RRB Station Master 2026: 1,250 Posts, Apply 27 Oct–25 Nov

RRB Station Master recruitment 2026 is coming with about 1,250 posts. The Railway Recruitment Boards have published an indicative notice for CEN 08/2026. Online applications are expected from 27 October to 25 November 2026 on rrbapply.gov.in. Any graduate can apply, and the post is Level 6, with a starting basic pay of ₹35,400.

This is the first time Station Master has its own notification. Until now it was one of the NTPC Graduate posts. The exam is new too: one CBT, then an aptitude test. Here’s what’s official so far and what to get ready before 27 October.

Detail	Information
Recruiting body	Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs), Ministry of Railways
Notification	CEN 08/2026 (indicative notice No. RRB/AIII/Advt./CEN/08/2026)
Post	Station Master
Vacancies	About 1,250 (all RRBs, tentative)
Apply online	27 October to 25 November 2026, 11:59 PM (both tentative)
Pay	Level 6, 7th CPC (basic ₹35,400)
Qualification	Graduation in any stream
Age	20–33 years (per Railway Board guidelines), counted as on 1 January 2027
Medical standard	A-2
Selection	CBT → CBAT → Document verification → Medical
Fee	Not announced yet
Exam date	Not announced yet
Apply at	rrbapply.gov.in

What the RRB Station Master 2026 notice says

The notice is short. It confirms the post, pay level, tentative dates and the total vacancy count, and leaves the rest to the detailed CEN. The age and medical standard columns both say “As per the detailed CEN”.

Three things in it are worth acting on now:

• Aadhaar verification matters. RRB asks you to verify your details with Aadhaar while applying. Non-Aadhaar-verified forms face detailed scrutiny at every stage.
• Your Aadhaar must match your 10th certificate 100%. Full name and date of birth, exactly. Update your Aadhaar photo and biometrics (fingerprint and iris) too.
• Only the detailed CEN counts. The notice says all rules will be as per the detailed CEN 08/2026, published on rrb.indianrailways.gov.in.

Aadhaar updates can take a week or more. If your name spelling or date of birth differs from your 10th certificate, start the correction today.

Why Station Master has a separate notification now

On 7 October 2026, the Railway Board wrote to all zones and RRBs that from 2026, Station Master recruitment will be notified separately. That’s why our RRB NTPC Graduate 2026 post has no Station Master vacancy this year.

For context, the last NTPC Graduate notification (CEN 05/2024) had 994 Station Master posts. This year’s 1,250 is a bit higher, and you’re no longer mixed into one big NTPC merit list with other posts.

Eligibility

Educational qualification

A graduation degree from a recognised university or its equivalent. BA, BCom, BSc, BTech, all fine.

Whether final-year students can apply isn’t stated yet. In the 2026 NTPC Graduate notification, they couldn’t: the degree had to be complete by the last date. Expect the same, but check the detailed CEN.

Age limit

The Railway Board guidelines give 20 to 33 years for Station Master. This already includes a 3-year relaxation from a 2018 Board order. The short notice says age will be counted as on 1 January 2027.

So for UR candidates, that likely means you were born between 2 January 1994 and 1 January 2007. Reserved category relaxation (usually 3 years for OBC-NCL and 5 for SC/ST in RRB exams) will be confirmed in the detailed CEN.

Medical standard: A-2

This one rules out a lot of people, so check it first. A-2 is the same standard as Goods Train Manager. In RRB notifications, A-2 means 6/9 distant vision in each eye without glasses, plus colour vision, night vision and binocular vision tests.

If you wear glasses, or have had LASIK, you will most likely fail the medical. The Railway Board letter also says the post is not suitable for PwBD candidates in any category.

Selection process and exam pattern

Stage	What it is
1. CBT	Single-stage computer test, 100 marks, 120 minutes
2. CBAT	Computer Based Aptitude Test, for 8 times the vacancies (RRB-wise), picked on CBT merit
3. DV and medical	1:1 of the vacancies, RRB-wise, on combined merit

Final merit = 70% CBT + 30% CBAT. Only candidates who pass the CBAT are considered.

