New Delhi, July 29: Indian Railways has significantly bolstered its workforce through a mission-mode recruitment campaign. Rail Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed the Lok Sabha that from 2014 to June 30, 2026, 556,000 individuals have been recruited, including 50,485 in the Southern Railway zone. In comparison, only 411,000 hires were made between 2004-05 and 2013-14.
The minister emphasized that the recruitment process for vacant positions in Indian Railways is ongoing. Given the extensive network, evolving technology, modernization, and operational requirements, new recruitments are conducted regularly. The Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) oversees this process as needed.
Vaishnaw noted that large-scale recruitment exams are conducted, requiring substantial resources and workforce. Despite the challenges, Indian Railways has successfully adhered to all guidelines, ensuring transparency in the recruitment examinations.
Starting in 2024, the Ministry of Railways has implemented an annual recruitment calendar for various Group ‘C’ positions, providing candidates with consistent opportunities each year. This initiative has also expedited the exam schedule, recruitment process, training, and appointments.
Currently, under the annual recruitment calendar for 2024, 2025, and 2026, the recruitment process is underway for 161,889 non-gazetted positions, including 11,387 in the Southern Railway.
According to the Ministry, ten Central Employment Notifications (CEN) were issued in 2024, initiating the recruitment process for 92,116 positions. These include roles such as Assistant Loco Pilot (ALP), Technician, Sub-Inspector and Constable in the Railway Protection Force (RPF), Junior Engineer (JE), Depot Material Superintendent (DMS), Chemical and Metallurgical Assistant (CMA), Paramedical, Non-Technical Popular Category (Graduate and Undergraduate), Ministerial and Isolated Category, and Level-1 positions.
The first phase of the computer-based test (CBT) for all 92,116 positions has been completed. Additionally, the Computer-Based Aptitude Test (CBAT) for ALP and NTPC (Graduate) and skill tests for NTPC and Ministerial categories have also been successfully conducted.
The Rail Minister revealed that by 2026-27 (up to June 30, 2026), selection panels for over 3,300 candidates for various positions, including Technician, Junior Engineer, Paramedical, Ministerial, and Isolated Category, as well as Assistant Loco Pilot, have been finalized, with most roles related to railway safety.
Under the annual recruitment calendar for 2025, nine Central Employment Notifications have been issued, initiating the recruitment process for 51,970 vacancies, including 3,412 in the Southern Railway.
The first phase of the computer-based test for 29,775 positions has been completed. The second phase of CBT for Junior Engineer (JE), DMS, CMA, and NTPC (Graduate) has also been conducted. Furthermore, the Computer-Based Aptitude Test (CBAT) for 368 Section Controller positions was successfully completed, with 2,989 candidates taking the exam in two languages across 24 cities.
The Ministry has reported that under the annual recruitment calendar for 2026, three Central Employment Notifications have been issued so far, facilitating recruitment for 17,803 positions, including 1,048 in the Southern Railway.
Rail Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that approximately 45 million candidates participated in various computer-based examinations (CBT) conducted during the recruitment cycles of 2024 and 2025. These exams were held in over 150 cities across the country in 15 Indian languages, ensuring that youth from all regions could take the exam in their preferred language, making the recruitment process more accessible and inclusive.
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