The Indian Railways has witnessed an extraordinary response to its 2024 recruitment drive, receiving over 1.87 crore applications for just 64,197 vacancies across seven major categories.
According to data presented in Parliament by the Railway Minister, competition for certain roles—such as RPF Constable—exceeded 1,000 applicants per post, underscoring the intense demand for government jobs in India.
Recruitment is currently underway for over 1.08 lakh posts, with 92,116 vacancies already notified through 10 Centralised Employment Notifications (CENs). Positions include Assistant Loco Pilots (ALP), Technicians, RPF personnel, junior engineers, paramedical staff, and Non-Technical Popular Categories (NTPC).
The selection process has progressed significantly, with Computer-Based Tests (CBTs) conducted in 15 languages across 150 cities. Results for key categories like ALP, RPF-SI, Constable, and JE/DMS/CMA have been released, and over 9,000 candidates have been empanelled for Technician roles.
Looking ahead, the Ministry has announced two major notifications for 2025: CEN 01/2025 for 9,970 ALP posts and CEN 02/2025 for 6,238 Technician posts. The recruitment calendar introduced in 2024 is expected to streamline future hiring and address the growing demand for skilled personnel amid ongoing modernisation efforts.
Between 2014 and 2025, Indian Railways recruited over 5.08 lakh personnel—nearly one lakh more than the previous decade—reflecting systemic reforms and the push for digitisation and safety upgrades.
