The competition for Railway jobs in India continues to reach staggering levels, with lakhs of applicants vying for a limited number of posts in the 2024–25 recruitment cycle. Data shared by the Railway Ministry
shows that the RPF Constable post was the most sought-after, drawing 45.3 lakh applications for just 4,208 vacancies – over 1,076 candidates per post.
Technician roles saw 26.99 lakh applicants for 14,298 positions, while the Assistant Loco Pilot (ALP) post attracted 18.4 lakh candidates for 18,799 openings. Even technical jobs saw intense competition – with around 189 applicants per Technician post and nearly 98 for each ALP seat.
Recruitment Status
The first stage of recruitment – Computer-Based Tests (CBTs) for 55,197 posts – has already been conducted in four phases across 150+ cities in 15 languages. Results for major categories like ALP, RPF Sub-Inspector, Constable, and JE/DMS/CMA have been declared. The second stage of CBTs for ALP and JE/DMS/CMA is also complete, and the results are out.
For Technicians, over 9,000 candidates have been empanelled so far out of the notified 14,298 vacancies, with the rest expected to join in a staggered process.
What’s Next In 2025?
The Railways is following its annual recruitment calendar introduced in 2024. Two major notifications have already been issued this year:
CEN 01/2025 – 9,970 vacancies for ALPs (March 2025)
CEN 02/2025 – 6,238 vacancies for Technicians (June 2025)
ALSO READ: NEET UG Round 1 Seat Allotment Result: Where And How To Check Results Once Released?
Recruitment Trends Over The Years
The data shows a steady increase in hiring. Between 2004 and 2014, the Railways recruited 4.11 lakh personnel. From 2014 to 2025, that number rose to 5.08 lakh, an increase of nearly one lakh.
Officials attribute this growth to reforms such as a fixed annual recruitment calendar, fully digitised exams, and multi-language CBTs, making the process faster, more predictable, and accessible. Notably, the Ministry said there have been no cases of paper leaks or malpractices during this period.
