NOC 74200: Railway yard and track maintenance workers

Railway yard workers regulate yard traffic, couple and uncouple trains and perform related yard activities. Railway track maintenance workers operate machines and equipment to lay, maintain and repair railway tracks. They are employed by railway transport companies.

Express Entry eligibility

• Skilled work (TEER 0 to 3): no, TEER 4 does not count for Express Entry.
• Canadian Experience Class: does not count.
• Federal Skilled Worker Program: does not count.
• Federal Skilled Trades Program: not one of the eligible trades.
• High-wage occupation (from November 3, 2026): no. No high-wage add-on, and a job offer in it earns no CRS points.

TEER 4: Occupations that usually need a high school diploma or several weeks of on-the-job training. Every program has other requirements too, such as language test results and, for FSW, a points test.

Category-based draws

NOC 74200 is not on any of IRCC’s occupation category lists. You can still be invited in general, Canadian Experience Class or other program draws if you qualify through other experience.

Category lists checked on canada.ca on 2026-10-17. IRCC category-based selection

CRS points for work in NOC 74200

None. Work in TEER 4 and 5 occupations earns no Canadian work points in the CRS.

See Canadian work points and the median-wage rule.

Main duties

This group performs some or all of the following duties:

• Railway yard workers
• Operate control panel switches from railway yard tower to set traffic signals and to activate train switches that regulate railway traffic in railway yards
• Operate car retarders, turntables and track switches to align locomotives and cars as required for coupling, uncoupling or servicing
• Switch cars according to instructions which indicate the location, disposition and number of cars
• Lubricate moving parts of railway cars and locomotives.
• Railway track maintenance workers
• Operate machines and equipment such as sleeper sliders, anchors, rail lifters, drag drills, drag diggers, rail saws and tie-bar cranes to lay, maintain, repair, and align railway tracks, to transfer, spread, level and tamp ballast around ties and rails and to clear snow from tracks
• Clean and make minor repairs to machines and equipment
• Patrol assigned track sections to identify and report damaged or broken track
• Perform other track maintenance duties as directed.

For Express Entry your duties must match the lead statement and most of the main duties above.

Example job titles

• ballast regulator operator - railway
• car controller - railway
• control tower operator - railway
• machine operator - railway
• rail saw operator
• railway equipment operator
• railway track patroller
• railway trackman/woman
• section worker - railway
• signal tower operator - railway
• spike machine operator - railway
• switch tender - railway yard
• tie tamper operator - railway
• towerman/woman - railway transport
• yard coupler - railway
• yard worker - railway

Employment requirements

• Some secondary school education is usually required.
• Experience as a railway labourer is required.
• On-the-job training is provided.
• Railway yard workers require a Canadian Rail Operating Rules certificate.

Similar jobs with a different code

• 72021Contractors and supervisors, heavy equipment operator crews
• 75211Railway and motor transport labourers
• 73311Railway conductors and brakemen/women
• 72023Supervisors, railway transport operations