Railway Group D recruitment: 30,000 vacancies expected, announcement likely before Diwali 2026

The Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs) are reportedly preparing to announce a new recruitment drive for approximately 30,000 Group D (Level-I) posts across Indian Railways. This announcement is anticipated to be released before Diwali 2026, with the application process expected to commence in November 2026.

This upcoming recruitment is part of a phased rollout of notifications by Indian Railways, which is structuring its recruitment exercises progressively rather than through a single omnibus advertisement. The vacancies are intended to fill posts in Level 1 of the 7th CPC Pay Matrix, including positions such as Track Maintainers, Pointsmen, and other technical and non-technical roles.

Eligibility and Application Process for New Group D Vacancies

For the anticipated 30,000 Group D vacancies, candidates must have passed Class 10 or hold an ITI qualification to be eligible. The minimum age limit for this recruitment is 18 years, and the maximum age limit is 33 years, calculated as on 01 January 2027. Age relaxation will be provided as per Government rules.

The application process is expected to be completed between November and December 2026. A short notice regarding this recruitment was issued in August 2026, and the full notification is currently awaited. The application fee for General/OBC candidates is ₹500, with ₹400 refundable upon appearing for the Computer Based Test (CBT). For SC/ST, Economically Backward, female, and transgender candidates, the fee is ₹250, which is fully refundable upon appearing for the CBT.

Selection Procedure and Physical Efficiency Standards

The selection process for the RRB Group D Recruitment 2026 will be conducted in phases. This includes a Computer Based Test (CBT 1), followed by a Physical Efficiency Test (PET), Document Verification (DV), and a Medical Test. The first stage of the examination, the CBT, may take place during the first quarter of 2027.

The Physical Efficiency Test (PET) has specific requirements for male and female candidates. Male candidates must be able to lift and carry 35 kg weight for 100 meters in 2 minutes and run 1000 meters in 4 minutes 15 seconds. Female candidates must be able to lift and carry 20 kg weight for 100 meters in 2 minutes and run 1000 meters in 5 minutes 40 seconds. The salary for the post is ₹22,000 per month, along with allowances as per government norms.

Context of Previous and Upcoming Railway Recruitments

This anticipated recruitment for 30,000 Group D posts follows a previous recruitment drive under Centralised Employment Notice (CEN) 09/2025, which advertised 22,195 vacancies for Level-1 posts. The online application window for CEN 09/2025 ran from 31 January 2026 to 9 March 2026, with CBT exams held from 3 to 25 August 2026. The provisional answer key and response sheets for CEN 09/2025 were released on 7 September 2026, and the results are currently awaited.

Indian Railways is preparing separate recruitment notifications in phases across October, November, and December 2026. Beyond the Group D vacancies, other recruitment streams are also projected. These include approximately 3,477 posts for RRB NTPC Graduate Level (CEN 06/2026) expected in early October 2026, 1,688 posts for RRB NTPC Undergraduate Level (CEN 07/2026) in mid-October 2026, and over 300 posts for RRB Ministerial & Isolated categories (CEN 08/2026) in November–December 2026. The reported figure of approximately 35,465 posts is a combined projection across multiple future Centralised Employment Notices and not a single open recruitment window.

Further reading

• NABARD Grade A 2026 notification expected by October, 80-100 assistant manager vacancies
• Coal India MT result expected by October 20 for 660 vacancies
• WBPSC English Stenographer 2025 recruitment: apply by 7 November, 266 vacancies
• Railway Station Master recruitment minimum age raised to 20 years, effective October 7
• HAL Junior Executive recruitment 2026: apply by 2 PM today for 150 engineering vacancies

Written by Nishit Kumar

Nishit Kumar is a senior EdTech industry leader with over a decade of experience in building and scaling education platforms, shaping their product, content, and growth strategy. At FindMyCollege, Nishit oversees content and editorial strategy, guiding topic selection and content frameworks to ensure accuracy, relevance, and student-first value across the website.

View all posts →