Railways plan mission-mode recruitment drive amid proposed cadre expansion

Indian Railways has significantly scaled up its overall workforce capacity, successfully recruiting 5.56 lakh employees between 2014 and June 30, 2026. This outcome represents a substantial increase compared to the 4.11 lakh recruitments completed during the preceding decade spanning 2004–05 to 2013–14. Informing Parliament of this key operational milestone, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav emphasized that current hiring is being aggressively executed in mission mode. To further address nationwide manpower requirements, an additional 1.61 lakh vacancies are currently undergoing various active stages of the selection process across multiple key divisions.

To facilitate this massive public employment push, the national transporter organized extensive examination logistics, with approximately 4.5 crore candidates participating in Computer-Based Tests (CBTs) during the 2024 and 2025 recruitment cycles alone. Meanwhile, sources indicate that the government is likely to expand railway cadres overall, recognizing that ongoing physical infrastructure expansion, line additions, and fleet modernization demand a corresponding surge in human resources.