Railway jobs through ESE 2026: IRMS, Vacancies, Posts, Eligibility & Career Path
The Engineering Services Exam, popularly known as ESE, is a highly prestigious exam conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). It is an exam for the recruitment of Group-A technical officers in various departments of the Government of India. Departments like Railways, CPWD, MES, BRO, CPES, etc., recruit Group-A technical officers through ESE. However, in this blog post we would focus only upon the railway jobs through ESE 2026. This blog would be helpful for the aspirants preparing for ESE 2026. This blog would also serve as a source of information for ESE 2026 aspirants who are dreaming of working as Group-A officers in Indian railways.
Railway Jobs through ESE 2026
In Feb 2020, it was decided that railways would recruit Grade-A officers through the IRMS (Indian Railways Management Services) exam. However, in a notification released by the railways board on 18th September 2024, it was mentioned that Grade-A officers in railways would be selected through ESE.
Railways is one of the most desired departments among ESE aspirants. This is because the nature of work in railways is techno-managerial. As it is very well known that railways is one of the highly technical departments of the government of India, working in railways helps aspirants to utilize their technical knowledge in the real world. Also, being a Group-A employee, lots of staff work under the selected candidates, which helps them in strengthening their managerial skills.
Apart from this, the high number of vacancies in railways in ESE makes it one of the most desired departments among all the other departments.
Generally, due to their good technical and managerial skills, the officers of railways often go on deputation in other departments of the Government of India or in various metro projects.
Let us have a look at the step-by-step process to join railway jobs through ESE 2026.
- Register for ESE 2026: Those candidates who want to join railways as a group A officer through ESE must have to register themselves for ESE 2026.
- Prelims exam: After registration, candidates have to appear in ESE 2026 prelims and clear it with good marks.
- Mains exam: Those candidates who want to join the railway through ESE 2026 must have to clear the ESE mains exam with a good score.
- Interview: A good score in the interview is very important for getting the desired department in ESE. The interview is generally the personality test of aspirants; it tests the thinking skills of aspirants.
After clearing all three steps, candidates are recommended in the order of their preference and the marks scored by them in all three stages.
In railways, after selection, candidates are designated by the post of AEE (Assistant Executive Engineer) with the basic pay of Rs 56100/ along with other benefits and allowances as per the 7th pay commission.
Railway departments through ESE
As said above, Group-A technical officers in railways are recruited through ESE, therefore the eligibility, exam pattern, age limit for railway departments is same as other departments through ESE.
On the basis of marks scored by candidates in ESE and post preferences filled by candidates, different services are allotted to the recommended candidates.
The different services that comes under railways are:
- R.S.E.E (Indian Railway Services of Electrical Engineers)
- R.S.M.E (Indian Railway Services of Mechanical Engineers)
- R.S.E (Indian Railway Services of Engineers)
- R.S.S.E (Indian Railway Services of Signal Engineers)
- R.S.S (Indian Railway Services of Stores )
ESE railway post-salary and career growth
Railways through ESE offers the post of Assistant Executive Engineer; however, the designation for the selected candidates varies as per their services. For example, candidates selected in the civil engineering department would be called I.R.S.E., electrical engineers would be called I.R.S.E.E., etc.
The promotion of a Group-A technical officer in the railway is given in the chart below.
Generally, the promotions in railways are time bound; however, for higher posts, the promotion depends upon the vacancy and many other factors. With each promotion, generally there is an increase in the grade pay and salary.
Why Choose Railways Through ESE?
All the departments through ESE offers lots of benefits to the recommended candidates. However, still some departments are generally the first priority of the candidates. Let us see why aspirants should choose railways through ESE 2026.
- Job security
- Career growth opportunities
- Less bureaucratic interference
- Practical application of engineering
- Respect and prestige in society
- Handsome salary
- Railways being the largest employer of country offers multiple profiles to group A officers
- Medical facility
- Railway accommodation
- Faster promotion
- Travel passes
- Good life style
- Learning opportunities
These are some of the benefits of working as a Group-A officer in railways. This is not the end of perks and benefits of railways; the list is very long. Other than the above-mentioned benefits, Group-A railway officers have good managerial skills, which helps them to join other departments on deputation and eventually their profile a lot.
Joining railways or not is the personal choice of students. However, being one of the oldest services, it has its own charm. But to get selected in railways, candidates need to clear ESE with top ranks. In the journey of ESE aspirants, MADE EASY acts as a supporting hand to aspirants. MADE EASY offers multiple courses for ESE in online and offline mode. Candidates can choose their courses as per their need. To view more details about ESE 2025 courses, aspirants can visit here. Other than classroom courses, MADE EASY also offers test series for ESE prelims 2026 and ESE Main 2026. To know more about the test series, candidates can visit here.
Those students who clear the ESE Prelims and Mains examination can join the MADE EASY interview guidance program. This interview guidance program acts as a mock test for the personality test of ESE.
FAQs
Can I join Railways through ESE 2026?
Answer: Yes, candidates can join railways through ESE 2026.
What is IRMS and how is it different from ESE?
Answer: IRMS stands for Indian Railway Management System, this system was introduced in 2020 for recruitment of various Group A officers in railways through separate exam.
What is the starting salary in Indian Railways through ESE?
Answer: The basic pay for Group A officers in Indian railways in Rs 56100-1,77,500 along with other benefits.
Are Civil Engineers recruited in Railways through ESE?
Answer: Yes, civil engineers are recruited in railways through ESE.
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