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The RRB Group D Notification 2026 under Centralised Employment Notice CEN 09/2025 was officially released by the Railway Recruitment Board on January 30, 2026. The detailed RRB Group D Notification 2026 CEN 09/2025 has been released to recruit candidates for 22,195 Level 1 posts. The notification was simultaneously published on all 21 regional RRB websites and the central RRB application portal at rrbapply.gov.in.
This notification is the official document that defines everything candidates need to know before applying: total vacancies, post-wise and zone-wise vacancy distribution, eligibility criteria, application dates, exam dates, exam pattern, selection process, fee structure, and the full list of documents required for each stage. Reading the notification carefully before submitting the application prevents the most common errors that lead to disqualification at Document Verification.
| Parameter Official Data | |
| Notification Number | CEN 09/2025 |
| Notification Release Date | January 30, 2026 |
| Application Portal Opens | January 31, 2026 |
| Application Last Date (Original) | March 2, 2026 |
| Application Last Date (Extended) | March 9, 2026 (11:59 PM) |
| Application with Late Fee | March 11, 2026 |
| Application Correction Window | March 12 to 21, 2026 |
| Scribe Details Submission | March 22 to 26, 2026 |
| Application Status Available | May 2026 (at candidate login) |
| Total Vacancies | 22,195 (Level 1 posts) |
| CBT Exam Expected | June 2026 |
| Pay Level | Level 1 (7th CPC) |
| Basic Pay | Rs 18,000 per month |
| Minimum Qualification | Class 10 pass or ITI/NAC |
| Age Limit | 18 to 33 years (as on January 1, 2026); 36 years with COVID relief |
| Official Application Portal | rrbapply.gov.in |
| Official Website | indianrailways.gov.in |
The application window for CEN 09/2025 closed on March 9, 2026. Candidates who missed this window cannot apply to the current cycle. For them, this page serves two purposes:
Candidates who applied before March 9, 2026, are now in the waiting period before the CBT exam date is announced. The RRB Group D CEN 09/2025 CBT is expected to be held in June 2026. The exam date can be announced anytime in May 2026 on rrbapply.gov.in.
Understanding how the current cycle compares to the previous one helps contextualise the 2026 competition.
| Feature CEN 08/2024 (2025) CEN 09/2025 (2026) | ||
| Total Vacancies | 32,438 | 22,195 |
| Notification Date | 2024 | January 30, 2026 |
| Application Closed | 2024 | March 9, 2026 |
| CBT Conducted | November 2025 to February 2026 | June 2026 (expected) |
| Result Status | Expected May 2026 | To be announced |
| COVID Age Relaxation | Yes | Yes (3 extra years) |
The 2026 cycle has fewer vacancies (22,195) compared to the previous 2025 cycle (32,438). This increases competition intensity for the available posts. The COVID-19 age relaxation continues for CEN 09/2025 as well, providing 3 additional years of upper age limit for all categories.
A total of 22,195 vacancies have been announced for various Level-1 posts in different railway zones. The posts include Assistant Loco Shed, Assistant Operations, Pointsman, Assistant, and Track Maintainer.
| Post Department Post Code | ||
| Track Maintainer Grade IV | Engineering | Multiple codes |
| Pointsman | Operations | Multiple codes |
| Helper/Assistant (Works) | Engineering | Multiple codes |
| Assistant Loco Shed (Diesel) | Mechanical | Multiple codes |
| Assistant Loco Shed (Electrical) | Electrical | Multiple codes |
| Assistant Operations and Business Development | Operations | Multiple codes |
| Assistant TL and AC | Electrical | Multiple codes |
| Hospital Attendant | Medical | Multiple codes |
| Helper-II/Khalasi | Electrical and Signal & Telecommunication | Multiple codes |
Track Maintainer Grade IV consistently has the largest share of vacancies in every Group D cycle. Pointsman and various Helper/Assistant posts collectively make up the remaining majority.
