The railway plans to recruit about 100,000 people in the 2012-13 fiscal year, compared with more than 80,000 hired in 2011-13, Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi said on Wednesday.
Unveiling the ministry's budget to parliament, he also said the government planned to invest $147 billion for railways in the next five-year plan period that runs from 2012 to 2017.
Indian railways is one of the world's largest employers, with more than 1.3 million people, according to government data from 2009-10.