Indian Railways To Use More Technology In Hiring, Expand Tablet-Based Examinations
Indian Railways recruited 43,781 candidates in FY 2025-26 through completed recruitment cycles covering 47,084 vacancies across six major categories, according to a statement by the Ministry of Railways on Friday, 12 June.
The statement came after Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw reviewed the Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) recruitment process with senior officials and underlined the need for a more transparent, accurate and technology-driven system.
The completed recruitments included 17,193 Assistant Loco Pilots (ALPs), 13,416 Technicians, 450 Sub-Inspectors, 4,205 Constables, 7,333 Junior Engineer (JE)/DMS/CMA posts and 1,184 Paramedical category posts.
According to the ministry, the recruitment cycles covered 18,799 notified ALP vacancies, 14,298 Technician vacancies, 452 Sub-Inspector vacancies, 4,208 Constable vacancies, 7,951 JE/DMS/CMA vacancies and 1,376 Paramedical vacancies.
The ministry said Indian Railways is working to strengthen its workforce through continuous and timely recruitment, with a focus on transparency, efficiency and greater use of technology.
Vaishnaw said the annual recruitment calendar, along with quarterly vacancy notifications, had been well received by candidates.
He said the calendar-based recruitment framework has helped aspirants plan their preparation more effectively and brought greater predictability to the recruitment process.
The ministry said RRB examinations are large-scale and complex, with Computer Based Tests (CBTs) conducted across multiple cities and centres.
The exams are held in multiple shifts and in as many as 15 languages to ensure accessibility for candidates from different linguistic backgrounds.
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Vaishnaw also reviewed the shift of departmental examinations to CBT mode and said more tablet-based examinations should be introduced wherever feasible to make recruitment faster, more efficient and user-friendly.
The ministry said several examinations are currently moving through different stages, including document verification, medical examination and empanelment.
For Non-Technical Popular Categories (NTPC) Graduate-level recruitment under CEN 05/2024, empanelment is expected from July 2026 onwards, while NTPC Undergraduate-level empanelment under CEN 06/2024 is expected from August 2026.
For Technician recruitment under CEN 02/2025 and Paramedical categories under CEN 03/2025, empanelments are expected from August 2026.
The ministry also said final selection in several other examinations is expected over the next six months to one year.
This includes Level-1 recruitment covering 32,438 vacancies, ALP recruitment covering 10,970 vacancies, Section Controller recruitment covering 368 vacancies, JE/DMS/CMA recruitment covering 2,585 vacancies, NTPC Graduate-level recruitment covering 5,810 vacancies and NTPC Undergraduate-level recruitment covering 3,058 vacancies.
Vaishnaw directed RRBs to strengthen communication with candidates and stakeholders.
He also said misinformation must be countered promptly with correct information so that candidates receive accurate updates and confidence in the recruitment process remains strong.
The ministry said Indian Railways remains committed to a fair, transparent and merit-based recruitment system supported by technology, structured planning and continuous reforms.
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