This chapter covers two related establishment fundamentals: how Railway posts are classified into services/groups, and the main routes through which employees are recruited into them.
Classification of Posts
- Group A — senior gazetted posts, typically filled through UPSC-conducted examinations (e.g. Indian Railway Management Service) or promotion from Group B.
- Group B — gazetted posts (the Group this platform is built around), filled primarily through the 70% Selection and 30% LDCE promotional routes covered elsewhere on this platform, rather than direct recruitment.
- Group C — non-gazetted posts, recruited mainly through RRB (Railway Recruitment Board) examinations; the largest category of Railway staff by numbers.
Recruitment Bodies
Who Recruits Whom
- RRB (Railway Recruitment Board) — conducts recruitment for most Group C non-gazetted posts across zonal railways.
- RRC (Railway Recruitment Cell) — handles recruitment for certain Level 1 posts, operating alongside RRBs for specific categories.
- UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) — conducts examinations for Group A recruitment into the organised services (e.g. through the Engineering Services Examination / Civil Services Examination routes, as applicable).
- RRB/Ajmer (from the 2025-26 cycle) — specifically conducts the Centralized CBT for Group B promotional exams (LDCE/Selection), distinct from its role in direct Group C recruitment described above.
Exam Focus
A common trap: candidates confuse RRB's role in direct Group C recruitment with its (separate, newer) role from 2025-26 in conducting the Group B promotional CBT. These are two distinct functions of the same body — know both, and don't assume 'RRB' always means direct recruitment.
Content Status
Draft note, self-authored for the platform skeleton. Group/Level mappings and recruiting-body jurisdictions are periodically revised — verify current figures against the latest Railway Board circular before treating as exam-final.