22 railway zones across 21 RRBs are covered. Northern Railway has the highest number of vacancies (3,537), followed by Western Railway (3,148) and Central Railway (1,979).
| Railway Zone RRB Nodal Board Approx. Vacancies | ||
| Northern Railway | RRB Chandigarh | 3,537 |
| Western Railway | RRB Mumbai (WR) | 3,148 |
| Central Railway | RRB Mumbai (CR) | 1,979 |
| South Central Railway | RRB Secunderabad | Significant |
| Eastern Railway | RRB Kolkata | Significant |
| South Eastern Railway | RRB Kolkata (SE) | Significant |
| East Central Railway | RRB Patna | Significant |
| North Central Railway | RRB Prayagraj | Significant |
| Southern Railway | RRB Chennai | Moderate |
| South Western Railway | RRB Bengaluru | Moderate |
| West Central Railway | RRB Bhopal | Moderate |
| Northeast Frontier Railway | RRB Guwahati | Moderate |
| East Coast Railway | RRB Bhubaneswar | Moderate |
| North Eastern Railway | RRB Gorakhpur | Moderate |
| North Western Railway | RRB Ajmer | Moderate |
| Konkan Railway | RRB Mumbai (KR) | Smaller share |
| Category Approximate Share | |
| Unreserved (UR) | 40% |
| Other Backward Classes (OBC-NCL) | 27% |
| Scheduled Caste (SC) | 15% |
| Scheduled Tribe (ST) | 7.5% |
| Economically Weaker Section (EWS) | 10% |
| PwBD (various subcategories) | Specified separately |
| Section Content | |
| Vacancy Details | Post-wise and zone-wise vacancy table by category |
| Eligibility Criteria | Nationality, age limit, educational qualification |
| Age Relaxation | Category-wise upper age relaxation, COVID-19 relief |
| Selection Process | CBT, PET, PST, DV, Medical stages |
| Exam Pattern | Questions, marks, duration, negative marking |
| PET Standards | Running and weight-carrying standards for male and female |
| Medical Standards | Vision categories (A2, A3, B1, etc.) by post |
| Application Instructions | Step-by-step online application guidance |
| Fee Structure | Fees by category, payment modes, refund policy |
| Exam Centres | City list by RRB zone |
| Important Dates | All key dates from application to medical |
| Trade-specific Conditions | CCAA/NCVT/SCVT qualification requirements |
| General Instructions | Rules on multiple applications, conduct, canvassing |
| Annexures | Certificate formats for SC/ST, OBC-NCL, EWS, PwBD, ESM |
| Category Fee Paid Refund on Appearing in CBT | ||
| General (UR) and OBC | Rs 500 | Rs 400 (after bank charges) |
| SC / ST / PwBD / Women / Ex-Servicemen / Transgender / Minorities / EBC | Rs 250 | Rs 250 (full refund) |
For GEN/OBC, an amount of Rs 400 shall be refunded duly deducting bank charges, on appearing in the CBT. For SC/ST/PwBD/Women/Ex-Servicemen/Transgender/Minorities/Economically Backward, this fee of Rs 250 shall be refunded duly deducting bank charges as applicable on appearing in the CBT.
The refund is processed after the candidate physically appears for the CBT. Candidates who register but do not appear forfeit the fee regardless of reason.
The RRB Group D Exam Date 2026-27 for CEN 09/2025 will be conducted in June 2026 in three shifts.
| Stage Date / Status | |
| Application Closes | March 9, 2026 |
| Application Correction Window | March 12 to 21, 2026 |
| Application Status Available | May 2026 |
| CBT Exam | June 2026 (expected) |
| City Intimation Slip | 10 days before exam |
| Admit Card | 4 days before exam |
| CBT Result | Expected August to September 2026 |
| PET | Expected October to November 2026 |
| Document Verification | After PET |
| Medical Examination | After DV |
| Final Selection | Late 2026 to 2027 |
The Railway RRB Group D Exam 2025-26 started on 27th November 2025 and ended on 10th February 2026 in CBT mode. The RRB Group D Result 2026 for CEN 08/2024 is expected to be released in May 2026.
