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How much does a railway yard worker earn in Sweden?

Railway, signal and switch operators. 670 people employed in Sweden.

38,900SEK

per month is the median salary for a railway yard worker in Sweden in 2025. That is 2% higher than the median across all jobs in the country, 38,300 SEK.

+2.1% since 2024

≈ €3,450 / $4,000 at September 2026 exchange rates, before tax.

That is roughly 30,980 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

≈ 224 SEK an hour · 466,800 SEK a year

The hourly figure is the monthly salary divided by 173.3 hours (40 hours a week × 52 weeks / 12 months); the yearly figure is twelve times the monthly salary.

The average salary for a railway yard worker in Sweden is 38,600 SEK per month (2025). The median salary is 38,900 SEK. The lowest-paid 10% earn under 32,200 SEK and the highest-paid 10% over 45,000 SEK.

Figures are gross monthly salary before tax, converted to full time. Income tax in Sweden is roughly 30–34% for most earners, plus a national surtax on income above about 51,000 SEK a month.

Average pay
38,600 SEK
Mean gross monthly salary
Lowest 10%
32,200 SEK
Earn less than this
Highest 10%
45,000 SEK
Earn more than this
People employed
670
In this job in Sweden

The pay range

How monthly salaries are distributed among railway, signal and switch operators in Sweden. The same scale is used in the tables further down.

32,200 SEKLowest 10%38,900 SEKMedian45,000 SEKHighest 10%
Light band: the middle 80 per cent. Dark band: the middle half, earning 35,000–41,800 SEK. The red line is the median salary across all jobs in Sweden.

Railway yard worker starting salary

Statistics Sweden publishes no starting-salary figures. The closest proxies are what the youngest people in the job earn and where the lower end of the pay distribution sits.

The youngest in the job, aged 25–34, earn 37,700 SEK a month on average — roughly 30,100 SEK after tax in an average municipality.

Starting-salary proxies, before and after tax
Before tax After tax
Average, aged 25–34 37,700 SEK 30,075 SEK
Lowest 10% earn less than 32,200 SEK 25,926 SEK
Lowest 25% earn less than 35,000 SEK 28,038 SEK

These are proxies, not starting salaries. An age band holds both people who have just started and people ten years into the job, and the lowest paid are not always newcomers. The collective-agreement minimum and an individual offer can sit above or below.

Railway yard worker pay in the private and public sector

What railway, signal and switch operators earn depends a great deal on who the employer is.

Monthly salary by sector and gender
Sector Average pay Median pay Men Women
All sectors 38,600 SEK 38,900 SEK 39,000 SEK 38,500 SEK
Private sector 38,600 SEK 38,900 SEK 39,000 SEK 38,500 SEK

Railway yard worker salary after tax in Sweden

What railway, signal and switch operators actually take home depends on which municipality they live in. The table shows what 38,900 SEK a month comes to after tax in a few of them.

That is roughly 30,980 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

38,900 SEK a month after tax, by municipality
Municipality Municipal and regional tax After tax
Average municipality 32.38% 30,980 SEK
Stockholm 30.55% 31,506 SEK
Göteborg 32.60% 30,927 SEK
Malmö 32.42% 30,970 SEK
Österåker (lowest tax) 28.93% 31,815 SEK
Dorotea (highest tax) 35.65% 30,188 SEK
  • The youngest in the job, aged 25–34 years, earn 37,700 SEK before tax — roughly 30,075 SEK after.
  • The best paid 10% earn more than 45,000 SEK, which is roughly 35,164 SEK after tax.

Calculate the salary after tax for a railway yard worker

The figures assume an average municipality, no church fee and an age under 66. The calculator takes your own municipality into account.

And if the job goes? Work out unemployment benefit for a railway yard worker

Pay for men and women

Median salary for men and women
Gender 35,000 45,000 Median pay Number
Men 39,000 SEK 520
Women 38,500 SEK 140

Women's average salary is 97% of men's average salary in this job.

Statistics Sweden calculates the ratio on average monthly salary, while the table above shows median salaries, so the two do not line up exactly. The figure is also unadjusted: it does not account for differences in age, sector or position.

