RRB Group D Vacancy 2026: Why Recruitment for 22,000 Posts Has Been Postponed, What’s the Latest Update?

RRB: According to the proposed figures, posts have been allocated to different railway zones in this recruitment. Approximately 993 posts are proposed for East Central Railway and 1,199 posts for South Eastern Railway.

An important update has emerged regarding the Group D recruitment for young aspirants dreaming of a job in the railways. The Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) has postponed the application process for the recruitment of approximately 22,000 Group D posts for a few days. Earlier, this process was scheduled to begin on January 21, 2026, but now, as per the revised schedule, online applications will commence from January 31, 2026. The last date for registration has been set for March 2, 2026, at 11:59 PM. Interested candidates will be able to apply by visiting the official website rrbapply.gov.in during this period. No official information has been provided regarding the reason for this postponement.

Ambiguity Regarding Eligibility Persists

The currently released short notification does not clarify the educational qualifications. This has led to several questions among candidates. Will 10th pass candidates be eligible for all posts this time? Or will some posts be reserved only for those with an ITI certificate? The answers to all these questions will only become clear after the detailed notification is released.

Potential Number of Vacancies by Zone

According to the proposed figures, posts have been allocated to different railway zones for this recruitment. Approximately 993 posts are proposed for East Central Railway and 1,199 posts for South Eastern Railway. Out of the total 22,000 posts, the maximum number of recruitments will be in the engineering department.

Approximately 11,000 posts for Track Maintainer Grade-4
5,000 posts for Traffic Pointsman B
1,500 posts for Assistant (S&T)
1,000 posts for Assistant (C&W)
500 posts for Assistant Operation
200 posts for Assistant Loco Shed
800 posts for Assistant (TRD)
300 posts for Assistant (P-Way)
600 posts for Assistant (Track Machine)
600 posts for Assistant (Bridge)

Selection Process

The selection process will be completed in two main stages. The first stage will be a Computer Based Test (CBT). Candidates who qualify in this will be called for a Physical Efficiency Test (PET). Following the PET, there will be document verification and a medical test. The CBT will be conducted in only one stage. The age of the candidate for Group D recruitment should be between 18 and 33 years. Relaxation in age will be provided to reserved categories as per rules. This includes a 3-year relaxation for the OBC category and a 5-year relaxation for the SC/ST category.

Special Advice Regarding Aadhaar Card

The RRB has advised candidates to be vigilant in advance. The board states that candidates must update their Aadhaar card details and photograph before applying. The name and date of birth mentioned on the Aadhaar card must exactly match the 10th-grade certificate. Failure to do so may lead to difficulties during application verification and prolong the recruitment process. According to the RRB, candidates whose applications cannot be successfully verified with Aadhaar may have to undergo additional scrutiny in subsequent stages. Therefore, it is also important to ensure that biometric information such as photograph, fingerprints, and iris are updated.