The Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) has received approval for 11,127 Assistant Loco Pilot (ALP) vacancies for the 2026–27 recruitment cycle via Railway Board letter No. 2026(E/MPP)/25/13/ALP dated 19.02.2026; these posts will be filled through a Centralised Employment Notification (CEN 2026) across 17 Zonal Railways and Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW), with recruitment to Level-2 (7th CPC) and selection through multi-stage screening including CBT 1, CBT 2, CBAT, document verification and medical examination.
Official approval and reference
The Railway Board, New Delhi, has approved the issue of a Centralised Employment Notification for 11,127 ALP posts following vacancy assessments under the Indent Management Module of HRMS for all Zonal Railways and CLW. The approval is recorded in Railway Board letter No. 2026(E/MPP)/25/13/ALP dated 19.02.2026.
Recruitment overview
The sanctioned recruitment is for the post of Assistant Loco Pilot (ALP) at Pay Level-2 (7th CPC) and will be conducted by RRBs under the Ministry of Railways as a centralised process (CEN 2026). The detailed notification with application dates and complete eligibility criteria will be issued as part of the CEN 2026.
Vacancy distribution by zone
The following table presents the zone-wise distribution of the 11,127 ALP vacancies as approved by the Railway Board.
| Zonal Railway / Unit | Vacancies |
|---|---|
| Central Railway | 1400 |
| East Central Railway | 700 |
| East Coast Railway | 1625 |
| Eastern Railway | 608 |
| North Central Railway | 457 |
| North Eastern Railway | 105 |
| Northeast Frontier Railway | 1276 |
| Northern Railway | 740 |
| North Western Railway | 600 |
| South Central Railway | 674 |
| South East Central Railway | 200 |
| South Eastern Railway | 1531 |
| Southern Railway | 250 |
| South Western Railway | 200 |
| West Central Railway | 541 |
| Western Railway | 214 |
| Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW) | 06 |
| Total | 11,127 |
Selection process
The recruitment will follow a multi-stage selection process as indicated in the approval order; all stages must be cleared for final appointment.
- CBT 1: Objective-type screening test (qualifying for CBT 2).
- CBT 2: Domain-specific technical test at higher difficulty level.
- CBAT (Computer-Based Aptitude Test): Mandatory for ALP, with marks counted in the final merit.
- Document Verification (DV).
- Medical Examination (ME): Candidates must meet railway medical standards.
Eligibility and details to be provided in CEN 2026
Preliminary information from the approval indicates trade-wise qualifications will include 10th pass plus ITI or Diploma for relevant trades, but full eligibility criteria, age limits, exam pattern, syllabus and application dates will be published in the Centralised Employment Notification (CEN 2026).
How candidates should prepare and where to watch for updates
Aspirants are advised to begin preparation for CBT 1, CBT 2 and the CBAT and to monitor official RRB portals for the upcoming notification and application details. The official RRB application portal to watch for the CEN 2026 announcement is: https://rrbapply.gov.in
Significance of the recruitment
The approval of 11,127 ALP posts represents one of the largest ALP recruitments in recent years, offering Level-2 pay under 7th CPC, railway job security, allowances and potential promotion prospects to Loco Pilot; the centralised notification will allow candidates to select preferred zones during application.
