jobfacts

Rail and rolling stock builders and repairers

SOC 2020 5236

Rail and rolling stock builders and repairers erect, fit, assemble and repair rolling stock parts and sub-assemblies, and test and adjust new engines for trains.

Also calledCarriage repairerLocomotive fitterLocking fitterTube fitterFitterFleet engineerand 33 more titles
Typical full-time pay£64,3002025 Provisional
People in the job17,000across the UK
Demand for workersNot high
New adverts a month56↑ 1.6%on last year · 401st of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025
What full-time rail and rolling stock builders and repairers earn, 2025
£64,300 typicaln/ptop 10%
n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less thanNot published
Lowest 20% earn less thanNot published
25%Not published
Median£64,300
75%Not published
Top 20% earn more thanNot published
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £64,300
East of England!£83,400
London!£64,600
Scotland!£56,800
North West!£39,800
North EastNot published by ONS–
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS–
East MidlandsNot published by ONS–
West MidlandsNot published by ONS–
South EastNot published by ONS–
South WestNot published by ONS–
WalesNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £64,300
East of England£83,400 (small sample)
London£64,600 (small sample)
Scotland£56,800 (small sample)
North West£39,800 (small sample)
North EastNot published by ONS
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS
East MidlandsNot published by ONS
West MidlandsNot published by ONS
South EastNot published by ONS
South WestNot published by ONS
WalesNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £52,300
  • 2024 £57,000
  • 2025 Provisional£64,300
↑ 23% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 56 jobs for rail and rolling stock builders and repairers are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as not high.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (3 in all)
Show as table
Aug 202663
Jul 202655
Jun 202648
May 202654
Apr 202655
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 202655
Jan 202649
Dec 202534
Nov 202548
Oct 202578
Sept 202580
Aug 202569
Jul 2025Not published
Jun 2025Not published
May 202577
Apr 202563
Mar 202583
Feb 202559
Jan 202556
Dec 202428
Nov 202454
Oct 202448
Sept 202454
Aug 202469
Jul 202478
Jun 202460
May 202481
Apr 202468
Mar 202441
Feb 202447
Jan 202480
Dec 202359
Nov 202371
Oct 202369
Sept 202383
Aug 202376
Jul 202376
Jun 2023108
May 202394
Apr 202375
Mar 202397
Feb 202386
Jan 2023119
Dec 202288
Nov 2022104
Oct 2022146
Sept 2022149
Aug 2022127
Jul 2022118
Jun 2022132
May 202297
Apr 2022123
Mar 2022125
Feb 2022123
Jan 2022128
Dec 2021108
Nov 2021115
Oct 2021106
Sept 202196
Aug 202194
Jul 2021134
Jun 2021120
May 2021100
Apr 2021109
Mar 2021103
Feb 202163
Jan 202170
Dec 202049
Nov 202078
Oct 202074
Sept 2020100
Aug 202067
Jul 202084
Jun 202049
May 202060
Apr 202074
Mar 2020113
Feb 2020121
Jan 2020140
Dec 201995
Nov 2019142
Oct 2019150
Sept 2019128
Aug 2019142
Jul 2019151
Jun 2019124
May 2019122
Apr 2019116
Mar 2019107
Feb 201997
Jan 2019139
Dec 201861
Nov 201882
Oct 201886
Sept 2018101
Aug 201887
Jul 2018109
Jun 2018101
May 2018103
Apr 201887
Mar 2018111
Feb 201883
Jan 2018114
Dec 201776
Nov 201796
Oct 2017110
Sept 201783
Aug 2017117
Jul 201798
Jun 2017105
May 2017111
Apr 201789
Mar 2017121
Feb 201799
Jan 2017125
Is there a shortage of rail and rolling stock builders and repairers?
Not high

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment.

  • Visas grantedUsual
  • Online job advertsUsual
  • Wage growthAbove usual
  • Pay against similar jobsAbove usual
  • Hours workedUsual
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
44%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for vehicle trades, which includes rail and rolling stock builders and repairers. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London32
Derby8
Cheshire East6
Nottingham5
Birmingham5
Glasgow City4
Leeds4
West Northamptonshire4
Doncaster3
Manchester3
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where rail and rolling stock builders and repairers are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. Fewer than 10 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of rail and rolling stock builders and repairers
n/p
n/p
38%!
26%!
n/p
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–24Not published
25–34Not published
35–4438% (small sample)
45–5426% (small sample)
55–64Not published
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent!26%
Higher education below degree!14%
A levels or equivalent!46%
GCSEs or equivalent!13%
Other qualifications–
Not published
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent26% (small sample)
Higher education below degree14% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent46% (small sample)
GCSEs or equivalent13% (small sample)
Other qualificationsNot published

Main employers: repair and maintenance of other transport equipment (47%), passenger rail transport, interurban (22%), urban and suburban passenger land transport (11%), manufacture of railway locomotives and rolling stock (7.7%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
26%
as their highest qualification
Most common qualification
A levels or equivalent
held by 46%
Apprenticeships
3
from level 3
Apprenticeships take
3 to 4 years
typically

Apprenticeships

3 for this job

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • examines drawings and specifications to determine appropriate methods and sequence of operations
  • fits and assembles parts and/or metal sub-assemblies to make train engines
  • examines rolling stock for defects, removes, replaces and repairs faulty parts
  • inspects and tests new and repaired machinery for conformity with standards and specifications
  • oils and greases train engines
  • maintains record of repairs and maintenance carried out

Skills

  • troubleshoot
  • conduct routine machinery checks
  • install electrical and electronic equipment
  • resolve equipment malfunctions
  • write records for repairs
  • consult technical resources
  • operate soldering equipment
  • operate welding equipment
  • perform test run
  • record test data
  • use testing equipment
  • apply technical communication skills
  • order supplies
  • prepare compliance documents

Knowledge

  • mechanics
  • hydraulics
  • electronics
  • pneumatics
  • electricity
  • engine components

Suits people who like

  • Practical, hands-on work
  • Organising and following procedures

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for skilled metal, electrical and electronic trades, a group of 23 jobs that includes rail and rolling stock builders and repairers.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↓ 6.5%about 72,000 fewer jobs
Workers needed by 2035338,000including people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

jobfacts is independent. It is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Education, Skills England, the National Careers Service, the Home Office, the European Commission or the U.S. Department of Labor.