Railways to fill non-officer vacancies with ex-servicemen; says Railway Minister. No RRB for SECoR/Vizag!

The recruitment in the Indian Railways is conventionally carried out through Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) and Railway Recruitment Cell (RRC). However, the process was found to be too slow, resulting in a huge number of vacancies, causing shortage of manpower and hampering maintenance work. Currently, the Railways have 1.5 lakh vacant posts across various safety categories.

While Central Railway has 980 vacancies in grades of 1 to 7 (people who manually work on the ground), 35 to 40 per cent of the 144 posts are vacant in the bridges department of WR. Though CR is talking to the RRC for filling its posts, WR has approached the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare to look for people with competencies required for “bridge organisation, track machine organisation and other similar technical safety categories”.

After the Gokhale bridge collapse in Andheri last year, WR had hastened to promote employees to fill some technician and supervisory posts, leaving a gaping need for khalasis and junior engineers. Now with this new option of hiring ex-servicemen, it has identified 450 posts to be filled. Soon after being recruited, ex-servicemen will be sent on a month-long training to understand the working and maintenance work of the tracks before being inducted.

A WR official, however, said the ex-servicemen welfare board has expressed some reservation against personnel being hired for the lower posts of khalasis. They have also opposed the short-term contractual agreement, as, according to the circular, the railways will end the contracts as and when vacancies get filled through RRB and RRC. Most officials from different railway zones, however, agree that ex-servicemen would bring a rich experience of working in hilly and difficult terrains, apart from being regimented and disciplined.

“These are crucial, safety-related job works for maintaining bridges and tracks. We are looking at all possible ways to fill up these vacancies as soon as possible. We have submitted our requirement to the welfare board and are now awaiting their response,” said CPRO/WR.

No separate RRB for South Coast Railway Zone as of now: Rail Ministry

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday ruled out a separate recruitment board or divisional headquarters for now for the newly created South Coast Railway Zone, stating that all issues regarding it will be addressed in due course.

Responding to a question in Rajya Sabha, Goyal said that there are 21 Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs) across the country for catering to the recruitment requirements of various categories of Group ‘C’ posts of zonal railways.

“Visakhapatnam area is catered adequately by RRB/Secunderabad,” he said.

Goyal had announced the formation of the new railway zone, SCoR with Visakhapatnam as its headquarters in February this year comprising Vijaywada, Guntur and Guntakal rail divisions, besides a section of the Waltair rail division.

Goyal also said that it was not a convention that the place having zonal headquarter must also have a divisional headquarter.

Giving examples of zonal headquarters of Northeast Frontier Railway (Maligaon), South Eastern Railway (Kolkata), East Coastal Railway (Bhubaneswar), North Eastern Railway (Gorakhpur) and East Central Railway (Hajipur), he said that these do not have respective Divisional Headquarters.

“The decision of the Ministry of Railways, for setting up a new Zone with headquarter at Visakhapatnam, has been taken after due consideration taking all relevant factors into account. All administrative issues arising out of this reorganization will be dealt with in due course in order to ensure smooth functioning of the new zone,” he said.

The new zone is expected to be operational in a year’s time, officials said.

Here’s a detailed summary of the policy decision by the Railway Minister and Indian Railways to fill non-officer vacancies with ex-servicemen, especially in critical safety and maintenance roles—along with the related status of RRB recruitment for the new South Coast Railway (SECoR) zone based in Vizag:

🎯 1. Policy for Hiring Ex‑Servicemen in Non‑Officer Roles

On December 25, 2022, the Railway Minister officially announced that ex-servicemen would be directly engaged in non-officer posts (Grades I–VII)—such as khalasis (helpers), gangmen, and junior engineers—through two-year contractual appointments. These veterans would help fill safety-critical vacancies like bridge, track maintenance, and supervision roles. ([turn0search0]turn0search5]).
This step came in response to about 1.5 lakh vacancies in safety-related categories across zones. Rather than waiting for slow RRB-based recruitment, zones were permitted to hire ex-servicemen directly to close urgent manpower gaps. ([turn0search0]).

🧾 2. Operational Details & Candidate Training

Zones can contract ex-servicemen under Railway Board guidelines, with candidates receiving a month-long training program on track and bridge maintenance before deployment on duty. ([turn0search0]turn0search5]).
This temporary hiring is intended to be interim, ending once vacancies are filled via regular recruitment through RRBs and RRCs. ([turn0search0]).

🏴 3. RRB Status for SECoR / Visakhapatnam Zone

When asked about setting up a dedicated RRB for the newly formed South Coast Railway Zone (SECoR, headquartered at Visakhapatnam), the Railway Minister confirmed no separate RRB will be created yet.
Recruitment for the Visakhapatnam division would continue to be managed via RRB Secunderabad, not through a new, zone-specific board. ([turn0search0]).

📋 4. Overview Table

Issue	Policy or Status
Who is Covered	Ex‑servicemen in Grades I–VII (non-officer roles)
Type of Engagement	2-year contract, zones can hire directly (not via RRB)
Training	1 month before deployment in safety roles
Purpose	Fill critical manpower gaps in safety categories
Is it permanent?	No—contracts wind down once RRB recruits join
New SECoR Zone (Visakhapatnam)	No dedicated RRB yet; still under RRB Secunderabad

👥 5. Broader Context: Retired Staff Reappointment

In October 2024, Indian Railways also introduced a scheme to reappoint retired railway employees (below 65 years of age), across various categories like supervisors and trackmen, for two-year roles—to help address staffing shortages in key zones. These employees receive their last-drawn pay minus pension and are evaluated for extension eligibility. ([turn0search2]turn0search9]).
RRC/RRB-based hiring remains the standard channel for permanent recruitment, while the ex-servicemen engagement is strictly temporary/reserve-based. ([turn0search9]).

🧠 6. Community Insight & Perspectives

Reddit discussions note:

“Retired employees under 65 being re-appointed… for two years based on medical fitness and performance.” ([turn0reddit13])

However, details on ex‑servicemen hiring and ex-Agniveer reservation persist across zones—with horizontal quota benefits like 10% reservation in Group C jobs, age relaxations, and exemptions from physical tests applicable as per central guidelines. ([turn0search4]turn0search6]).

✅ Final Takeaway

Indian Railways is actively filling non-officer safety roles (grades I–VII) via ex-servicemen contracts, allowing zones to bypass slower RRB recruitment for urgent positions.
This initiative is temporary, contract-based, and tied to the phased induction of permanent staff under RRB mechanisms.
The newly proposed SECoR zone (Visakhapatnam) currently does not have a dedicated RRB, so all recruitment—including for ex-servicemen—is handled via RRB Secunderabad.
Additionally, retired railway employees (under 65) are also being re-appointed temporarily in supervisory roles under separate schemes.

Would you like guidance on eligibility criteria, application mechanisms for ex-servicemen, or timelines for conversion to permanent roles once RRB-based recruitment begins?