Railway yard worker salary by age

Pay for railway, signal and switch operators normally rises with years in the job.

Monthly salary by age
Age 35,000 45,000 Average pay Men Women Number
25–34 years 37,700 SEK 37,700 SEK – 210
35–44 years 39,200 SEK 39,600 SEK – 150
55–64 years 40,500 SEK 41,000 SEK – 120

Pay by level of education

Monthly salary by level of education
Level of education 35,000 45,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Upper secondary education, 2 years or less (ISCED97 3C) 39,900 SEK – – 120
Upper secondary education 3 years (ISCED97 3A) 38,100 SEK 38,100 SEK – 350
Post-secondary education, less than 3 years (ISCED97 4+5B) 37,100 SEK – – 110

Railway yard worker salary by region

Statistics Sweden reports pay by job at the level of national areas (NUTS 2), not by county.

Monthly salary by region
Region 35,000 45,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Stockholm 40,600 SEK 40,700 SEK – 180
South Sweden 39,100 SEK 38,900 SEK – 150

Railway yard worker pay growth 2014–2025

Median salary per year. Years with no reported median are skipped. The dashed line marks the break between the older and the newer series at Statistics Sweden; comparisons across it should be made with care.

From 28,700 SEK in 2014 to 38,900 SEK in 2025, +36% in total. Nominal figures, not adjusted for inflation. The lighter part of the line, the years before 2023, comes from an older set of statistics at Statistics Sweden and is not fully comparable with the later years.

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Swedish job titles in this occupation

Statistics Sweden files the following Swedish job titles under SSYK 8312, “bangårdspersonal”. These are the titles you will actually meet in Swedish job ads.

  • Bangårdsarbetare
  • Bangårdsoperatör
  • Depåförare, tunneltåg
  • Järnvägsexpeditör, bangård
  • Radioloksoperatör
  • Rangerare
  • Rangerare, tåg
  • Rangerledare
  • Rangerledare, tåg
  • Trafikförman, järnväg
  • Vagnupptagare
  • Växlare, järnväg
  • Växlingsledare

Frequently asked questions

How much does a railway yard worker earn in 2026?

The latest figures are Statistics Sweden's salary structure statistics for 2025, published on 16 June 2026. The median salary was then 38,900 SEK a month before tax, against 38,100 SEK the year before (2024) — +2.1%. Figures for 2026 are normally published in June 2027; until then the 2025 figures are the latest there are, and we do not project our own.

What is the median salary for a railway yard worker in Sweden?

The median salary for a railway yard worker in Sweden is 38,900 SEK per month before tax (2025). That means half earn less and half earn more. The median across all jobs in Sweden is 38,300 SEK, so railway, signal and switch operators sit 2% higher than the typical job.

How much does a railway yard worker earn after tax?

The median salary for a railway yard worker is 38,900 SEK a month before tax. In an average Swedish municipality, without the church fee and for someone under 66, that works out at roughly 31,000 SEK after tax. The exact figure depends on which municipality you live in — our salary-after-tax calculator works it out.

What is the difference between average and median pay for railway, signal and switch operators?

The average (38,600 SEK) is the mean of every salary and is pulled upwards by the highest earners. The median (38,900 SEK) is the salary in the middle of the scale and usually gives a better picture of what railway, signal and switch operators typically earn.

What is the starting salary for a railway yard worker in Sweden?

Statistics Sweden does not publish starting salaries as such. The closest figure is the youngest people in the job: railway, signal and switch operators aged 25–34 years earn 37,700 SEK per month on average. The lowest-paid 10% in the job earn less than 32,200 SEK. More in the section “Railway yard worker starting salary” above.

How high can the salary go for railway, signal and switch operators?

The highest-paid 10% in the job earn more than 45,000 SEK per month. Pay is shaped by sector, experience, level of education and where in the country you work.

Is there a gender pay gap among railway, signal and switch operators in Sweden?

Women's average salary is 97% of men's in this job. The median salary is 39,000 SEK for men and 38,500 SEK for women. The figure is not adjusted for differences in age, sector or working hours.

Where in Sweden does a railway yard worker earn the most?

Pay is highest in Stockholm, where railway, signal and switch operators earn 40,600 SEK per month on average.

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