The competition for Railway jobs in India remains intense, with nearly 1.87 crore candidates applying for 64,197 vacancies in the 2024-25 recruitment cycle, according to data shared by the Ministry of Railways.
According to a report by News18, the most sought-after position was the Railway Protection Force (RPF) Constable, which attracted 45.3 lakh applications for just 4,208 posts, averaging over 1,076 candidates per vacancy. Technician roles received 26.99 lakh applications for 14,298 openings, while the Assistant Loco Pilot (ALP) post saw 18.4 lakh candidates competing for 18,799 vacancies. This means about 189 applicants per Technician post and nearly 98 per ALP seat.
Progress in recruitment
The first stage of recruitment, consisting of Computer-Based Tests (CBTs) for 55,197 posts, has been conducted across more than 150 cities in 15 languages. Results for key categories like ALP, RPF Sub-Inspector, Constable, and Junior Engineer/Draughtsman Mechanical Supervisor/Chemical and Metallurgical Assistant (JE/DMS/CMA) have been declared. The second stage CBTs for ALP and JE/DMS/CMA are also complete, with results announced.
More than 9,000 applicants have been empanelled so far for Technician positions; the remaining candidates are anticipated to join in a phased process.
What to expect in 2025
The Railways is adhering to its annual recruitment calendar introduced in 2024. Two major notifications have been issued for 2025:
CEN 01/2025: 9,970 vacancies for ALPs (March 2025)
CEN 02/2025: 6,238 vacancies for Technicians (June 2025)
Officials attribute the steady rise in recruitment, from 4.11 lakh hires between 2004 and 2014 to 5.08 lakh between 2014 and 2025, to reforms like a fixed annual calendar, fully digitised exams, and multilingual CBTs. The Ministry noted, “there have been no cases of paper leaks or malpractices during this period.”
