The Railway Recruitment Boards have opened the door to their next Ministerial and Isolated Categories drive: the indicative notice under CEN 09/2026 is out, pointing to around 195 tentative vacancies across zones. If you have been waiting for the railway's specialist and support posts, this is the window to prepare for — the detailed notification lands on 04-11-2026, and the online form runs from 05-11-2026 to 04-12-2026.
| Organization | Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs), Ministry of Railways |
| Recruitment | Ministerial and Isolated Categories, CEN 09/2026 |
| Total Vacancies | 195 (tentative, all zones) |
| Pay Levels | Level 2 and Level 7 of the 7th CPC pay matrix |
| Application Mode | Online only |
| Official Portal | rrbapply.gov.in |
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Indicative Notice Issued | October 2026 |
| Detailed Notification | 04-11-2026 |
| Application Begins | 05-11-2026 |
| Last Date to Apply Online | 04-12-2026 |
| Last Date to Pay Fee | 04-12-2026 |
| Exam Date | To be announced in the detailed notice |
The indicative notice puts the tentative strength at around 195 posts spread across the participating Railway Recruitment Boards. Post-wise and zone-wise vacancy break-up, along with the exact posts on offer, will be published in the detailed CEN 09/2026 on 04-11-2026 — the indicative notice itself does not name individual posts. Ministerial and Isolated Categories in past cycles have covered specialist and support roles such as publicity, law, translation, welfare, laboratory and scientific-assistant work, so candidates should match their qualification against the detailed notice before applying.
Eligibility will vary post by post, and the detailed CEN 09/2026 is the final word. As a guide, these drives typically ask for qualifications ranging from 10+2 with science for laboratory roles up to bachelor's and master's degrees, law degrees and diplomas in fields such as public relations, translation, labour welfare and psychology for the specialist posts. Do not file your form on the basis of an old cycle's criteria — wait for the 04-11-2026 notice and check the qualification, experience and medical standard prescribed for your chosen post.
Post-wise age limits will be confirmed in the detailed CEN 09/2026, with relaxation for reserved categories as per railway rules. The indicative notice does not fix a single age band for all posts, so applicants should verify the limit for their post once the full notification is out.
The fee structure will be published in the detailed CEN 09/2026. Candidates should check the fee for their category in the full notification before submitting the form, and pay only through the official portal.
The detailed notice will spell out the stage-wise process for each post. In this category of railway recruitment, selection generally involves a computer-based test, followed by post-specific skill or aptitude tests where the post demands them, and then document verification and medical examination. The exact stages differ by post, so treat the detailed CEN as the authority.
The Railway Recruitment Boards recruit staff for the zonal railways and production units of Indian Railways. Ministerial and Isolated Categories cover the specialist, technical-support and administrative posts that sit outside the large mass-recruitment categories, and they are filled through centralised employment notices issued for all zones together.
| Apply Online (from 05-11-2026) | rrbapply.gov.in |
| RRB Official Portal | rrb.indianrailways.gov.in |
| Detailed Notification | To be published on 04-11-2026 on the official RRB portal |
Around 195 tentative vacancies across the participating Railway Recruitment Boards.
Online applications run from 05-11-2026 to 04-12-2026 on rrbapply.gov.in.
The detailed notification is due on 04-11-2026, a day before applications open.
Through the official portal rrbapply.gov.in, or your regional RRB website.
The posts fall under Pay Level 2 and Pay Level 7 of the 7th CPC pay matrix, depending on the post.
No — 195 is the tentative figure in the indicative notice; the detailed CEN will confirm the post-wise break-up.