSW and VIC, with QLD third.

Source: JSA · ABS, 2025-26ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) Labour Force via Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA), February 2026; ABS Employee Earnings and Hours May 2025; JSA Employment Projections, May 2025 base. ANZSCO 8216.More about our sources: How we check our facts
5.8k2025
5.7k2030 PROJ.
5.8k2035 PROJ.

Getting in

There is no single way in. 43% trained through VET, 6% hold a degree.

Both paths are common in this field. These are the nationally recognised courses mapped to this occupation, with the number of registered training providers that offer each one.

Source: JSA · training.gov.auEducation split: JSA (Jobs and Skills Australia) occupation profile, using ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) Census data, ANZSCO 8216. Qualification mapping and provider counts: training.gov.au, the national register of vocational education, October 2026. Listed providers are current registered training providers (private providers and TAFE institutes).More about our sources: How we check our facts

Nationally recognised training · most offered first

TLI37122Certificate III

Certificate III in Rail Infrastructure

Transport and Logistics Training Package.

See 19 providers
TLI27121Certificate II

Certificate II in Rail Infrastructure

Transport and Logistics Training Package.

See 18 providers
TLI21921Certificate II

Certificate II in Track Protection

Transport and Logistics Training Package.

See 9 providers

Licensed work: several of these courses lead to work that also needs a state or territory licence. Training is the first step; licensing rules are set by each state.

See all 6 mapped courses
TLI37122Certificate III in Rail Infrastructure · 19 providers
TLI27121Certificate II in Rail Infrastructure · 18 providers
TLI21921Certificate II in Track Protection · 9 providers
TLI32721Certificate III in Track Protection · 9 providers
TLI32121Certificate III in Rail Structures · 4 providers
TLI29921Certificate II in Rolling Stock Maintenance · 2 providers

Providers are shown in A-Z order on each course page. A listing is not a recommendation.

Jobs open right now

5,636 Australians do this work. See who is hiring this month.

Search job ads by state

Each link opens seek.com.au in a new tab, showing ads posted in the last month. SEEK is a job site; we link there because that is where most Australian jobs are advertised. We have no commercial relationship with SEEK.

Source: ABS · JSA, 2025-26State chart shows people employed, not current job ads. ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) Labour Force via Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA), February 2026; ABS Employee Earnings and Hours May 2025; JSA Employment Projections, May 2025 base. ANZSCO 8216.More about our sources: How we check our facts

People employed by state, 2025-26

NSW1.8k
VIC1.3k
QLD1k
WA0.7k
SA0.3k
NT0.1k
ACT0.1k
TAS0.1k