Two separate Group D cycles are active simultaneously. Candidates who appeared in CEN 08/2024 (November 2025 to February 2026) are awaiting results. Candidates who applied for CEN 09/2025 (applications closed March 2026) are preparing for the upcoming June 2026 CBT.
| Step Action | |
| 1 | Visit rrbapply.gov.in or the regional RRB website for your zone |
| 2 | Look for "CEN 09/2025" or "RRB Group D Notification 2026" link |
| 3 | Click to download the PDF in English or Hindi |
| 4 | Save and read the full notification |
| 5 | Pay particular attention to post-specific qualification, age, and PET requirements |
The notification is available on all 21 regional RRB websites. The English and Hindi versions are available. It is recommended to save the notification PDF locally as pages can occasionally be slow to load during peak traffic periods.
| Cycle Notification Year Total Vacancies Key Observation | |||
| CEN 09/2025 | 2026 | 22,195 | Current cycle; lower vacancy count |
| CEN 08/2024 | 2025 | 32,438 | Recent cycle; higher vacancies |
| CEN 02/2019 | 2022 | 1,03,769 | Mega recruitment cycle |
| CEN 01/2019 | 2019 | 1,03,769 | Record vacancy cycle |
The 2026 cycle is significantly smaller than the 2022 mega-cycle. This concentrates competition into fewer posts, making preparation quality more critical for merit ranking.
The notification specifies four stages of selection after the CBT.
| Stage Shortlisting Nature | ||
| CBT (Computer-Based Test) | All applicants | Merit-determining |
| PET (Physical Efficiency Test) | 3 times the vacancies from CBT | Qualifying |
| DV (Document Verification) | All PET-qualified candidates | Mandatory |
| Medical Examination | All DV-qualified candidates | Qualifying |
The final merit list is based entirely on the normalised CBT score. PET, DV, and Medical are all qualifying stages. There is no CBT 2 for Group D.
The Railway Recruitment Board has also released several supporting documents alongside the CEN 09/2025 notification.
| Document Content | |
| Zone-wise Vacancy PDF | Detailed breakdown of vacancies by zone, post, and category |
| Syllabus and Exam Pattern PDF | Official syllabus for CBT and PET standards |
| OBC-NCL Certificate Format | Prescribed format for OBC Non-Creamy Layer certificate |
| PwBD Guidelines | Post-wise suitability for different disability categories |
| Trade Certificate Guidelines | Specific conditions for ITI, NAC, and CCAA holders |
All supporting documents are available on rrbapply.gov.in and regional RRB websites alongside the main CEN PDF.
The CBT exam date (June 2026) is expected to be announced in May 2026. Candidates who use the waiting period productively will be in significantly better shape than those who begin preparation only after the announcement.
The full CBT syllabus is available in the CEN 09/2025 notification PDF. Begin systematic topic coverage now. Use the RRB Group D Syllabus Tracker to plan and track progress. Simultaneously, begin physical training for the PET to avoid last-minute preparation pressure. Use the RRB Group D Test Series for structured CBT practice across topic-wise, subject-wise, and full mock formats.
When was the RRB Group D 2026 notification released? The detailed RRB Group D Notification 2026 CEN 09/2025 was released on January 30, 2026, on regional RRB websites and rrbapply.gov.in.
What is the total vacancy in RRB Group D 2026? A total of 22,195 Level 1 vacancies have been announced under CEN 09/2025.
When is the RRB Group D 2026 exam date? The RRB Group D CEN 09/2025 CBT is expected to be held in June 2026. The official exam date has not been released yet as of mid-May 2026. Candidates should monitor rrbapply.gov.in for the official announcement expected in May 2026.
Is there a CBT 2 for Group D? No. RRB has confirmed that RRB Group D will be a single-stage exam. The single CBT is followed by PET, Document Verification, and Medical Examination.
Can I apply now for CEN 09/2025? No. The application window for CEN 09/2025 closed on March 9, 2026. The correction window also closed on March 21, 2026. The next application opportunity will be the CEN for the 2027 cycle.
What is the application fee for RRB Group D 2026? Rs 500 for General and OBC candidates (Rs 400 refunded after appearing in CBT). Rs 250 for SC, ST, PwBD, Women, Ex-Servicemen, Transgender, Minorities, and EBC (full refund after appearing).
Stay updated with the latest news and notifications about RRB Group D Notification 2026: CEN 09/2025 Official Details, 22195 Vacancies and Exam Dates and other exams.
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