Kamal Ghorui
The Railway Recruitment Board has postponed the application process for RRB Group D recruitment 2026, which involves around 22,000 vacancies across various railway zones and departments. As per the revised schedule, the online registration process will now begin on January 31, 2026, instead of the earlier announced January 21, 2026.As per the new timeline, candidates will be able to submit their applications until 11:59 PM on March 2, 2026. This recruitment process has been conducted as part of the Centralised Employment Notification No. 09/2025, and candidates will only be able to submit their applications on the official website:www.rrbapply.gov.in.Revised application schedule and Aadhaar advisoryThe Railway Recruitment Board has advised candidates to keep their Aadhaar details updated before applying. The name and date of birth on the Aadhaar card must exactly match the details mentioned in the Class 10 certificate. Job aspirants were also directed to update their latest picture and biometric information, such as fingerprints and iris scans, in Aadhaar to prevent any problems at the time of recruitment.The board had clarified that unverified applications through Aadhaar might suffer delays and inconvenience at various points as there might be a need for additional verification processes.Vacancy distribution by departmentAmong the 22,000 vacancies in Group D, the highest vacancies are in the Engineering Department, with 12,500 sanctioned posts. Track Maintainer Grade-4 alone comprises 11,000 posts. Other posts include 5,000 vacancies for Traffic Point B, 1,500 for Assistant (S&T), 1,000 for Assistant (C&W), 800 for Assistant (TRD), 600 each for Assistant (Track Machine) and Assistant (Bridge), 300 for Assistant (P-Way), 500 for Assistant Operation, and 200 for Assistant Loco Sheet.Region-wise, 993 posts have been allocated to East Central Railway and 1,199 posts to South Eastern Railway. Final post-wise and zone-wise details will be confirmed only after the release of the detailed notification. Eligibility, Age Limit, and Selection ProcessThe age limit for RRB Group D recruitment in 2026 is 18 to 33 years. The candidates of OBC get an age relaxation of three years, while five years of relaxation are allowed for candidates of SC & ST categories. The short notification issued has not mentioned proper requirements for educational qualifications, which has raised confusions for candidates about ITI & Class 10 qualifications.The selection will be done through a single stage Computer Based Test followed by a Physical Efficiency Test. The CBT will be of 90 minutes with 100 questions and negative marking of one-third per wrong answer. Three times the number of vacancies will be called for the PET, followed by document verification and medical examination.Application rules, fee and pay scaleCandidates are allowed to apply for only one RRB. Multiple applications for different railways will lead to rejection. However, candidates may apply for multiple posts within the same railway through a single application form.The application fee is Rs 500 for General, OBC and EWS candidates, with Rs 400 refundable upon appearing for the CBT. Selected candidates will receive a Level-1 pay scale of Rs 18,000.