This is a big change from NTPC, where you wrote CBT 1, then CBT 2, then CBAT. Now one CBT and the aptitude test decide everything.

The CBAT is a psychological aptitude test, the kind train drivers and traffic staff also take. It checks attention, memory, reaction speed and perception. In the last NTPC cycle, Station Master candidates needed a minimum T-score of 42 in each test battery. The qualifying rule for CEN 08/2026 will be in the detailed notice.

Negative marking hasn’t been announced. RRB exams usually cut 1/3 mark per wrong answer.

RRB Station Master syllabus 2026 (new)

The Railway Board has given a new syllabus, to be used from this 2026 cycle. Notice what’s missing: there’s no General Awareness section. That’s the opposite of NTPC, where GA was 40% of CBT 1.

Section	Marks	Topics
Basic Science and Mathematics	30	Number system, ratio, averages, percentages, profit and loss, time-speed-distance, work, algebra, AP, LCM/HCF, geometry, trigonometry, area and volume, basic probability and statistics; units, mass and density, work, power, energy, friction, velocity, heat, basic electricity, levers and simple machines
Data Analysis and Interpretation	30	Tables, charts, graphs, pie charts, Venn diagrams, data sufficiency, data arrangement
Logical Capability	20	Syllogism, binary logic, clocks and calendars, assumptions, blood relations, puzzles; English reading comprehension passages
Mental Reasoning	20	Analogy, series, coding-decoding, ranking and arrangements
Total	100

So 60 marks are maths, basic physics and data interpretation. If you’re good at quant and DI, this exam suits you more than NTPC did. If you relied on GK and current affairs to score, you lose that edge.

The reading comprehension part is in English, according to the syllabus. Language options for the rest of the paper will be in the detailed CEN.

Salary and what the job is like

Station Master is a Level 6 post with a starting basic pay of ₹35,400 (pay scale ₹35,400 to ₹1,12,400). DA, HRA and other allowances are added on top, so the in-hand pay is well above the basic.

A Neale’s ball token instrument, once used by Station Masters on single lines to give trains permission to enter the next block. Photo: Rohini / Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

The work is about safety. A Station Master controls train movement at a station: signals, points, line clearance, and coordination with the section controller. It’s shift work, including nights, and your first posting is often a small roadside station far from a city. The job also has a clear promotion path into traffic and operations roles.

Honestly, it’s not a desk job. If you want fixed hours in a city office, look at clerk posts instead.

How to apply (from 27 October)

1. Go to rrbapply.gov.in once the link opens. Use only this site, and ignore “agents”.
2. Log in with your existing RRB account if you applied for any RRB exam in 2024–2026, or create a new one. Name, date of birth, mobile and email can’t be changed later.
3. Verify with Aadhaar, as the notice asks.
4. Choose your RRB. In other 2026 RRB notifications, you could apply to only one RRB, and more than one application got all of them rejected. Expect the same rule here.
5. Take the live photo, upload your signature, pay the fee and save the confirmation.

The fee isn’t announced yet. For comparison, the 2026 NTPC notifications charged ₹500 (₹400 refunded after the CBT) and ₹250 for SC, ST, women and some other groups (fully refunded). Treat that as last cycle’s figure, not this one.

Should you apply?

If you’re a graduate between 20 and 33 with good eyesight (no specs), yes. It’s a Level 6 post straight away, which is higher than most NTPC Graduate posts (Level 5).

But check the A-2 eye standard honestly before you spend a month preparing. And remember that 1,250 posts across all RRBs is not many. Posts per RRB are not announced yet.

My tip: start with the 60 marks of maths and DI now. That part rewards daily practice, and it’s the same base you need for the NTPC Graduate CBT. You can apply for both. If you’re 12th pass only, the NTPC Undergraduate 2026 posts are open till 13 November.

What happens next

• Around 26–27 October: detailed CEN 08/2026 with RRB-wise vacancies, fee, age relaxation and rules.
• 27 October: applications open (tentative).
• 25 November: last date (tentative).
• CBT date: not announced yet.

I’ll update this page with the RRB-wise vacancy table, fee and direct link as soon as the detailed notification is out.