The Railway Recruitment Boards released the RRB JE 2026 notification, Centralised Employment Notice (CEN) 04/2026, on 13 August 2026 for Junior Engineer (JE), Depot Material Superintendent (DMS) and Chemical and Metallurgical Assistant (CMA) posts. Vacancies were first notified at 3,993 and later increased to 4,029, all at Pay Level 6 with a starting basic pay of ₹35,400.
Applications closed on 13 September 2026. CBT 1 is scheduled for 27 and 28 October 2026 under a revised RRB notice dated 2 October 2026.
- RRB JE 2026 Highlights
- RRB JE Exam Date 2026: CBT 1 Schedule and Timeline
- RRB JE Vacancy 2026: 4,029 Posts and Trend Since 2019
- RRB JE Salary 2026: Pay Level 6 and Estimated In-Hand Pay
- RRB JE Age Limit 2026
- RRB JE Eligibility: Qualification by Post
- RRB JE Exam Pattern 2026: CBT 1 and CBT 2
- RRB JE Syllabus: CBT 2 Technical Areas by Discipline
- RRB JE Application Fee and Refund
- RRB JE 2026 FAQs
RRB JE 2026 Highlights
CEN 04/2026 is the third RRB JE notification in three years, after CEN 03/2024 (7,951 vacancies) and CEN 05/2025 (2,585 vacancies).
| Detail | RRB JE 2026 |
| Notification | CEN 04/2026 (short notice 21 July 2026; detailed notice 13 August 2026) |
| Posts | Junior Engineer, Depot Material Superintendent, Chemical and Metallurgical Assistant |
| Vacancies | 4,029 (increased from 3,993) |
| Railway Recruitment Boards | 21 |
| Pay level | Level 6, starting basic pay ₹35,400 |
| Age limit | 18–33 years as on 1 January 2027 |
| CBT 1 date | 27 and 28 October 2026 |
| Selection stages | CBT 1, CBT 2, document verification, medical examination |
RRB JE Exam Date 2026: CBT 1 Schedule and Timeline
RRB first notified CBT 1 for 27, 28 and 30 October 2026 in a notice dated 16 September 2026. A revised notice dated 2 October 2026 cut the schedule to two days, 27 and 28 October. CBT 1 falls 75 days after the detailed notification and 44 days after applications closed.
| applications are | |
| Short notice | 21 July 2026 |
| Detailed notification (CEN 04/2026) | 13 August 2026 |
| Online application | 14 August to 13 September 2026 |
| Last date for fee payment | 15 September 2026 |
| Application correction window | 16 to 25 September 2026 |
| Scribe details submission | 26 to 30 September 2026 |
| Application status | 7 October 2026 |
| CBT 1 city intimation slip | 17 October 2026 |
| CBT 1 | 27 and 28 October 2026 |
| CBT 2 | To be announced |
The application window stayed open for 30 days. The city intimation slip was released 10 days before CBT 1; details are in our report on the RRB JE City Intimation Slip 2026.
RRB JE Vacancy 2026: 4,029 Posts and Trend Since 2019
RRB increased CEN 04/2026 vacancies by 36, from 3,993 to 4,029. The 2026 count is 55.9% higher than CEN 05/2025 (2,585) but 49.3% lower than CEN 03/2024 (7,951).
| Year | CEN | Vacancies | Posts | Change from previous cycle |
| 2026 | CEN 04/2026 | 4,029 | JE, DMS, CMA | +55.9% |
| 2025 | CEN 05/2025 | 2,585 | JE, DMS, CMA | −67.5% |
| 2024 | CEN 03/2024 | 7,951 | JE and allied posts | −41.0% |
| 2019 | CEN 03/2019 | 13,487 | JE and allied posts | — |
The three notifications since 2024 together carry 14,565 vacancies, 8.0% more than the single 2019 cycle. CEN 04/2026 vacancies are spread across 21 RRBs and 37 post categories in the original notice.
RRB JE Salary 2026: Pay Level 6 and Estimated In-Hand Pay
All RRB JE, DMS and CMA posts are at Pay Level 6 of the 7th CPC pay matrix, with a basic pay range of ₹35,400 to ₹1,12,400. The first annual increment of 3% takes basic pay to ₹36,500.
| Component | Amount |
| Pay level | Level 6 |
| Starting basic pay | ₹35,400 |
| Basic after first annual increment | ₹36,500 |
| Maximum basic pay in Level 6 | ₹1,12,400 |
| Dearness allowance (60% from 1 January 2026) | ₹21,240 |
| Estimated gross, X city (HRA 30%) | ₹67,260 |
| Estimated gross, Y city (HRA 20%) | ₹63,720 |
| Estimated gross, Z city (HRA 10%) | ₹60,180 |
| Estimated take-home, Y city, after 10% pension contribution | ₹58,056 |
The gross and take-home figures are KollegeApply estimates, calculated from the official DA and HRA rates on the first pay cell. They exclude transport allowance, income tax and other deductions. An RRB JE posted in an X-class city starts on ₹7,080 a month more than one in a Z-class city.
RRB JE Salary Growth Under MACP
Under the Modified Assured Career Progression scheme, a JE who has not been promoted moves up one pay level after 10, 20 and 30 years of service.
| Years of service | Pay level | Starting basic pay of that level |
| Entry | Level 6 | ₹35,400 |
| 10 years | Level 7 | ₹44,900 |
| 20 years | Level 8 | ₹47,600 |
| 30 years | Level 9 | ₹53,100 |
RRB JE Age Limit 2026
The age limit for CEN 04/2026 is 18 to 33 years as on 1 January 2027. OBC-NCL candidates get 3 extra years (up to 36) and SC and ST candidates 5 extra years (up to 38).
| Category | Upper age limit | Date of birth not earlier than | Date of birth not later than |
| UR and EWS | 33 years | 2 January 1994 | 1 January 2009 |
| OBC-NCL | 36 years | 2 January 1991 | 1 January 2009 |
| SC and ST | 38 years | 2 January 1989 | 1 January 2009 |
A candidate born on 1 January 2009 is exactly 18 on the reckoning date and is eligible.
