Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) JE & DMS Recruitment 2026 — 3993 Junior Engineer & Depot Material Superintendent Posts (Diploma/Degree Engineering)

The Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs), under the Ministry of Railways, Government of India, have released Centralised Employment Notice (CEN) No. 04/2026 for recruitment to 3,993 posts of Junior Engineer (JE) and Depot Material Superintendent (DMS) across 21 RRBs and multiple railway zones and production units. This is one of the largest technical-cadre recruitment drives of the year, spanning 37 distinct post/department combinations in Electrical, Mechanical, Civil (Engineering), Signal & Telecom (S&T), and Stores departments. Below is every detail from the official CEN and its FAQ booklet — dates, RRB-wise and post-wise vacancy breakup, eligibility, fee, selection process, syllabus, and application steps — so you don't need to leave this page.

📅 Important Dates

CBT, Document Verification (DV) and Medical Examination (ME) dates will be announced separately on the official RRB websites. Only candidates who attend the 1^st Stage CBT get an examination-fee refund — plan to apply well before the deadline to avoid last-minute website traffic.

📊 Vacancy Details — 3,993 Posts

Vacancies are provisional and may increase or decrease as per Railway Administration requirements. There are 37 distinct post/sub-department categories (Cat. No. 1–37, see Annexure-A of the CEN) spread across 21 RRBs. A candidate applies to only one RRB and indicates preference for zones/posts within it — multiple applications lead to disqualification.

Post-wise Total Vacancies (all RRBs combined)

✅ Row-sum self-verified by script: all 37 category rows and all 21 RRB totals (below) sum exactly to the source's own Grand Total of 3,993 (UR 1,699 + SC 624 + ST 363 + OBC 913 + EWS 394), cross-checked against every column including ExSM (387) and the reserved-for-PwBD columns (R-HI 47, R-LD 135, R-MD 11) — all other PwBD columns (VI, OD, and every Backlog column) are genuinely zero in this CEN, not omitted.

RRB-wise Total Vacancies

Since you may apply to only one RRB, check your preferred board's total openings below before deciding.

Full RRB-wise & Post-wise Vacancy Breakdown (Annexure-B, complete)

Tap your RRB below to see the exact post-wise split (all 330 line items from Annexure-B, fully reproduced and row/column-sum verified against the source).

✅ Eligibility Criteria

Nationality

Citizen of India, or of Nepal, or a subject of Bhutan, or a person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia or Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India (categories (ii)–(iv) need a Government of India eligibility certificate).

Age Limit — 18 to 33 years (as on 01-01-2027)

Age Relaxation (upper limit; not cumulative — maximum applicable relaxation only)

Date of birth must match your Matriculation/SSLC certificate exactly — no request for change is entertained later. SC/ST/OBC-NCL candidates applying against UR vacancies get no age relaxation; PwBD candidates applying against UR vacancies get PwBD(UR) relaxation only, subject to suitability.

Educational Qualification

A 3-year Diploma in Engineering in the relevant discipline (or a combination of sub-streams) from a recognised University/Institute — B.E./B.Tech is accepted in lieu of the diploma in the same discipline. Qualification must be held on or before the closing date (13-09-2026); candidates awaiting final results are not eligible.

A candidate with more than one qualifying diploma/degree (mapped to different exam groups) may choose any one exam group, provided they opt only for posts whose qualification maps to that chosen group. For the Depot Material Superintendent (DMS) post, a diploma in any engineering discipline qualifies — candidates must still pick one of the four exam groups above for their CBT.

Medical Standards

Three medical standards apply across posts — A-3 (strictest — distance vision 6/9,6/9; no LASIK-eligible posts), B-1 and B-2 (distance vision 6/9–6/12, LASIK-eligible subject to conditions), and C-1 (distance vision 6/12–6/18). Each of the 37 posts has its own standard listed in Annexure-A of the CEN — check the one you're applying for.

💰 Application Fee

Fee is payable online only (net banking / debit / credit card / UPI). Refund is credited only to an Aadhaar-seeded bank account — you'll be routed to the NPCI portal to link one if needed. No refund for incomplete, rejected, or non-submitted applications, or for candidates who skip CBT-I. Modification fee is a separate, non-refundable ₹250 per occasion.

🎯 Selection Process

Four stages: 1st Stage CBT → 2nd Stage CBT → Document Verification (DV) → Medical Examination (ME). There is no interview. Selection is purely on CBT merit, subject to DV and medical fitness.

1st Stage CBT (CBT-I) — screening only, common for all posts

Duration: 90 minutes (120 minutes for scribe-eligible candidates). Negative marking: −1/3 per wrong answer. CBT-I marks are used only to shortlist for CBT-II (15× community-wise vacancy per RRB) — they don't carry forward to final merit.

2nd Stage CBT (CBT-II)

Duration: 120 minutes (160 minutes for scribe-eligible candidates). A virtual on-screen calculator is provided in CBT-II. Negative marking: −1/3 per wrong answer.

Minimum Qualifying Marks (both stages)

UR/EWS: 40%  |  OBC-NCL: 30%  |  SC: 30%  |  ST: 25% (same for Ex-Servicemen, by their community). Relaxable by up to 2 marks for PwBD candidates if there's a shortage of PwBD candidates against reserved vacancies.

