Srinagar, Aug 13: The Railways is recruiting for 92,116 vacancies in the January–December 2024 period, according to data shared in Parliament last week by the Minister of Railways. For 64,197 posts across seven major categories, the ministry received over 1.87 crore applications.
In a written reply, the ministry noted that vacancy pressures have intensified over the past four to five years due to a combination of factors—large-scale retirements, network expansion, and modernisation efforts, including new safety systems, electrification projects, mechanised operations, and digital technologies.
According to the Ministry’s data, recruitment for 1.08 lakh posts is in progress, with 92,116 vacancies already notified in 2024 across 10 major Centralized Employment Notifications (CENs).
These cover posts range from Assistant Loco Pilots (ALP) and Technicians to RPF personnel, junior engineers to paramedical staff, and the ever-competitive Non-Technical Popular Categories (NTPC). Here’s an overview of the data:
ALP 18,799 18,40,347
Technician 14,298 26,99,892
RPF Constable 4,208 45,30,288
The ministry reported that the first stage of Computer-Based Tests (CBTs) for 55,197 posts has been completed in four phases across 150+ cities in 15 languages. Results for key categories such as ALP, RPF-SI, Constable, and JE/DMS/CMA have been declared. The second-stage CBTs for ALP and JE/DMS/CMA are also finished, with results published.
For technicians, over 9,000 candidates have been empanelled against 14,298 vacancies, reflecting the staggered nature of recruitment, where selection and joining occur in phases.
Under the 2024 recruitment calendar, hiring for 2025 is underway, with two major notifications issued:
- CEN 01/2025 – 9,970 ALP vacancies (March 2025)
- CEN 02/2025 – 6,238 Technician vacancies (June 2025)
As per the reports, the growth has been aided by systemic changes such as the introduction of an annual recruitment calendar, fully digitised testing, and multi-language CBTs, which have made the process more predictable and accessible for candidates.
