The Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) has released a tentative recruitment calendar for 2026, providing candidates with a structured overview of when major recruitment notifications are expected to be issued.
As per the tentative plan, the 2026 recruitment cycle is expected to begin with the Assistant Loco Pilot (ALP) notification in February 2026. This will be followed by recruitment for Technician posts in March 2026. The Section Controller notification is likely to be issued in April 2026, marking the end of the first quarter of the recruitment calendar.
The calendar indicates that Paramedical category posts and Junior Engineer (JE) recruitment are tentatively scheduled for July 2026. One of the most awaited notifications, Non-Technical Popular Categories (NTPC) for both undergraduate and graduate-level posts, is expected to be released in August 2026.
Further, the Ministerial and Isolated Categories recruitment is likely to be announced in September 2026, while the Group D Level-1 recruitment, which attracts a large number of applicants nationwide, is tentatively planned for October 2026, placing it in the final quarter of the year.
The Railway Recruitment Board has clarified that these timelines are tentative and indicative in nature. The actual notification dates, detailed eligibility criteria, vacancy numbers, and examination schedules will be announced separately on the official RRB regional websites in due course. Candidates are advised to regularly monitor official portals and notifications to stay updated on confirmed recruitment details for RRB exams 2026.