Civil Engineering Construction Workers

How to become a Railway Overhead Line Worker

Official Chinese title (2022 occupational classification): 牵引电力线路安装维护工

Also called: Trolleybus Overhead Line Worker, Railway Power Line Worker, Overhead Line Worker

Uses equipment and tools to install, test, maintain and repair the traction power, power supply and substation equipment of electrified railways.

Main tasks

Checking the equipment, materials, specifications, models, construction and main wiring diagrams of the overhead line, power lines and substations
Digging and pouring pole holes and foundation pits
Raising poles and towers, stringing catenary and contact wires and fitting auxiliary equipment
Installing and repairing overhead and contact wires and adjusting their sag and tension
Installing, adjusting, maintaining and repairing surge arresters, isolators, gauge gates and substation equipment
Installing, testing and repairing high and low voltage equipment such as switchgear, transformers, lighting boxes and power boxes
Switching lines off and on, carrying out substation switching and fixing faults
Installing and repairing yard light towers and bridges and adjusting the lighting angles

Ways in

Vocational majors: Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Railway Power Supply Technology (500107). Vocational major 500107 Railway Power Supply Technology (铁道供电技术), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Urban Rail Transit Substation Maintenance; Urban Rail Transit Overhead Contact Line Maintenance.; Secondary vocational school (中职) major: Electrified Railway Power Supply (700105). Vocational major 700105 Electrified Railway Power Supply (电气化铁道供电), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Urban Rail Transit Substation Maintenance; Urban Rail Transit Overhead Contact Line Maintenance.; Secondary vocational school (中职) major: Mine Construction Technology (620502). Vocational major 620502 Mine Construction Technology (矿井建设技术), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Intelligent Coal Mining.; Secondary vocational school (中职) major: Transmission and Distribution Line Construction and Operation (630104). Vocational major 630104 Transmission and Distribution Line Construction and Operation (输配电线路施工与运行), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Distribution Line Operation and Maintenance; Transmission Line Construction and Maintenance; Power Cable Installation and Maintenance.

Pay · AI and this job

Median pay in China: CN¥60,000 a year (2025).
Middle half: CN¥46,600 to CN¥81,500. One in ten earn less than CN¥36,100 and one in ten more than CN¥106,900.
This is the figure for the mid group Construction Workers, not for this job alone.
National figure: wage prices of enterprise employees from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS) enterprise pay survey. The public sector and the self-employed are not covered.
Guangzhou only: median CN¥101,573 a year (2025), middle half CN¥69,597 to CN¥129,224.
This is the figure for the minor group Civil Engineering Construction Workers, not for this job alone.
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Who does this work

The census group Construction Workers holds 9.52% of everyone employed in China; 14.2% of its workers are women (2020 Census).
25% are under 35, 58.1% are 35 to 54 and 16.9% are 55 or older. The middle age band is 45 to 49.
Census figures for the whole mid group (2020 long-form sample), not for this job alone.

Questions people ask

How do I become a Railway Overhead Line Worker?

Ways in include: Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Railway Power Supply Technology (500107); Secondary vocational school (中职) major: Electrified Railway Power Supply (700105).

How much does a Railway Overhead Line Worker earn in China?

Across China, the median pay of enterprise employees is CN¥60,000 a year (Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS), 2025). The public sector and the self-employed are not covered. It is the figure for the mid group Construction Workers. In Guangzhou alone it is CN¥101,573 a year (2025).

Will AI change the work of a Railway Overhead Line Worker?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS): 2025 enterprise pay survey information: wage prices of enterprise employees by occupation mid group, and digital occupations (P10 to P90 annual CNY) (2025 (published 2026-07-08)), retrieved 5 October 2026
Guangzhou Human Resources and Social Security Bureau: Guangzhou 2025 labour market wage prices (P10 to P90 annual CNY by occupation) (2025 (enterprise pay survey)), retrieved 4 October 2026
National Bureau of Statistics of China: China Population Census Yearbook 2020, long-form tables 4-6 and 4-7 (employed by occupation mid group, sex, age) (2020 Census long form (10% sample)), retrieved 4 October 2026
International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

Sources: Occupational Classification of the People's Republic of China (2022 edition, public consultation draft), Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, State Administration for Market Regulation and National Bureau of Statistics; Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, 2025 enterprise pay survey information; Guangzhou Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, 2025 labour market wage prices; National Bureau of Statistics of China (www.stats.gov.cn), 2020 Population Census yearbook; Ministry of Education, vocational education major profiles (2022 revision) and undergraduate major catalogue (2025); Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, national vocational qualifications catalogue (2021); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Figures processed by Peernovo. English text, translations and the matching of occupations to ISCO-08, majors, degree fields and qualifications by Peernovo.

Descriptions and tasks are Peernovo's own words, written from the facts in the Occupational Classification of the People's Republic of China (2022 edition). Job titles and work types are the classification's own.

Updated 5 October 2026