Railways on a hiring spree as over 225,000 posts remain vacant

In the wake of recent accidents, critics highlighted staff strength as a cause of concern for safety

At least 25,000 new employees are set to join the ranks of Indian Railways this financial year. This is at a time when the national transporter is staring at a shortage of over 225,000 employees.

“Nearly 25,000 new staff will be joining the Railways in 2017-18. Tests to recruit 18,252 posts, including assistant station master, inquiry-cum-reservation clerk, traffic and commercial apprentices, goods guards and junior accounts assistant have already been conducted. In addition to this, applications for another 7,000 assistant loco pilots will also be invited soon,” said an official source close to the development. 

Soon after this, vacancies for