Rail construction and maintenance operatives: salary in the UK
About £38,806 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time
£4,084 a month About £3,234 a month after tax 9 thousand full-time jobs
Gross pay before tax, including bonuses, commission and overtime. Not included: benefits in kind such as a company car. About the data
Pay range
The dark part is the middle half of full-time employees (25% to 75%); the light bar runs from 10% to 90%. ONS doesn't publish the highest or lowest salary, and x means a figure wasn't published.
Pay by year
The median went from £35,694 in 2021 to £49,009 in 2026 (+37%); for all full-time employees in the UK it changed by +31% over the same years.
Figures by year
| P10 | P25 | Median | P75 | P90 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | x | £29,683 | £35,694 | £41,460 | x |
| 2022 | x | £33,362 | £38,266 | x | x |
| 2023 | x | £34,383 | £39,406 | x | x |
| 2024 | x | £38,198 | £44,053 | x | x |
| 2025 | x | x | x | x | x |
| 2026 | x | £41,152 | £49,009 | £55,893 | x |
ONS figures for each year, not adjusted for inflation. Years before 2021 used a different occupation classification, so they can't be compared. Earlier years are ONS's revised figures; the latest is provisional.
Half of full-time employees in this occupation earn less than £49,009 a year and half earn more. That is 20% more than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
The middle half earn between £41,152 and £55,893.
Ranked by median, it is number 78 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £3,234 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £3,127 in Scotland.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | x | x |
| 20th | £39,839 | £3,320 |
| 25th (P25) | £41,152 | £3,429 |
| 30th | £42,588 | £3,549 |
| 40th | £46,197 | £3,850 |
| Median (50th) | £49,009 | £4,084 |
| 60th | £51,305 | £4,275 |
| 70th | £54,286 | £4,524 |
| 75th (P75) | £55,893 | £4,658 |
| 80th | x | x |
| 90th (P90) | x | x |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | £49,225 | £50,872 | 9 |
| Women | x | £51,207 | x |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £38,806 | £3,234 |
| Scotland | £37,528 | £3,127 |
After Income Tax and National Insurance for 2026 to 2027, with the standard tax code and no pension or student loan. Work out your own take-home pay · Take-home pay on £49,000
Job titles in this occupation
ONS codes these 37 job titles to SOC 8153 Rail construction and maintenance operatives. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Block layer
- Bridge examiner
- Lengthman
- Line inspector
- Maintenance hand
- Maintenance man
- Maintenance technician
- Patrol
- Patrolman
- Permanent way constructor
- Permanent way installer
- Permanent way man
- Plate layer
- Rail layer
- Rail track maintenance worker
- Railman
- Railway engineer
- Railway repairer
- Relayer
- Road layer
- Road man
- Road repairer
- Road setter
- Roadsman
- Sub-inspector
- Technician
- Track examiner
- Track layer
- Track maintenance engineer
- Track maintenance man
- Trackman
- Ultra rail flaw detector operator
- Ultrasonic engineer
- Ultrasonic inspector
- Ultrasonic operator
- Ultrasonic rail flaw detector
- Wagonwayman
Similar occupations
All jobs in Process, plant and machine operatives
Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2026 provisional, Table 14.7a (full-time employees, gross annual pay, UK, tax year ending 5 April 2026). Provisional figures may be revised.