The recruitment process for Indian Railways has a long and evolving history, reflecting the growth and administrative needs of one of the world’s largest railway networks.

Early Beginnings (1942–1949):

• The first Service Commission was established in July 1942 as an experimental measure for recruiting subordinate staff on the North Western Railway, with a chairman and two members.

• By 1945, additional Service Commissions were set up in Bombay, Calcutta, Madras, and Lucknow to recruit Class III staff and advise on disciplinary appeals.

• In 1948, the Indian Railway Enquiry Committee recommended making these commissions permanent, focusing solely on recruitment and removing their role in appeals.

Consolidation and Expansion (1949–1983):

• Due to financial constraints in 1949, all commissions were consolidated into a single entity in Bombay.

• Improved economic conditions in 1953–54 led to the re-establishment of commissions in Bombay, Madras, Allahabad, and Calcutta.

• Over the next decades, more commissions were set up to serve growing regional needs: Muzaffarpur (1973), Secunderabad and Guwahati (1978), Bangalore (1980), Danapur (1981), and several others in the early 1980s, including Ahmedabad, Ajmer, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Jammu & Srinagar, Trivandrum, Malda, Gorakhpur, and Ranchi.

Renaming and Modern Era (1985–Present):

• In January 1985, all Railway Service Commissions were renamed as Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs) to better reflect their role and structure.

• By 1998, a central coordinating body, the Railway Recruitment Control Board (RRCB), was established under the Ministry of Railways to oversee and standardize the functioning of all RRBs nationwide.

• Today, there are 21 RRBs functioning across India, each responsible for recruiting Group C staff for specific railway zones and divisions.

Key Milestones:

• 1942: First Service Commission established.

• 1945–54: Expansion and consolidation of commissions.

• 1973–84: Rapid increase in the number of commissions to meet regional recruitment needs.

• 1985: Renaming to Railway Recruitment Board (RRB).

• 1998: Formation of Railway Recruitment Control Board (RRCB) to coordinate all RRBs.

Current Structure:

• The RRBs operate under the supervision of the RRCB, which is headquartered at Rail Bhavan, New Delhi1.

• Their main function is to conduct transparent and efficient recruitment for various non-gazetted posts (Group C) in Indian Railways.

This historical evolution highlights the Indian Railways’ commitment to organized, regionally balanced, and merit-based recruitment for its vast workforce.