In a major boost to employment seekers, the Indian Railways has commenced one of the largest public-sector recruitment drives, targeting 1,20,579 vacancies under its annual calendars for 2024 and 2025. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw provided this detailed update in the Lok Sabha during the Winter Session, addressing queries on hiring scale, delays, and contractual staff regularisation.
Massive Recruitment Drive: A Continuous Process
Minister Vaishnaw explained that vacancies in the mammoth railway network arise continuously due to its vast workforce, technological upgrades, and operational expansion. Consequently, recruitment is an ongoing process managed through Centralised Employment Notifications (CENs) issued by Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs).
In 2024, a total of 10 major CENs were issued, covering 92,116 vacancies. For the 2025 calendar, recruitment for 28,463 posts has already begun. Combined, these form the current pool of over 1.2 lakh positions under process. The Ministry emphasised that manpower planning is strictly aligned with operational needs, mechanisation, and innovation across all zones.
Exam Status and Categories Covered
The recruitment spans a wide array of safety, technical, and non-technical posts. Key categories include:
- Assistant Loco Pilots (ALPs)
- Technicians
- Railway Protection Force (RPF) Sub-Inspectors and Constables
- Junior Engineers, Depot Material Superintendents (DMS), Chemical & Metallurgical Assistants (CMA)
- Paramedical staff
- NTPC (Graduate and Undergraduate) posts
- Ministerial & Isolated categories
- Level-1 posts (Track Maintainers, Pointsmen, Assistants)
According to the data, the recruitment process for 59,678 posts has been completed in various stages, including first-stage or single-stage Computer-Based Tests (CBTs).
Progress on Advanced Stages and Finalised Panels
Significant progress has been made in advanced selection rounds. Second-stage CBTs have been completed for three major categories: Assistant Loco Pilots (ALP), JE/DMS/CMA, and NTPC Graduate posts. Furthermore, the final qualifying Computer-Based Aptitude Test (CBAT) for ALP has concluded for approximately 1.32 lakh candidates across 84 cities.
Currently, exams are underway for 32,438 Level-1 posts (since 27 November 2025) and Physical Efficiency Tests (PET) for 4,208 RPF Constable posts (since 13 November 2025).
In a key development, the Railways has finalised selection panels for over 23,000 candidates for posts like Technicians, JE/DMS/CMA, Paramedical staff, RPF Sub-Inspectors, and Assistant Loco Pilots. The ministry highlighted that most of these are critical safety-related roles.
Transparency and the Roadmap for 2025-26
Addressing concerns about delays and irregularities, Minister Vaishnaw asserted that the process is transparent, with no reported cases of question paper leaks or examination malpractice. He noted that RRB exams are complex logistical operations involving large-scale city coordination, multilingual question banks, and trained personnel, which can extend timelines.
Looking ahead, the 2025-26 recruitment cycle will see 28,463 vacancies. Seven new CENs have been introduced for this period, including for Assistant Loco Pilots (9,970 posts), Technicians (6,238 posts), and various NTPC categories.
This massive exercise underscores the Indian Railways' commitment to strengthening its workforce while providing substantial employment opportunities across the nation.