RRB JE Eligibility: Qualification by Post
Each post group has its own qualification. Candidates can apply to only one RRB under CEN 04/2026.
| Post | Minimum qualification |
| Junior Engineer (Electrical, Mechanical, Electronics streams) | Three-year Diploma in Mechanical, Electrical or Electronics Engineering, or a combination of their sub-streams |
| Junior Engineer (Civil) | Three-year Diploma in Civil Engineering, or B.Sc. in Civil Engineering (three years) |
| Depot Material Superintendent | Three-year Diploma in any engineering discipline |
| Chemical and Metallurgical Assistant | B.Sc. with Physics and Chemistry, with at least 45% marks |
A degree in the relevant engineering discipline is accepted in place of the diploma for JE posts.
RRB JE Exam Pattern 2026: CBT 1 and CBT 2
RRB JE selection runs through two computer-based tests. CBT 1 is a qualifying screening test of 100 questions; CBT 2 decides merit with 150 questions, two-thirds of which test the candidate's engineering discipline.
RRB JE CBT 1 Exam Pattern
| Section | Questions | Marks |
| Mathematics | 30 | 30 |
| General Intelligence and Reasoning | 25 | 25 |
| General Awareness | 15 | 15 |
| General Science | 30 | 30 |
| Total | 100 | 100 |
CBT 1 lasts 90 minutes, or 54 seconds per question, with 1/3 mark deducted for each wrong answer. Mathematics and General Science together carry 60% of the marks. Candidates are shortlisted for CBT 2 at 15 times the number of vacancies, by category and post.
RRB JE CBT 2 Exam Pattern
| Section | Questions | Marks |
| General Awareness | 15 | 15 |
| Physics and Chemistry | 15 | 15 |
| Basics of Computers and Applications | 10 | 10 |
| Basics of Environment and Pollution Control | 10 | 10 |
| Technical Abilities (discipline-specific) | 100 | 100 |
| Total | 150 | 150 |
CBT 2 lasts 120 minutes, or 48 seconds per question, with the same 1/3 negative marking. Technical Abilities makes up 66.7% of the paper, and the final merit list for document verification is based on the normalised CBT 2 score only.
RRB JE Minimum Qualifying Marks
| Category | Minimum percentage in CBT 1 and CBT 2 |
| UR and EWS | 40% |
| OBC-NCL and SC | 30% |
| ST | 25% |
The minimum percentage may be relaxed by 2% for PwBD candidates if vacancies remain unfilled.
RRB JE Syllabus: CBT 2 Technical Areas by Discipline
The 100-mark Technical Abilities section is set for the candidate's own discipline. It carries twice the marks of the four general sections of CBT 2 combined (100 against 50).
| Discipline | Core areas in Technical Abilities |
| Civil Engineering | Structural analysis, concrete technology, fluid mechanics, soil mechanics, surveying, highways |
| Mechanical Engineering | Thermodynamics, manufacturing processes, machine design, fluid mechanics, heat transfer |
| Electrical Engineering | Circuit theory, electrical machines, power systems, control systems, measurement |
| Electronics Engineering | Analog and digital electronics, communication systems, microprocessors |
| Chemical and Metallurgical Assistant | Analytical chemistry, metallurgy, quality control |
RRB JE Application Fee and Refund
RRB refunds most of the fee to candidates who appear in CBT 1, so a General candidate who sits the exam pays a net ₹100.
| Category | Application fee | Refund after appearing in CBT 1 | Net cost |
| General, OBC, EWS | ₹500 | ₹400 | ₹100 |
| SC, ST, Ex-Servicemen, PwBD, female, transgender, minority and EBC candidates | ₹250 | ₹250 | ₹0 |
Bank charges are deducted from the refund.
RRB JE 2026 FAQs
The questions below are the ones candidates search for most, from "rrb je exam date" to "rrb je age limit", answered with CEN 04/2026 figures.
What is the RRB JE exam date 2026?
CBT 1 under CEN 04/2026 is on 27 and 28 October 2026, as revised by RRB's notice of 2 October 2026. The CBT 2 date has not been announced.
How many vacancies are there in RRB JE 2026?
4,029 vacancies, increased from the 3,993 first notified. That is 55.9% more than CEN 05/2025 (2,585) and 49.3% fewer than CEN 03/2024 (7,951).
What is the RRB JE salary?
RRB JE posts are at Pay Level 6, with a starting basic pay of ₹35,400. By KollegeApply's estimate, gross monthly pay with 60% DA and HRA is ₹60,180 to ₹67,260 depending on the city, and take-home pay in a Y-class city is about ₹58,056 before tax.
What is the RRB JE age limit 2026?
18 to 33 years as on 1 January 2027 for UR and EWS candidates, 36 years for OBC-NCL and 38 years for SC and ST. Candidates must be born between 2 January 1994 and 1 January 2009 (UR and EWS).
Is CBT 1 counted in the RRB JE final merit?
No. CBT 1 is a screening test that shortlists 15 times the vacancies for CBT 2. The merit list for document verification uses the normalised CBT 2 score only.
Can a B.Sc. graduate apply for RRB JE?
A B.Sc. with Physics and Chemistry and at least 45% marks qualifies for the Chemical and Metallurgical Assistant post. A three-year B.Sc. in Civil Engineering qualifies for Junior Engineer (Civil). Other JE posts need an engineering diploma or degree.
