The Union Public Service Commission conducts open competitive examinations for recruitment to all gazetted posts in the Railway Services. Qualification in the Combined Civil Services Examination of the UPSC held as part of the Indian Civil Service and allied examination, is the main criterion for entry into the following Railway Services:

· Indian Railway Traffic Service Group A (IRTS)
· Indian Railway Accounts Service Group A (IRAS)
· Indian Railway Personnel Service Group A (IRPS)
· Indian Railway Protection Force Group A (IRPF)
· Railway Board Secretariat Service Group B (Officer's Grade)

One must qualify in the Combined Engineering Services Examination for recruitment as junior officers in the following Railway Services:

· Indian Railway Service of Engineers (Civil)
· Indian Railway Service of Electrical Engineers
· Indian Railway Service of Signal and Telecommunication Engineers
· Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers
· Indian Railway Stores Service
· Special Class Railway Apprentices

A separate examination is conducted for the recruit of junior officers in the service of Mechanical Engineers called the Special Class Railway Apprentices. These candidates are selected at the pre-graduate level (10+2 with math's and physics) and have to undergo practical and theoretical training given by the railways at the Indian Railway Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineers, at Jamalpur. 

During the four years of training, trainees are paid a stipend. 

The medical test, which is part of the selection process, is not as rigid for non-technical services like the IRAS and IRPS, as it is for technical services including IRTS, IRPF and all the engineering services. The standards of the medical test are again flexible for entry to the Indian Railway Stores Service. 

All officers selected for the railways are organized into ten services according to their specializations. For selection into the non-technical Railway Services (Central Service Group A) i.e., Indian Railway Traffic Service, Indian Railway Accounts Service, Indian Railway Personnel Service, and Railway Protection Service, it is necessary to be a graduate, between twenty-one and twenty-eight years of age, and qualify in the CCSE (Combined Civil Services Examination). 

Those selected are appointed initially on probation for a period of 2-3 years, depending on the service. During this period, probationers undergo training at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie, or functional training at one of the railway staff colleges followed by one year of training, on-the job, in one of nine zones of the railway. 

Those selected for the railway engineering services are put on probation for three years-two years in training and one in a working post. At the end of the third year, probationers must pass the final examination, both practical and theoretical to be confirmed. 

On completion of the probation, the officer is posted in a rank in the junior scale. Promotion to the senior scale is after six years. Further promotions are to the junior administrative grade, level two and level one. In the selection grade, one is appointed as the Divisional Railway Manager at the Division Level. The zonal head is the General Manager. One has to possess a minimum of twelve years of service to be eligible for the senior administrative grade that is the Joint Secretary level.

The apex body that is the Railway Board consists of a Chairman, a Financial Commissioner and functional members. The members represent each of the wings of a railway-mechanical, engineering, traffic, etc. 

A member is equivalent to a Secretary to the Government of India. At the 
top of the hierarchy is the Chairman of the Railway Board The Chairman's post is equivalent to that of a Principal Secretary to the Government of India.

INDIAN RAILWAY TRAFFIC SERVICE (IRTS)

The IRTS looks after transportation and commercial matters of the railways. The IRTS comprises two functional divisions the commercial division (responsible for all objects carried by trains) and the operations division (controls the movement of trains). Commercial activities include ticket checking catering, railway administration and management advertising, etc.

Work Profile and Career Graph

In the Junior Scale, IRTS officers are appointed as Assistant Commercial Superintendent or as Assistant Operations Superintendent at the Divisional headquarters. An AOS looks after all in-coming and out-going trains at the station and is in charge of the number of wagons per train, and
overseeing of new wagons. 

An ACS is overall in charge of ticket arrangement, reservation on the train, and of announcements to be made on the platform, inspection of cargo booking etc. After four years, the IRTS officer is promoted to the senior scale as Divisional Commercial Superintendent (DCS) or Divisional Operations Superintendent (DOS), at the Divisional headquarters. The DCS is in charge of coaches. Duties involve traveling, visiting sites of accidents, inspecting control offices and stations night duties etc. 

In the field, at the JAG level, the IRTS officer is promoted as Senior Divisional Commercial Superintendent or Senior Divisional Operations Superintendent. The senior DCS is in charge of goods and wagons. This post is at the Divisional headquarters. 

In the zonal office, at the Junior Administrative Grade level itself; the IRTS officer is promoted as Deputy Chief Commercial Superintendent or Deputy Chief Operations Superintendent. In the selection grade, one is promoted as Additional Chief Commercial superintendent or Additional Chief Operations Superintendent. 

In the senior administrative grade, one assumes office as the Chief Commercial Superintendent or Chief Operations Superintendent.

