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The Railway Recruitment Cell (RRC), East Coast Railway, Bhubaneswar has released Notification No. ECoR/Pers/RRC-GDCE/2026 dated 07.08.2026, inviting online applications for the General Departmental Competitive Examination (GDCE) 2026. This exam is conducted to fill 25% of the net Direct Recruitment Quota vacancies in Safety and Non-Safety category posts. The notification was published on the official RRC Bhubaneswar website, www.rrcbbs.org.in, on 07.08.2026.

This is an internal/departmental recruitment exam, meaning only regular and eligible employees who have a lien in East Coast Railway (including the erstwhile Waltair Division/SCoR) can apply. Employees of RPF/RPSF are not eligible. A total of 1421 vacancies have been notified across seven categories of posts.

ECoR GDCE 2026: Important Dates

ECoR GDCE 2026: Vacancy Details (Category-wise)

Vacancies are provisional and may change (increase/decrease) at any stage as per the Railway Administration’s requirement. Detailed division/unit-wise vacancy break-up (Annexure-A) is available in the official notification, covering divisions like SBP, WAT, KUR, MCS, and ECoR HQ.

Division-wise Vacancy Break-up (Annexure-A)

Assistant Loco Pilot/Electrical (Pay Level 2):

Station Master/Operating (Pay Level 6):

Goods Trains Manager/Operating (Pay Level 5):

Junior Engineer (Pay Level 6): 22 vacancies spread across disciplines including JE/Track Machine/Civil, JE/P.Way/Civil (ECoR HQ, KUR, WAT), JE/Works/Civil, JE/Bridge/Civil, and JE/DD & Estimation/Civil, with 1 PwBD (Locomotor Disability) vacancy under JE/P.Way/Civil at KUR.

Technicians Gr III (Pay Level 2): 51 vacancies spread across trades including TCM/Tele/S&T, AC/Electrical, TRD (OHE)/Electrical, Power/Electrical, Track Machine/Civil, Fitter/C&W/Mechanical, Welder (multiple streams), Bridge/Civil, Blacksmith/Civil, Driller/Civil, and Fitter/Welder under CRW/MCS/Mechanical.

Junior Clerk cum Typist: 4 vacancies under ECoR.

Commercial Clerk cum Ticket Collector (Pay Level 3): 2 vacancies under SBP division.

Who Can Apply? Eligibility Overview

GDCE is strictly a departmental exam. Key eligibility conditions include the following.

Candidate must be a regular employee/lien holder of East Coast Railway (including erstwhile Waltair Division/SCoR). Employees who have resigned or transferred out of East Coast Railway to any other railway are not eligible. RPF/RPSF employees are excluded from this notification.

Employees working in a lower grade/pay scale than the post applied for are eligible for all categories. Employees working in the same grade/pay scale are eligible only for Non-Safety to Safety category posts, and Safety to Safety category posts.

Candidates must possess the prescribed educational qualification for Direct Recruitment as on the date of this notification. Candidates awaiting final exam results of the minimum required qualification should not apply.

Age Limit

Upper age limit is 42 years for UR candidates, 45 years for OBC candidates, and 47 years for SC/ST candidates. Age will be reckoned as on 01.01.2027.

No age relaxation is allowed to SC/ST/OBC-NCL candidates applying against unreserved (UR) vacancies. Date of birth filled in the application must match the Matriculation/SSLC/Xth certificate and service record; no subsequent change requests will be considered.

Educational Qualification and Post Parameters (Annexure-B)

Candidates should have the requisite minimum educational qualification as on the date of this GDCE notification.

Assistant Loco Pilot/Electrical: Matriculation/SSLC plus ITI (NCVT/SCVT) in trades such as Electrician, Fitter, Electronics Mechanic, Mechanic Diesel, Mechanic Motor Vehicle, Turner, Wireman, etc., OR Matriculation/SSLC plus Act Apprenticeship in the same trades, OR a 3-year Diploma/Degree in Mechanical/Electrical/Electronics/Automobile Engineering. Medical Standard: A-1 (Safety category).

Station Master (OPTG): Degree from a recognized university or equivalent. Medical Standard: A-2 (Safety category).

Goods Train Manager (OPTG): Degree from a recognized university or equivalent. Medical Standard: A-2 (Safety category).

Junior Engineer (various streams — Track Machine, P.Way, Works, Bridge, DD & Estimation): 3-year Diploma in Civil/Mechanical/Electrical/Electronics/Automobile/Instrumentation Engineering (or combination streams) or B.Sc. in Civil Engineering. Medical Standards vary by stream (A-3, B-1, C-1).

Technician-III (various trades — S&T Telecom, AC/Electrical, TRD/OHE, Power, Track Machine, Fitter, Welder, Bridge, Blacksmith, Driller): Matriculation/SSLC plus ITI (NCVT/SCVT) in the relevant trade, or Matriculation/SSLC plus Act Apprenticeship in the same trade. Medical Standards vary by post (A-3, B-1, B-2).

Junior Clerk cum Typist: 12th (+2 Stage) or equivalent with a minimum of 50% aggregate marks (relaxed for SC/ST/PwBD candidates and those with higher qualifications). Typing proficiency in English/Hindi on computer is essential. Medical Standard: C-2 (Non-Safety).

Commercial Clerk cum Ticket Collector (CCTC): 12th (+2 Stage) or equivalent with a minimum of 50% aggregate marks (relaxed for SC/ST/PwBD candidates and those with higher qualifications). Medical Standard: B-2 (Non-Safety).

Examination Process Overview

The recruitment process for all posts involves a Computer Based Test (CBT), followed by Aptitude Test/Typing Skill Test (wherever applicable), Document Verification, and Medical Examination.

