Railway Junior Engineer Vacancy 2026: Eligibility, CBT Pattern and Complete Guide
This is the notification lakhs of diploma engineers wait for every year. The Railway Recruitment Boards (RRB) have released the detailed CEN No. 04/2026 for 3,993 Junior Engineer and Depot Material Superintendent posts, every one at Pay Level 6 with an initial pay of ₹35,400. Follow all railway recruitment notifications as this cycle progresses.
Applications open 14 August 2026 and close 13 September 2026 at 11:59 PM, with fees payable until 15 September 2026. Age is reckoned as on 1 January 2027, which gives many borderline candidates an extra chance. Selection runs through CBT-1, CBT-2, Document Verification and Medical Examination. Read every line, and keep GovtJobsAlert.in with you through the process.
Key Highlights — RRB JE CEN 04/2026 Recruitment
This CEN runs through 21 RRBs — Ahmedabad, Ajmer, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Bilaspur, Chandigarh, Chennai, Gorakhpur, Guwahati, Jammu-Srinagar, Kolkata, Malda, Mumbai, Muzaffarpur, Patna, Prayagraj, Ranchi, Secunderabad, Siliguri and Thiruvananthapuram. You may apply to only one RRB, and this is the most expensive mistake on this CEN: more than one application — to different RRBs, or twice to the same one, including near-duplicates — means all your applications are rejected and you are debarred from every future RRB and RRC examination. An outstanding opening for diploma holders in engineering.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Post Names | Junior Engineer (all disciplines), Depot Material Superintendent |
| Total Vacancies | 3,993 |
| Pay Level | Level 6 (7th CPC) — initial pay ₹35,400 |
| Job Location | All over India — railway zones and production units |
| Age Limit | 18 to 33 years (as on 1 January 2027) |
| Last Date to Apply | 13 September 2026 |
How Many Vacancies are there in RRB JE CEN 04/2026?
The notification lists 37 post and discipline sub-categories. RRB states these vacancies are provisional and may increase or decrease, with a revised vacancy table published if that happens. Annexure B also publishes the community-wise split.
| Category | Vacancies |
|---|---|
| UR | 1,699 |
| SC | 624 |
| ST | 363 |
| OBC-NCL | 913 |
| EWS | 394 |
| Total | 3,993 |
| Ex-Servicemen (horizontal) | 387 |
| PwBD (horizontal) | 193 |
Here is the complete post-wise list exactly as announced.
| Post Name | Vacancies |
|---|---|
| JE / P. Way (P. Way Dept) | 826 |
| JE / Works (Works Dept) | 468 |
| JE / Carriage and Wagon | 428 |
| JE / Mechanical (Workshop) | 357 |
| Depot Material Superintendent | 324 |
| JE / Civil / Design Drawing and Estimation (Design Dept) | 194 |
| JE / S and T / Signal | 190 |
| JE / Mechanical (Production Unit) | 178 |
| JE / Electrical / TRD | 170 |
| JE / Electrical / TRS | 158 |
| JE / Electrical / General Services | 111 |
| JE / S and T / Telecommunication | 79 |
| JE / Track Machine | 60 |
| JE / Diesel Mechanical | 45 |
| JE / Electrical / EMU | 44 |
| JE / Bridge | 44 |
| JE / Diesel Electrical | 40 |
| JE / Electrical / Design Drawing and Estimation (Design Dept) | 39 |
| JE / Electrical (Production Unit) | 38 |
| JE / Electrical (Workshop) | 33 |
| JE / Millwright | 29 |
| JE / S and T / Design Drawing and Estimation | 21 |
| JE / Mechanical / Design Drawing and Estimation (Design Dept) | 18 |
| JE (Research) / Civil | 13 |
| JE / S and T (Workshop) | 12 |
| JE / Mechanical / Design Drawing and Estimation (Production Unit) | 9 |
| JE / Civil / Design Drawing and Estimation (Production Unit) | 9 |
| JE / Design / Mechanical | 9 |
| JE / Civil | 8 |
| JE / Design / Civil | 8 |
| JE / Works (Production Unit Dept) | 7 |
| JE / Design / C and W | 6 |
| JE / Design / MP | 6 |
| JE / Design / S and T | 5 |
| JE / Design / Electrical | 4 |
| JE / Electrical / Design Drawing and Estimation (Production Unit) | 2 |
| JE / P. Way (Production Unit Dept) | 1 |
| Total | 3,993 |
What is the Eligibility for RRB JE CEN 04/2026?
