Railway Engineers and Technicians

How to become a Railway Track and Structures Engineer

Official Chinese title (2022 occupational classification): 铁道工务工程技术人员

Inspects, monitors and manages the track, embankments, bridges, tunnels and other fixed infrastructure of working railways, and guides their maintenance and repair.

Main tasks

Setting technical standards and maintenance rules for track, bridges and culverts, embankments, tunnels, line protection and high speed rail hazard and intrusion monitoring systems, and seeing them applied
Drawing up and carrying out maintenance plans and technical plans for fixed infrastructure and guiding repairs on site
Inspecting and monitoring track, bridges, tunnels and embankments, surveying track alignment, measuring embankment and bridge settlement, and drafting repair methods and disaster plans
Guiding and supervising the production of track products such as rails, points and large track maintenance machines
Researching and applying rail welding and flaw detection, and guiding the use and maintenance of track machines and tools
Managing track safety and railway flood protection and keeping track works safe
Using and managing the natural hazard and intrusion monitoring systems along high speed lines
Organising emergency rescue and repair and restoring damaged infrastructure
Researching and applying planting and sand control along railway lines and managing the lineside environment

Ways in

University: Engineering degrees, Offered by 105 universities in China Related undergraduate subject classes in the Ministry of Education catalogue (2025): Civil Engineering (0810); majors such as Railway Engineering, Civil Engineering, Building Environment and Energy Engineering, Water Supply and Drainage Science and Engineering, Building Electrical and Intelligent Systems, Urban Underground Space Engineering. Matched to the occupation by Peernovo.
Vocational majors: Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: High Speed Railway Construction and Maintenance (500102). Vocational major 500102 High Speed Railway Construction and Maintenance (高速铁路施工与维护), 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: Building Information Modelling (BIM); Construction Drawing Reading.; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Railway Bridge and Tunnel Engineering Technology (500103). Vocational major 500103 Railway Bridge and Tunnel Engineering Technology (铁道桥梁隧道工程技术), 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: Building Information Modelling (BIM); Construction Drawing Reading.; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Railway Engineering Technology (500101). Vocational major 500101 Railway Engineering Technology (铁道工程技术), 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: Building Information Modelling (BIM); Construction Quality Testing; Road and Bridge Nondestructive Testing.; Secondary vocational school (中职) major: Railway Bridge and Tunnel Construction and Maintenance (700109). Vocational major 700109 Railway Bridge and Tunnel Construction and Maintenance (铁道桥梁隧道施工与维护), 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: Building Information Modelling (BIM); Road and Bridge Nondestructive Testing.

Pay · AI and this job

Median pay in China: CN¥79,500 a year (2025).
Middle half: CN¥55,200 to CN¥123,700. One in ten earn less than CN¥42,000 and one in ten more than CN¥192,300.
This is the figure for the mid group Engineering and Technical Personnel, 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¥116,181 a year (2025), middle half CN¥77,050 to CN¥175,622.
This is the figure for the mid group Engineering and Technical Personnel, 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 Engineering and Technical Personnel holds 2.35% of everyone employed in China; 17.1% of its workers are women (2020 Census).
48.9% are under 35, 45.1% are 35 to 54 and 6% are 55 or older. The middle age band is 35 to 39.
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 Track and Structures Engineer?

Ways in include: Engineering degrees; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: High Speed Railway Construction and Maintenance (500102); Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Railway Bridge and Tunnel Engineering Technology (500103).

How much does a Railway Track and Structures Engineer earn in China?

Across China, the median pay of enterprise employees is CN¥79,500 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 Engineering and Technical Personnel. In Guangzhou alone it is CN¥116,181 a year (2025).

Will AI change the work of a Railway Track and Structures Engineer?

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