New Delhi: Indian Railways filled 5.56 lakh jobs between 2014 and June 2026, including 50,485 posts in Southern Railway, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
The minister said the recruitment figure surpassed the 4.11 lakh appointments made during the decade from 2004-05 to 2013-14. He said the Railways continued to recruit staff to meet operational needs, adopt new technology and maintain safe services across the network.
Vaishnaw said the Ministry of Railways introduced an annual recruitment calendar in 2024 to make the hiring process more predictable. The calendar provides regular opportunities, faster appointments and greater certainty for job seekers.
The minister said recruitment is under way for 1,61,889 non-gazetted posts under the 2024, 2025 and 2026 recruitment calendars. These vacancies include 11,387 posts in Southern Railway.
RRB recruitment drive expands nationwide examinations
The RRB recruitment drive attracted nearly 4.5 crore candidates during the 2024 and 2025 examination cycle. Railway Recruitment Boards conducted computer-based tests in more than 150 cities and in 15 languages. The wider reach made the examinations more accessible for candidates across India.
During the 2024 recruitment cycle, the Railways notified 92,116 vacancies across several categories. These included Assistant Loco Pilots, Technicians, Junior Engineers, Railway Protection Force personnel, Non-Technical Popular Categories, Paramedical staff, Ministerial posts and Level-1 positions. The ministry completed the first-stage and second-stage computer-based tests, along with aptitude, typing and skill tests for eligible candidates.
The ministry also issued notifications for 51,970 vacancies under the 2025 annual calendar. Another 17,803 vacancies were announced under the 2026 calendar for Assistant Loco Pilots, Technicians and Section Controllers.
Vaishnaw said panels for more than 3,300 candidates were finalised up to June 30, 2026. Most of these appointments were in safety-related categories.
He said Indian Railways would continue mission-mode recruitment to ensure adequate manpower for operations, modernisation and future expansion.
