Railways Begin Hiring For 1.2 Lakh Posts As Recruitment Drive Accelerates, Says Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw

The Indian Railways has kicked off the recruitment process for 1,20,579 vacancies notified across 2024 and 2025, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed Parliament during the Winter Session.

The Minister noted that the Railways has provided over 5.08 lakh jobs in the past 11 years—surpassing the 4.11 lakh appointments made in the preceding decade.

The Ministry emphasised that recruitment is an ongoing requirement owing to the vast scale and operational complexity of the network.

Vacancies arise regularly due to technological upgrades, increased mechanisation, departmental needs, and evolving safety standards.

Massive Recruitment Push Across Key Categories

In 2024 alone, the Railways issued ten Centralised Employment Notifications (CENs) covering more than 92,000 posts.

The openings spanned a wide range of roles, including Assistant Loco Pilots, Technicians, Junior Engineers, Depot Material Superintendents, Chemical and Metallurgical Assistants, Paramedical staff, RPF Sub-Inspectors and Constables, NTPC posts for both graduates and undergraduates, and Level-1 positions such as Track Maintainers and Pointsmen.

A large portion of the examination cycle has already been completed. The first phase of single-stage Computer-Based Tests (CBTs) for 59,678 posts witnessed lakhs of candidates appearing across multiple cities.

The Railways also wrapped up second-stage CBTs for crucial categories such as ALP, JE/DMS/CMA, and NTPC (Graduate), alongside finishing the Computer-Based Aptitude Test for ALP candidates.

Additionally, recruitment for more than 32,000 Level-1 vacancies began in November 2025, spanning 140 cities nationwide.

Additionally, the Physical Efficiency Test for 4,208 RPF Constable posts commenced earlier in the month. Authorities have finalised selection panels for more than 23,000 candidates for positions in critical safety-related departments.

Notifications for 2025 Already Released

For the ongoing year, the Railways has issued seven recruitment notifications for 28,463 posts. These include positions for Assistant Loco Pilots, Technicians, Section Controllers, Paramedical staff, Junior Engineers, and NTPC categories for both graduate and undergraduate applicants.

The Ministry underlined that it is conducting the entire recruitment process with strict transparency, and no paper leaks or malpractice incidents have occurred—an achievement given the scale of nationwide examinations.

Hiring Reforms and Future Roadmap

To bring predictability to the process, the Railways introduced an annual recruitment calendar in 2024.

This framework offers candidates clarity on examination schedules, training timelines, and appointment plans, ensuring they have better visibility and more opportunities to apply.

The Ministry also clarified that contractual positions engaged during urgent operational requirements are temporary and do not grant any claim to permanent employment. Such appointments are phased out once regular recruits take charge.

The detailed update was part of a written reply by Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in the Lok Sabha, outlining the Railways’ continued efforts to modernise recruitment and strengthen its workforce.

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