Locomotive Engine Drivers and Related Workers

How to become a Railway Brake, Signal and Switch Operator

Official title: Railway Brake, Signal and Switch Operators

Railway brake, signal and switch operators operate signals and points to control the movement of rail vehicles, and marshal vehicles in rail yards.

Main tasks

Operate signals from control panels or signal boxes to control traffic flow on each section of track and protect trains in transit
Change points and couple trains on the track according to loading, unloading and coupling instructions
Move coupled wagons along haulage routes in mines or quarries using rail vehicles or cables
Inspect train systems and equipment such as air-conditioning and heating systems, brakes and brake hoses before departure

Average pay: NT$728,000 a year
Demand for Machine operators and assemblers jobs is projected at about 1,647,000 in 2024 and about 1,698,000 in 2030. (+3.1%)
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Average pay is NT$728,000 a year (Ministry of Labor, Department of Statistics).

Demand for this job family is projected to change 3.1% from 2024 to 2030 (National Development Council).

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

Ministry of Labor, Department of Statistics: Occupational Wage Survey (職類別薪資調查) (2025 survey (July 2025 monthly, 2024 annual), released 2026-05-29), Open Government Data License, version 1.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
National Development Council: Final manpower demand projections by occupation (職業別最終人力需求推估) (2025 to 2030 (base 2024), 13 job families), CC BY 4.0, 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

Updated 4 October 2026