Educational Qualification
| Post | Qualification |
|---|---|
| Junior Engineer (all disciplines) | Three-year Diploma in Engineering in the relevant discipline, or a combination of any sub-stream of the same basic streams |
| Depot Material Superintendent | Three-year Diploma in Engineering in any discipline |
| In place of a diploma | A B.E. or B.Tech in the same discipline is accepted |
| Civil and Allied posts only | A three-year B.Sc. in Civil Engineering is also accepted |
Eligible diploma streams span the full technical spectrum — Mechanical, Production, Automobile, Manufacturing, Mechatronics, Industrial, Machining, Instrumentation and Control, Tools and Machining, Tools and Die Making, Electrical, Electronics, Communication, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Information Technology, and Civil Engineering, each mapped to its relevant post. Engineering degree holders are equally welcome. One warning that costs candidates every year: the qualification must be completed on or before 13 September 2026 — those awaiting final results are not eligible. Several other gates sit far from the vacancy table and decide candidature outright.
| Gate | What it means |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Indian citizens, or citizens of Nepal, subjects of Bhutan, or persons of Indian origin who migrated from listed countries — everyone except Indian citizens needs a GoI certificate of eligibility, produced at DV or the candidature is rejected |
| Currently debarred | Candidates debarred by any RRB or RRC must not apply; candidature is rejected whenever detected |
| Dismissed from service | Candidates dismissed by the Centre, a State, a PSU or any government organisation are not eligible |
| OBC-NCL certificate | Must be issued on or after 1 April 2026 and by 13 September 2026, in the Annexure II format, plus the Annexure II(A) self-declaration at DV — and your caste must be on the central list, not just a state list |
| Serving employees | Government, Railway or PSU staff (including those on training or probation) must inform their employer and produce an NOC on the DV date, or candidature is cancelled |
| Community lock-in | If you are shortlisted for CBT-2 using a community, PwBD or ExSM benefit, you are considered only against that community at every later stage |
| Ex-Servicemen already in civil Group C/D posts | Keep only the age relaxation — they are not considered against ExSM-reserved vacancies |
Age Limit
| Age Criteria | Details |
|---|---|
| Minimum Age | 18 years |
| Maximum Age | 33 years |
| Age Reckoned As On | 1 January 2027 |
🎂 Not sure if you meet the age criteria? Use our free Age Calculator for Government Exams to find your exact age on the cut-off date and instantly check your eligibility — including SC / ST / OBC / PwBD age relaxation. →
| Category | Relaxation |
|---|---|
| SC / ST | 5 years |
| OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) | 3 years |
| PwBD (UR / EWS) | 10 years |
| PwBD (OBC-NCL) | 13 years |
| PwBD (SC / ST) | 15 years |
| Ex-Servicemen, min. 6 months service after attestation (UR / EWS) | 3 years after deducting service |
| Ex-Servicemen (OBC-NCL) | 6 years after deducting service |
| Ex-Servicemen (SC / ST) | 8 years after deducting service |
| Widowed, divorced or judicially separated women, not remarried (UR / EWS) | Up to 35 years |
| Widowed / divorced / separated women (OBC-NCL) | Up to 38 years |
| Widowed / divorced / separated women (SC / ST) | Up to 40 years |
| Railway Quasi-Administrative staff (canteens, co-op societies) | Length of service rendered or 5 years, whichever is less |
Serving railway Group C and erstwhile Group D staff and substitutes with three years of service get an upper limit of 40 years (UR/EWS), 43 (OBC-NCL) and 45 (SC/ST).
| Rule governing the whole table | Effect |
|---|---|
| Certificate required | No relaxation without the requisite certificate |
| Applying against a UR vacancy | SC, ST and OBC-NCL get no age relaxation at all |
| Qualifying on more than one ground | You get the single largest relaxation, never the sum |
What is the Salary for RRB JE CEN 04/2026?
All 37 post categories sit at the same level, which makes the pay picture simple.
| Pay Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Pay Level | Level 6 (7th CPC) |
| Initial Basic Pay | ₹35,400 |
| Applicable to | All JE disciplines and Depot Material Superintendent |
The notification fixes pay at Level 6 of the 7th CPC with an initial basic pay of ₹35,400. DA, HRA and Transport Allowance follow Railway rules and are not itemised separately in this CEN.
Railway service also brings quarters where available, medical facilities, travel passes, pension and a clear ladder to Senior Section Engineer. Medical standards vary by post — each post’s standard is in the Medical Standard column of Annexure A, so look yours up first. This matters if you have had eye surgery: candidates who have undergone LASIK or any other refractive-error surgery are not eligible for any post requiring Medical Standard A-3, which covers P. Way, Signal, Telecommunication, TRD, TRS, EMU, Bridge and Track Machine.
What is the Selection Process for RRB JE CEN 04/2026?
Four stages, each filtering further — plan for the long haul.