Document Verification & Medical Examination

Shortlisting for DV is based on CBT-II merit (via a normalised "Merit Index" that puts different Exam Groups on a common scale) — the number shortlisted equals the number of vacancies. Bring original certificates + 2 sets of self-attested photocopies; no extra time is given for missing documents. Final selection needs passing the prescribed Medical Standard (A-3/B-1/B-2/C-1) for your post — candidates found unsuitable get no alternative appointment.

📘 CBT-II Technical Abilities Syllabus (by Exam Group)

Judgment call flagged: the CEN's Annexure-VIII gives each syllabus as full paragraph text (~2 pages per group). Condensed to topic lists below for scannability — every topic heading from the source is retained; open the detailed CEN for the full descriptive text.

📝 How to Apply

🎗️ Reservation, Fee Concession & Special Categories

Vertical Reservation

SC, ST, OBC-NCL and EWS candidates get job reservation as per the RRB-wise vacancy tables above. EBC (Economically Backward Class) and EWS are not the same — EBC (annual family income < ₹50,000) gets only fee concession, not job reservation; EWS (family income < ₹8 lakh, with asset limits on land/flat/plot) gets actual reservation.

Horizontal Reservation — Ex-Servicemen & PwBD

Ex-Servicemen and PwBD reservation cuts across social categories. PwBD backlog vacancies (from past cycles) exist only where explicitly shown — in this CEN, all backlog columns are nil; the only PwBD-reserved seats are regular ones: 47 for Hearing Impairment (HI), 135 for Locomotor Disability (LD), and 11 for Multiple Disabilities (MD), spread across posts per Annexure-A's suitability grid.

Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD)

• Benchmark disability of 40% or more is required for reservation/relaxation.
• Sub-categories: VI (Blind/Low Vision), HI (Deaf/Hard of Hearing), LD (Locomotor — OA/OL/BL/DW/CP/AAV/LC/MDy/SD/SI), and MD (Multiple Disabilities). Suitability per post is listed in Annexure-A.
• Scribe facility: automatic for Blindness, Locomotor (Both Arms Affected) and Cerebral Palsy; others need a CMO/Civil Surgeon certificate confirming inability to write. Candidates below 40% disability with genuine writing difficulty can also avail a scribe with the prescribed certificate.
• Compensatory time: 20 minutes per hour of exam for scribe-eligible candidates, whether or not they actually use a scribe.
• Scribes must self-register (One-Time Registration) at rrbapply.gov.in and be confirmed during a 5-day window right after the modification window closes; the scribe's own qualification must be one step below the candidate's.

Ex-Servicemen

Reservation applies where specific vacancies are earmarked (see RRB tables above); otherwise ExSM candidates may still apply against regular vacancies with age relaxation and fee exemption only. Serving Defence personnel due for release within a year of the closing date may also apply. An "Employment Certificate with probable discharge date" (Annexure VI-A) and a self-declaration (Annexure VI) are needed at DV. Ex-Servicemen who've already used the quota once for a Central Government Group C/D civil job get only age relaxation for further applications, not reservation.

Minorities & EBC — Fee Waiver Only

Minorities (Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Zoroastrians) and EBC candidates get the ₹250 concessional fee but no job reservation. Minority candidates must submit an affidavit (Annexure IV) at DV; EBC candidates need a valid Income Certificate (Annexure III-A), BPL card, or Izzat MST issued on or before the closing date.

Free Rail Travel (SC/ST only)

Free Sleeper Class travel pass is issued with the e-call letter for CBT/DV/ME stages to SC/ST candidates who opt for it and upload a valid caste certificate. Carry the original certificate and a valid photo ID while travelling.

No Objection Certificate (NOC)

Candidates already serving in Central/State Government departments (including Railways) or PSUs must inform their employer and produce an NOC at the time of DV — failing which candidature is cancelled, even if the job offer came after applying.

⚠️ Important Instructions

• One RRB, one application. Multiple applications (to different RRBs, or the same RRB with minor detail changes) lead to summary rejection and lifetime debarment from all RRB/RRC exams.
• Banned items at the CBT centre: mobile phones, smartwatches, Bluetooth devices, calculators, pens/pencils, bags, wallets, food, water bottles — only the e-call letter is allowed inside.
• No request for change of exam date, shift, centre, or city will be entertained under any circumstances.
• Negative marking of 1/3 mark per wrong answer applies to both CBT stages.
• Beware of fake websites and touts claiming to secure a Railway job through influence — RRBs do not appoint any agent or coaching centre for recruitment. Selection is purely on merit. Always use the official site: rrb.indianrailways.gov.in.
• Use of unfair means (impersonation, forged documents, banned items) leads to lifetime debarment from all RRB/RRC exams and legal action under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024.

❓ FAQs (from the Official CEN 04/2026 FAQ Booklet — all 80 questions)

Dates, Account & Application Basics

Aadhaar, Photo & Signature

Age, Qualification & Employment

Fee, Reservation & Concession Categories

PwBD & Scribe

Exam Pattern & Selection

🔗 Official Downloads

• Detailed CEN No. 04/2026 (JE/DMS) — full PDF, 77 pages
• Official FAQ Booklet — CEN 04/2026 (JE/DMS)
• Apply Online — rrbapply.gov.in

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