New Pass Rules for Railway Employees 2025
Extension of dead line for issuance of manual pass to Railway Employees till 28.02.2025
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
(RAILWAY BOARD)
No. PC-VII/ 2025/ HRMS/ 6
New Delhi, dated: 22.01.2025
To,
The General Manager,
All Indian Railways and Production Units / Training Institutes
(As per mailing list)
Sub: Extension of dead line for issuance of manual pass to Railway Employees.
Ref: Board’s letter No. PC-VII / 2025 /HRMS /6 (Part) dated 16.11.2025 and 17.11.2025 (Corrigendum) .
Please refer to Board’s letter dated 14.08.2025 (RBE No. 66/ 2025) circulating the guidelines for e-Pass / PTO module of HRMS. The dead line for issuance of physical passes was extended upto 31.12.2025 vide Board’s letter referred above and it was also communicated that from 1st January, 2025 onwards the system may invariably be shifted to e-Pass module in respect of all serving employees.
2. It has been observed that e-Pass / PTO module of HRMS has gained acceptance amongst large number of Railway Employees and nearly 2,75,000 Passes have been issued through HRMS module till date. However, it is observed that some issues have been reported from certain quarters regarding issuance of e-Pass arising out of certain technical / logistic issues resulting in delay in issue of passes and issuing tickets to employees. The complaints have largely been relating to generation of OTP as well as regarding completion of data entry in exceptional cases and also relating to acquaintance with the new mode of issuance of passes.
3. In order to increase the awareness amongst Railway Employees, various efforts have been made such as circulation of short videos relating to use of e-Pass module, issue of instructions in bilingual and vernacular languages.
4. The issue has further been examined in Board’s office and in order to avoid any hardships to the employees in availing the passes, it has been decided by the competent authority that in exceptional and emergency cases where e-Pass could not be issued due to non-completion of data entry or any other unforeseen technical problems which could not be resolved within a stipulated time frame, physical passes may be issued till 28.02.2025. However, issue of passes through HRMS module shall be given priority and issue of physical passes maybe resorted to in emergent and extraordinary situations only. While issuing the passes through physical mode, pass account of the employee in the e-Pass module may be updated invariably.
5. This issues with the approval of Competent Authority.
(Jaya Kumar G)
Dy. Director, PC-VII & HRMS
Railway Board
Download The Original Order in PDF : Click Here
Here’s a breakdown of the major revisions to Railway Employee Pass Rules that Indian Railways is implementing in 2025, becoming effective in phases between January and mid‑2025:
Contents
- 1 🔄 1. Group D Employees Included for the First Time
- 2 🧾 2. Full Digitalization & E‑Pass via HRMS
- 3 📈 3. Notional Higher Pay Level for Running Staff
- 4 🧾 4. Revised Validity & Advance Reservation Period (ARP)
- 5 🏠 5. Residential & Special Use Passes
- 6 ✅ Top Benefits at a Glance
- 7 ⚠️ Additional Notes
- 8 📌 Final Summary
🔄 1. Group D Employees Included for the First Time
- Under the 2025 Pass & LTC Rule changes, Group D railway staff will for the first time be eligible for Pass benefits (Privilege Pass, Duty Pass, etc.) and authorizations similar to higher grades, including family travel privileges and LTC benefits
- The rollout is staggered, starting in January 2025, with full implementation expected by mid-2025, through a new digital portal
🧾 2. Full Digitalization & E‑Pass via HRMS
- The HRMS-based E-Pass & PTO module is now the primary mode for issuance and booking of employee passes—no more reliance on manual paperwork
- Benefits include:
- Apply from anywhere
- Instant, OTP‑authenticated approvals
- Auto‑verification of family & entitlement details
- Ticket booking through IRCTC or counters linked to e‑Pass
📈 3. Notional Higher Pay Level for Running Staff
- By Railway Board RBE No. 98/2025, running staff (e.g. train crew, Loco pilots) receive a notional higher pay level purely for Pass/PTO entitlements, enhancing their access without increasing actual salary for other benefits
- This change is retroactive to January 1, 2025, allowing staff who retired or died since then to potentially gain revised complimentary or widow passes
🧾 4. Revised Validity & Advance Reservation Period (ARP)
- The Advance Reservation Period (ARP), previously 120 days, has now been reduced to 60 days for Privilege Pass (PP), Post‑Retirement Complimentary Pass (PRCP), Widow Pass (WP), and PTOs
- Validity of these passes has been aligned to be one month longer than ARP, but never less than 4 months
🏠 5. Residential & Special Use Passes
- Residential Card Pass (RCP) continues with updated entitlements based on pay level—from First Class A for senior staff down to Sleeper/Second Class for Grades 1–4. Validity: 1 year, covering travel from home to work station—without attendant benefit
- Special Passes (e.g. medical, sports, settlement, scholarship travel) are still issued based on eligibility, but the digital system simplifies processing
✅ Top Benefits at a Glance
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Group D Inclusion | Equal pass/LTC entitlements (family travel, etc.) |
| Fully Digital Processing | Apply via HRMS E‑Pass/PTO, OTP-secured, online ticket booking |
| Notional Pay Credit (Running staff) | Enhanced pass eligibility without actual pay change |
| Shorter ARP | From 120 to 60 days; passes valid 1 month beyond ARP (≥4 months) |
| Standardized Entitlements | Residential, special, medical, school passes per grade & class |
⚠️ Additional Notes
- Physical passes may still be issued only in emergency situations, and only till mid-2025—after that, HRMS e‑Pass becomes mandatory except rare exceptions
- OTP generation issues or digital glitches have decreased sharply after staff retraining and bilingual user aids started rolling out
📌 Final Summary
The 2025 pass & LTC reform marks a milestone shift—with full digital onboarding, expanded access, especially to Group D staff, and standardized entitlements aligned with modern HRMS infrastructure. Running staff enjoy enhanced status for pass benefits, and the expectation is streamlined, efficient issuance and usage of passes across all grades.
Would you like help with one-time login guidance, applying for family passes, or understanding the pay-grade entitlement matrix in detail? Happy to assist!