Lok Sabha Question No. 590 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-03
Subject: Contractual Vacancies in Railways
Ministry: RAILWAYS
Asked by: Smt. Rachna Banerjee, Shri Bapi Haldar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 590 TO BE ANSWERED ON 03.12.2025

## CONTRACTUAL VACANCIES IN RAILWAYS

590.

SMT. RACHNA BANERJEE:

SHRI BAPI HALDAR:

Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:

- (a) the total number of vacancies in the Indian Railways, zone-wise;
- (b) the number of vacancies in safety related category, zone-wise;
- (c) the number of total posts and the number of posts vacant in the Commission of Railway Safety;
- (d) the details of the steps taken by the Government to fill up these posts;
- (e)  the  details  of  the  contractual  workers  currently  engaged  in various railway zones;
- (f)  whether there is any plan to regularise their services and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (g) whether there has been any delay in the recruitment process due to administrative or legal reasons and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND

ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## (SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)

(a)  to  (g):  Occurrence  and  filling  up  of  vacancies  are  continuous processes in Indian Railways considering its size, spatial distribution and  criticality of operation. Adequate  and suitable manpower is provided to cater to the regular operations, changes in technology, mechanisations and innovative practices. The vacancies  are  filled up primarily  by  placement  of  indents  by Railways with Recruitment agencies as per operational and technological requirements.

Presently recruitment of 1,20,579 vacancies has been taken up on Indian Railways as per annual calendar  2024 and 2025.

During  January  to  December  2024,  ten  Centralized  Employment Notifications (CENs) for 92,116 vacancies were notified for filling up of posts of Assistant Loco Pilots (ALPs), Technicians, SubInspectors,  Constables  in  Railway  Protection  Force  (RPF),  Junior Engineers (JEs)/ Depot Material Superintendent (DMS)/ Chemical & Metallurgical Assistant (CMA), Paramedical Categories, NonTechnical  Popular  Categories  (Graduate),  Non-Technical  Popular Categories (Under-Graduate), Ministerial & Isolated Categories and Level-1 categories  such  as  Assistants,  Track  Maintainers  and Pointsman.

First  stage/Single  stage  Computer  Based  Tests  (CBTs)  for  59,678 posts has been completed.  Details are as under-

| Exam                                                        | Candidates   |   Cities |   Languages |
|-------------------------------------------------------------|--------------|----------|-------------|
| 1 st Stage CBT for the post of ALP (18,799 vacancies)       | 18,40,347    |      156 |          15 |
| CBT for the post of Technician (14,298 vacancies)           | 26,99,892    |      139 |          15 |
| 1 st Stage CBT for the post of JE/DMS/CMA (7,951 vacancies) | 11,01,266    |      146 |          15 |
| CBT for the post of RPF-SI (452 vacancies)                  | 15,35,635    |      143 |          15 |
| CBT for the post of RPF- Constable (4208 vacancies)         | 45,30,288    |      147 |          15 |

| CBT for Paramedical Categories (1,376 vacancies)                                     | 7,08,321   |   143 |   15 |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------|-------|------|
| 1 st Stage CBT for Non-Technical Popular Category (Graduate) (8,113 vacancies)       | 58,41,774  |   141 |   15 |
| 1 st Stage CBT for Non-Technical Popular Category (Under Graduate) (3,445 vacancies) | 63,27,473  |   157 |   15 |
| CBT for Ministerial & Isolated categories (1,036 vacancies)                          | 4,46,013   |   139 |   15 |

2nd  stage  CBTs  for  the  posts  of  ALP,  JE/DMS/CMA  and  NonTechnical Popular Categories (Graduate) has also been completed.

## Details are as under: -

| Exam                                                                            | Candidates   |   Cities |   Languages |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------|----------|-------------|
| 2 nd Stage CBT for the post of ALP (18,799 vacancies)                           | 2,66,363     |      112 |          15 |
| 2 nd Stage CBT for the post of JE/DMS/CMA (7,951 vacancies)                     | 1,17,339     |      118 |          15 |
| 2 nd Stage CBT for Non- Technical Popular Category (Graduate) (8,113 vacancies) | 1,21,931     |      129 |          15 |

Computer Based Aptitude Test (CBAT) for the post of ALP has also been completed. Details are as under:-

| Exam                                        | Candidates   |   Cities |   Languages |
|---------------------------------------------|--------------|----------|-------------|
| CBAT for the post of ALP (18,799 vacancies) | 1,32,044     |       84 |           2 |

CBT  for  32,438  vacancies  for  level  -1  categories  has  commenced from  27.11.2025  in  140  cities  in  15  languages.  Physical  Efficiency Test (PET) for 4,208 vacancies of Constable (RPF) has commenced from 13.11.2025.

Panels for more than 23,000 candidates for various posts including the posts of Technicians, Junior Engineers, Paramedical Categories, Sub-Inspectors (RPF) and Assistant Loco Pilots have been finalised. Majority of them are in safety categories.

In  addition,  as  per  Annual  Calendar  for  the  year  2025,  seven Centralized  Employment Notifications  (CENs)  for  28,463  vacancies have also been issued:

|   SN | CEN No.   | Post Name                                        | No. of Vacancies notified   | Month of Notification   |
|------|-----------|--------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------|-------------------------|
|    1 | 01/2025   | Assistant Loco Pilots                            | 9,970                       | March 2025              |
|    2 | 02/2025   | Technicians                                      | 6,238                       | June 2025               |
|    3 | 03/2025   | Para-medical                                     | 434                         | July 2025               |
|    4 | 04/2025   | Section Controllers                              | 368                         | August 2025             |
|    5 | 05/2025   | Junior Engineers / Depot Material Superintendent | 2,585                       | October 2025            |
|    6 | 06/2025   | NTPC (Graduate)                                  | 5,810                       | October 2025            |
|    7 | 07/2025   | NTPC (Under- Graduate)                           | 3,058                       | October 2025            |

The RRB examinations are quite technical in nature entailing large scale mobilization of men and resources and training of manpower. Railway overcame all these challenges and successfully conducted the  recruitment  in  a  transparent  manner  following  all  laid  down guidelines. No instance of paper leakage or similar malpractice has occurred during the entire process.

Recruitment done in Indian Railways during 2004-2005 to 2013-2014 vis-à-vis during 2014-2015 to 2024-2025 is given as under:-

| Period                 | Recruitments   |
|------------------------|----------------|
| 2004-2005 to 2013-2014 | 4.11 lakhs     |
| 2014-2015 to 2024-2025 | 5.08 lakhs     |

Further,  as  a  system  improvement,  the  Ministry  of  Railways  has introduced  a  system  of  publishing  annual  calendar  from  2024  for recruitment to various categories of Group 'C' posts. The introduction  of  annual  calendar  is  benefitting  the  aspirants  in  the following manner:-

-   More opportunities for candidates;
-   Opportunities to those becoming eligible every year;
-   Certainty of exams;
-   Faster Recruitment process, Training and Appointments.

In exigencies of work, contractual engagement is resorted to as a stop-gap  arrangement  till  regular  incumbents  join  the  posts.  Such contractual engagement is purely temporary and time-bound, and is undertaken only to ensure smooth functioning of Railway operations until  posts  are  filled  through  regular  selection  as  per  extant  rules and procedures.

Engagement on contract basis is purely contractual in nature and does not confer any right upon such personnel for regular employment, absorption,  or  continuance  in  Railway  service.  Since contractual engagement is carried out only to meet urgent operational requirements, there is no provision for regularization of such contractual staff in Indian Railways.

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