Railway GDCE Recruitment 2026: East Central Invites Applications For 910 ALP, 389 Goods Train Manager Posts; Apply Online At ecr.indianrailways.gov.in
· Free Press Journal
Railway GDCE Recruitment 2026: The Railway Recruitment Cell (RRC), East Central Railway (ECR), has invited online applications from eligible regular employees for recruitment under the General Departmental Competitive Examination (GDCE) 2026. The recruitment drive covers 1,479 vacancies across posts including Assistant Loco Pilot (ALP), Goods Train Manager, Technician, Junior Engineer, Station Master and other categories.
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The online application process began on September 15, 2026, and eligible employees can submit their applications until October 15, 2026, at 11:59 pm. The notification was issued under RRC/ECR/HRD/Rectt/GDCE/2026.
Applications can be submitted through the official ECR website, ecr.indianrailways.gov.in, under the Hajipur Headquarters/RRC Patna section.
Direct link to read the official announcement
Railway GDCE Recruitment 2026: Vacancy Details
Assistant Loco Pilot (ALP): 910 posts
Technician-III/Blacksmith: 2 posts
Technician-III/Fitter: 1 post
Technician-III/Mason: 1 post
Technician-III/Welder: 2 posts
Technician-III/Electrical General: 2 posts
Technician-III/TRS: 1 post
Technician-III/Mechanical Power: 5 posts
Technician-III/C&W/Welder: 19 posts
Technician-III/Signal: 8 posts
Technician-III/Tele: 5 posts
Junior Engineer/C&W: 15 posts
Junior Engineer/Dsl Mech: 6 posts
Junior Engineer/Electrical/General: 3 posts
Junior Engineer/Electrical/TRD: 1 post
Junior Engineer/P.Way: 7 posts
Junior Engineer/Works: 5 posts
DMS: 19 posts
Chief CCTS: 5 posts
Station Master: 9 posts
Goods Train Manager (GTM): 389 posts
Senior Clerk: 6 posts
Section Controller: 3 posts
CCTC: 42 posts
The highest number of vacancies is for ALP (910), followed by Goods Train Manager (389).
Who can apply for ECR GDCE Recruitment 2026?
The recruitment is open to regular employees of East Central Railway and RWP/Bela, except RPF/RPSF personnel. There is no minimum service requirement for eligible regular employees.
Employees who have resigned or transferred from East Central Railway are not eligible.
Candidates must possess the prescribed educational or technical qualification for the post they are applying for by the closing date of the application process. Those awaiting the results of their final qualifying examination are not eligible to apply.
Employees can apply for more than one post or examination group if they meet the eligibility requirements. However, ECR has cautioned that candidates may not be able to appear for multiple examinations if they are scheduled on the same day or on successive days at different centres.
Railway GDCE 2026 Age Limit
The upper age limit for the recruitment is:
UR: 42 years
OBC: 45 years
SC/ST: 47 years
The age will be calculated as on January 1, 2027. The notification specifies January 1, 2009, as the lower date of birth, with the applicable upper dates of birth varying by category.
Steps to apply
Eligible employees can apply online through the official ECR website.
Candidates should:
Visit ecr.indianrailways.gov.in.
Go to Hajipur/H.Q. → RRC/Patna and open the GDCE section.
Select the link for GDCE Notification 2026.
Click on New Registration.
Enter the 11-digit employee ID and date of birth.
Provide the required personal details, email ID and mobile number.
Use the registration number and password received through email/SMS to log in.
Upload the required photograph, signature and supporting certificates.
Submit the application and save the PDF or print a copy for future reference.
Candidates must upload a recent colour photograph, specimen signature and documents supporting their date of birth, educational/technical qualifications and applicable category claims.
The photograph should be in JPEG format, not older than three months and should show the candidate's clear front view without a cap or sunglasses. The scanned signature should be in running handwriting and not in block letters.
Railway GDCE Recruitment 2026: Selection Process
The selection process varies according to the post. It may include a Computer Based Test (CBT), Computer Based Aptitude Test (CBAT), Computer Based Typing Skill Test (CBTST), document verification and medical examination, wherever applicable.
For ALP posts, candidates will have to undergo the CBT, CBAT, document verification and medical examination as applicable.
For Technician posts, the selection process includes CBT followed by document verification and medical examination.
For Junior Engineer posts, selection will be based on CBT, followed by document verification and medical examination as applicable.
The CBT will be conducted in English and Hindi within the geographical jurisdiction of East Central Railway.
ALP Exam Pattern
For the ALP post, the CBT will have a duration of 120 minutes and comprise 100 questions.
The question paper will cover four sections:
Mathematics – 25%
General Intelligence and Reasoning – 25%
Basic Science and Engineering – 25%
Trade-specific section – 25%
Candidates who qualify in the CBT will be shortlisted for the Computer Based Aptitude Test. Candidates equal to eight times the number of ALP vacancies in each notified category will be shortlisted, subject to the prescribed conditions.
Candidates must qualify in each test battery of the CBAT separately. The final merit for ALP will give 50% weightage to CBT marks and 50% to CBAT scores.
Technician Exam Pattern
For Technician Grade III posts, the CBT will have 100 questions to be attempted in 90 minutes. PwBD candidates availing the scribe facility will get 120 minutes.
There will be negative marking, with one-third of a mark deducted for every incorrect answer.
The indicative distribution is:
Mathematics – 25 questions
General Intelligence and Reasoning – 25 questions
General Science – 40 questions
General Awareness – 10 questions
The minimum qualifying marks are 40% for UR candidates, 30% for OBC-NCL candidates, 30% for SC candidates and 25% for ST candidates. The prescribed percentage may be relaxed by 2% for PwBD candidates in specified circumstances.
Candidates have been advised to submit their applications well before the deadline to avoid technical difficulties caused by heavy website traffic.
The dates for the CBT, CBAT, CBTST and other stages will be announced on the official website. E-call letters will be made available online, and no call letter will be sent by post.