Gauri Chhabra
A career that has put today’s youth on fast track is that of Indian Railways. Having earned the sobriquet of the ‘Lifeline of our Nation’ it accounts for being the world’s fourth largest railway network. Owing its genesis to the year 1853, it has crossed labyrinths of time and space to emerge as a major mode of transportation for both freight and passengers.
Qualifications and skillset:
You can get in Indian Railways at different touch points from 10th standard to Engineering graduates in the varied operations.There is a bi pronged gateway into Indian Railway Service.
Approximately, 50 per cent of the candidates are recruited through the Combined Engineering Services Examination. The remaining 50 per cent are recruited as the Special Class Railway Apprentices for which U.P.S.C. conducts a separate competitive examination every year, or an allied examination by the Railways Recruitment Board, RRBs.
Recruitment to the Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS) and the Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS) is made through the performance in Civil Services Examination and that of the Indian Railway Services of Engineers (IRSE), Indian Railway Service of Electrical Engineers (IRSEE), Indian Railway Service of Signal Engineers (IRSSE) and Indian Railway Service Stores (IRSS) is made on the basis of the Combined Engineering Services Examination.
These examinations are held from time to time to select a wide variety of personnel. The broadly divided zones of Indian Railways and its divisions have technical and non-technical service departments, categorized under the groups namely A, B, C and D.
Group A and Group B posts are gazette posts which fall under the officer cadre. Selection to the posts in the Group A services is made through Civil Services Examinations conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), New Delhi. The minimum eligibility required for the Group A services is graduation in any discipline or an equivalent qualification for civil service; Degree in Engineering or M.Sc Degree or its equivalent for engineering service; Degree in medicine- M.B.B.S from any recognized University. Besides Engineering Service Examination, a Special Class Railway Apprenticeship Examination (SCRA) is also held for the selection of mechanical engineers. No special examinations are held for Group B officers.They are directly promoted from Group Cstaff. Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs) make appointments to Group B services posts.
Group C and Group D are non-gazetted subordinate posts. Group C comprise of the clerical staff, supervisors and skilled labor while unskilled and semi-skilled labor falls under the Group D class. Group C and D employees are recruited through the Railway Recruitment Boards, located at different parts of the country, which are controlled by the Railway Recruitment Control Board, RRCB. Besides, you can also take the route of non- gazette posts for maintenance of railway tracks, for repair and fittings in the daily wage category.
In case you are successful, you can join as technical apprentices and will be sent to the Indian Railways Institute of Mechanical Engineering. Here, you will be put through a four year technical course, once cleared; you will be directly recruited as officers under the cadre of Indian Railways Service of Mechanical Engineers, IRSME.If you come viathe SCRA route, you will have a distinct advantage over the others – you will climb the rungs of the railway ladder rather quickly, compared to your counterparts who join after clearing IES.
You may escalate up the career trajectory and go on to become General Manager& Member of the Railway Board. Here it is noteworthy that to become a GM, you have to put in stint as a Deputy Railway Manager.For technical level posts and lower level posts, the regional Railway Recruitment Boards conduct regular examinations for the posts of Drivers, Assistant Drivers, Stations Masters, Section Engineers etc.
For technical level posts and lower level posts, the regional Railway Recruitment Boards conduct regular examinations for the posts of Drivers, Assistant Drivers, Stations Masters, Section Engineers and the like. Meritorious sportspersons are also encouraged to join the Indian Railways under the Sports Quota. Doctors and surgeons can join the Railways, and they come under the Indian Railways Medical Service (IRMS) cadre. Railways have full-fledged hospitals at the divisional level & at zonal headquarters.
Apart from the officer cadre posts, you can also take the route of non- gazette posts for maintenance of railway tracks, for repair and fittings in the daily wage category.
Organizational Structure:
The organizational hierarchy of Indian Railways is that it is divided into seventeen zones which is headed by a General Manager (GM) who reports directly to the Railway Board. Each of these zones are further sub-divided into certain number of divisions – under the control of Divisional Railway Managers (DRM), each having a divisional headquarter. Every division has certain number of technical and non-technical departments, which form the base structure on which it functions. Technical departments comprise of civil, technical and mechanical engineering, signaling and telecom, and several others dealing with similar discipline. The non- technical departments include general services such as accounts, personnel management, Railway protection Force (RPF) or security and traffic services. Further down are the Station Masters who control individual stations and the train movement through the track territory under their stations administration.
Institute Scape:
Some of the training institutes including the six centralized training institutes (CTIs) are :
Indian Railway Institute of Transportation Management (IRITM), Lucknow
Indian Railway Institute of Civil Engineering (IRICEN), Pune for civil engineers.
Indian Railway Institute of Signal and Telecommunications Engineering
Indian Railway Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering (IRIMEE),
Indian Railway Institute of Electrical Engineering (IRIEEN), Nasik for Electrical Engineers
RPF Academy, Lucknowfor officers of the Railway Protection Force
Railway Staff College, Vadodara
Pay Packet:
Figures of there being more than 1.5 employees in the Railways speak volumes about the escalation and the growth path in this sector.Remuneration of each and every employee in Indian railways is fixed by the Government, and they can earn a monthly pay according to the pay scale of Govt. of India. The pay scale follows the pattern of all other civil services and it is revised from time to time.
It is one of the very few sectors that offers a lateral entry in many positions and is recession proof. Being under the direct control of the central government, the salary and perks are at par with that offered to the Government employees. Safety and security of job make it one of the superlative job options in India. Remuneration of each and every employee in Indian railways is fixed by the Government, and they can earn a monthly pay according to the pay scale of Govt. of India. The pay scale follows the pattern of all other civil services and it will be revised from time to time. In addition to the basic salary and perks, railway employees also get a lot of benefits like free railwaypasses to travel all over the country, housing facilities, health care facilities for the whole family, educational facilities for their children, provision for staying in the railway guest houses and many more. After retirement, each individual will get monthly pension according to the post and position held.
Future Track:
For those of you who are looking for a fast forward career into the future that gives you a stable and secure career that is able to with stand the shocks of financial tsunami, Career in Indian Railways is the best option.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