Stage 1: First Stage CBT (CBT-1)
Common to all posts and screening in nature: 100 questions for 100 marks in 90 minutes (120 minutes with a scribe).
| Subject | Questions |
|---|---|
| Mathematics | 30 |
| General Science | 30 |
| General Intelligence & Reasoning | 25 |
| General Awareness | 15 |
Negative marking is one-third of the marks allotted to that question for every wrong answer. The section-wise split above is indicative only — RRB says the actual paper may vary. Minimum qualifying marks are 40% for UR and EWS, 30% for OBC-NCL and SC, 25% for ST, relaxable by 2 marks for PwBD candidates where PwBD vacancies remain unfilled. CBT-1 marks are used only for shortlisting and are not carried forward.
Stage 2: Second Stage CBT (CBT-2)
Shortlisting is at 15 times the community-wise vacancy per RRB on normalised CBT-1 marks, though Railways may raise or lower that limit to ensure enough candidates. CBT-2 has 150 questions for 150 marks in 120 minutes (160 minutes with a scribe).
| Subject | Questions |
|---|---|
| Technical Abilities | 100 |
| General Awareness | 15 |
| Physics & Chemistry | 15 |
| Basics of Computers and Applications | 10 |
| Basics of Environment and Pollution Control | 10 |
Negative marking is again one-third of the marks allotted per question, the same qualifying percentages apply, and an on-screen virtual calculator is provided. Technical Abilities follows your Exam Group — Mechanical, Electrical, Electronics or Civil and Allied — so revise against the correct group using exam syllabus and pattern guides.
Stage 3: Document Verification
Shortlisting is RRB-wise at a 1:1 ratio of vacancies on normalised CBT-2 marks, with all originals checked against your application.
Stage 4: Medical Examination
Conducted to the standard prescribed for your post in Annexure A. A candidate who clears both CBTs can still be found unfit, and no alternative appointment is offered — but you get one last and final Medical Appeal on payment of the prescribed charges, and that result is final.
How to Apply Online for RRB JE CEN 04/2026?
Keep your mobile number, email ID and Aadhaar ready — account details cannot be edited later.
| Step | What to Do |
|---|---|
| 1 | Create an account on the RRB portal with mobile number and email ID (see Essential Links below) |
| 2 | Complete Aadhaar or DigiLocker authentication (strongly recommended) |
| 3 | Fill the application and select one RRB only, with zone and post preferences |
| 4 | Capture a live photograph by webcam or phone camera — pre-existing photos cannot be uploaded. Wear dark, non-white clothing; no cap, mask or spectacles |
| 5 | Upload your signature in the prescribed JPG format |
| 6 | Pay the fee online and wait for the confirmation email and SMS |
| 7 | Save and print the submitted application |
The CBT can be taken in English, Hindi and 13 regional languages. A modification window runs 16 to 25 September 2026 on a non-refundable ₹250 fee per modification — but your chosen RRB, email ID and mobile number can never be changed, and nothing is entertained after 25 September. Biometrics are recorded at every stage, so avoid henna before an exam date. Candidates without internet access can use Common Service Centres.
What are the Important Dates for RRB JE CEN 04/2026?
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Indicative Notice in Employment News | 25 July 2026 |
| Online Application Opens | 14 August 2026 |
| Last Date to Apply Online | 13 September 2026 (11:59 PM) |
| Last Date for Fee Payment | 15 September 2026 |
| Application Modification Window | 16 to 25 September 2026 |
| Scribe Details Submission Window | 26 to 30 September 2026 |
| Age Reckoned As On | 1 January 2027 |
| CBT, DV and Medical Dates | To be announced later |
What is the Application Fee for RRB JE CEN 04/2026?
| Category | Fee |
|---|---|
| General / OBC-NCL / EWS | ₹500 |
| SC, ST, Ex-Servicemen, PwBD, Female, Transgender, Minorities, EBC | ₹250 |
Payment is online only — internet banking, debit or credit card, or UPI. Part of the fee comes back, but only on conditions.
| Condition | Detail |
|---|---|
| Refund trigger | Paid only if you actually appear in CBT-1, after bank charges |
| Refund route | Solely to a bank account seeded with your Aadhaar, validated during the application |
| No refund | On incomplete, unsubmitted or rejected applications |
| Minority concession | Needs an Annexure IV affidavit at Document Verification |
| EBC concession | Family income below ₹50,000; certificate must be valid on the date you apply. EBC is a fee concession only, never job reservation |
| SC / ST free Sleeper Class pass | For CBT, DV and medical — only if you opt for it in the application and upload the caste certificate then |
Essential Links — RRB JE CEN 04/2026 Recruitment
- Download Official Notification PDF
- Apply Online for RRB JE CEN 04/2026
- Visit RRB Official Website
- Join WhatsApp Channel for Government Jobs
- Join Telegram Channel for Government Jobs
3,993 railway posts at Level 6 do not come along every year, and the exam is still months away — so you have real time to prepare. Fill your form before 13 September 2026, pick your RRB thoughtfully, and begin with Technical Abilities: it alone carries 100 of the 150 marks in CBT-2. Keep visiting GovtJobsAlert.in for every railway job and RRB exam update.