INDIAN RAILWAY ACCOUNTS SERVICE (IRAS)

This service handles the accounting and finance section of the railways. The IRAS officer has to be well versed in accounts. Although the eligibility criteria for the CCSE do not specify accounting as one of the subjects that a prospective candidate should have studied, accounting experience is a definite asset.

Work Profile and Career Graph

In the junior scale an officer in the IRAS is posted at the Divisional headquarters as Assistant Divisional Accounts Officer and in the senior scale, as a Senior Accounts Officer. In the IRAS work areas include the maintenance of the accounts of the railways. 

Frequent touring is part of the job. The IRAS monitors the purchase of equipment and the cost ratio, bonus calculations, railway receipts of income and expenditure, borrowing from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank etc. 

In the junior administrative grade an officer is promoted as Senior Divisional Accounts Officer. In the senior administrative grade, an IRAS officer takes charge of a zone as Financial Advisor-cum-Chief Accounts Officer.

INDIAN RAILWAY PERSONNEL SERVICE (IRPS)

The work includes recruitment of all railway staff, planning such recruitment, deciding on promotions, postings, training welfare activities, issuing orders for transfers, promotions 
increments, disciplinary action, payments to be made in the event of an employee's death etc.

Work Profile and Career Graph

In the junior scale, an officer in the IRPS is appointed as Assistant Personnel Officer at the Divisional headquarters. In the senior scale, an IRPS officer occupies the post of Divisional Personnel Officer. 

In the junior administrative grade, the IRPS officer is posted at the zonal headquarters as the Deputy Chief Planning Officer, in the selection grade as Additional Chief Planning Officer and in the senior administrative grade, as the Chief Planning and Labor Officer or the Chief Personnel Officer at the zonal headquarters.

RAILWAY PROTECTION / SERVICE RAILWAY
TION FORCE (RPF)

The RPF under the Minister of Railways assists the government railway police functioning under the state governments in the handling of law and order and crime on the Indian railways. Training is imparted at Railway Staff College, Baroda.

Work Profile and Career Graph

In the junior scale, an officer of RPS joins as Assistant Commandant or Assistant Security Officer. In five years time, in the senior scale, he is promoted as Divisional Security Officer or Commandant. 

The work involves providing security to railway property such as tracks, personnel and equipment, inspecting property spread out in the area, coordinating with the state police and railway police. 

The Senior Commandant Headquarters grade is equivalent to the junior administrative grade. Thereafter, one is promoted to the post of Inspector General in the scale equivalent to IAS super time scale. Further promotion is to the post of Director General of the Railway Protection Force, equivalent to the Additional Secretary level.

RAILWAY ENGINEERING SERVICES

The Indian Railway Service of Engineers (IRSE) is wholly in charge of management and planning, construction and maintenance of railway tracks, bridges and buildings. Probationary Class 1 officers are trained at Railway Staff College, Baroda and at the Indian Railways Institute of Civil 
Engineering, Pune. 

The Indian Railway Service of Electrical Engineers (IRSEE) looks after the electrification of railways, maintenance of electrical locomotives, EMU coaches and allied activities. The probationary Class 1 officers are given training at the Railway Staff College, Baroda and at the Indian Railways Institute of Electrical Engineering, Nasik. 

The Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME) is in charge of maintenance, running and overhaul of diesel locomotives and also the maintenance of railway wagons and goods carriages. Class 1 officers on probation receive training at Railway Staff College, Baroda and at the Indian Railway Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Jamalpur. 

Thus, training of new recruits for the Railway Engineering Services is conducted at five centralized training institutes. All the services of the railways are at par and prospects for promotion are equally good in both the technical and non-technical cadres. Although, initially, the officer is allocated to a specific zone, later on it is a transferable job and one may be posted at any of the nine zones of the railways. 

Special Class Railway Apprenticeship Examination is held for appointment in the Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers. The four-year probation training is interspersed every six months with workshop training Periodic examinations are held to evaluate the probationer's progress. The four-year training is equivalent to a graduate degree in mechanical engineering.

Work Profile and Career Graph

The first posting is as Assistant Mechanical Engineer or Assistant Works Manager. One is posted at a Divisional headquarters in one of the nine zones of the railways. 0ne has to look after maintenance of diesel locomotives, rolling stock of railway wagons and goods carriages. One is also in charge of the drivers of engines and carriers. 

This is in the junior scale. At the senior scale, the posting is at a locomotive workshop as a divisional mechanical engineer or a divisional works manager. This involves the periodic maintenance of locomotives. 

In the junior administrative grade, one is appointed the Senior Divisional Mechanical Manager or Deputy Chief Mechanical Engineer. Further promotion is to the post of Chief Engineer or Chief Mechanical Engineer. Subsequent posting and promotion is to the General Department of the railways.