There will be no supplementary exam for absentee candidates under any circumstances. Shortlisting for the Computer Based Aptitude Test (CBAT)/Typing Skill Test will be done to the extent of 8 times the vacancies. Candidates equal to the number of vacancies will be finally shortlisted for Document Verification based on merit.

Negative marking applies in the CBT for all posts — 1/3rd of the marks allotted for a question will be deducted for each wrong answer. There is no negative marking in the CBAT.

Minimum qualifying percentage in CBT: UR – 40%, OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) – 30%, SC – 30%, ST – 25%. These percentages may be relaxed by 2 marks for PwBD candidates in case of a shortage of PwBD candidates against reserved vacancies.

In case of a tie in marks, the older candidate gets higher merit; if age is also the same, alphabetical order of the given name is used to break the tie.

Post-wise Exam Pattern and Syllabus

Assistant Loco Pilot: Single-stage CBT (120 minutes, 100 questions) covering Mathematics (25), General Intelligence & Reasoning (25), Basic Science & Engineering (25), and Trade-specific section (25), followed by CBAT. Candidates need a minimum T-score of 42 in each CBAT battery. Merit list: 50% weightage to CBT, 50% to CBAT.

Station Master: Single-stage CBT (90 minutes, 120 questions) covering General Awareness (50), Mathematics (35), General Intelligence & Reasoning (35), followed by CBAT. Minimum T-score of 42 required in each CBAT battery. Merit list: 70% weightage to CBT, 30% to CBAT.

Goods Trains Manager: Single-stage CBT only (90 minutes, 120 questions) covering General Awareness (50), Mathematics (35), General Intelligence & Reasoning (35). No CBAT/Aptitude Test.

Junior Engineer: CBT (120 minutes, 150 questions) covering General Awareness (15), Physics & Chemistry (15), Basics of Computers & Applications (10), Basics of Environment and Pollution Control (10), and Technical Ability (100). Separate detailed syllabus is prescribed for the Civil & Allied Engineering exam group, covering topics like Engineering Mechanics, Building Construction, Surveying, Concrete Technology, Structural Design, Highway and Transportation Engineering, and Estimating & Costing.

Technicians Gr III: Single-stage CBT (90 minutes, 100 questions) covering Mathematics (25), General Intelligence & Reasoning (25), General Science (40), and General Awareness (10).

Junior Clerk cum Typist: CBT (90 minutes; 120 minutes for PwBD candidates with scribe) with 120 questions covering General Awareness (50), Mathematics (35), General Intelligence & Reasoning (35), with negative marking. Followed by a qualifying Computer Based Typing Skill Test (CBTST) — candidates must type 30 WPM in English or 25 WPM in Hindi. Typing marks are not added to merit.

Commercial Clerk cum Ticket Collector: CBT (90 minutes; 120 minutes for PwBD candidates with scribe) with 120 questions covering General Awareness (50), Mathematics (35), General Intelligence & Reasoning (35), with negative marking. No aptitude/skill test required.

Summary of Recruitment Stages by Post

Reservation Rules

SC/ST/OBC-NCL candidates must submit caste certificates in the prescribed format (Annexure-C for SC/ST, Annexure-D for OBC-NCL) at the time of Document Verification, not older than one year. OBC-NCL candidates must also submit a Creamy Layer exclusion declaration (Annexure-E). Failure to produce valid certificates will result in the candidate being considered under the General (UR) category, if otherwise eligible. There is no separate reservation for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) under this notification.

Normalisation of Marks (For Multi-Session Papers)

Where the CBT is conducted in multiple shifts, raw marks are converted to normalized marks using a percentile-equivalence methodology as per the RRB’s notice dated 09.02.2026 (Annexure-F). The topper of each shift is assigned a percentile of 100, and normalized scores are used to prepare the merit list, ensuring fairness across differing shift difficulty levels.

How to Apply: Steps for Online Application

Candidates should keep scanned JPEG copies of their passport-size color photograph, signature, and self-attested certificates (date of birth, educational/technical qualification, caste certificate, PwBD certificate) ready before applying.

Candidates click the application link on www.rrcbbs.org.in, fill in the details carefully, and click register. Once registered, no changes can be made to the application, and duplicate applications are not entertained. A unique application number is generated, and candidates should download and print the filled application in PDF format.

Photograph specifications: 35mm x 45mm, JPEG format, 100 DPI, up to 100 KB, not older than three months, without cap or sunglasses.

Signature specifications: black ink on white paper within a 50mm x 20mm box, running handwriting (not block letters), JPEG format, 100 DPI, file size between 10–40 KB.

A single online application is required even for multiple post preferences. Post preference, once opted, is final and cannot be changed at any stage.

Grounds for Rejection of Application

Applications may be rejected for reasons including missing PDF with Immediate Supervisor’s certification, incorrect educational qualification, overage, invalid photographs (black & white, wearing cap/sunglasses, selfie, morphed, group photo, etc.), signature in capital/block letters, incomplete or incorrectly filled applications, and any other irregularity considered invalid by RRC.

Hall Ticket / e-Call Letter

E-Call letters will be available for download from www.rrcbbs.org.in only; no call letters will be sent by post. Candidates must carry the e-Call letter along with a valid photo ID (Voter Card, Aadhaar, Driving License, PAN, or Passport) and the same photograph uploaded during registration. The self-declaration paragraph, signature, and left thumb impression on the e-Call letter must be completed only at the exam venue in front of the invigilator — pre-filling this section or signing in capital letters will lead to rejection.

Scribe Facility for PwBD Candidates

PwBD candidates with less than 40% disability and writing difficulty can avail scribe assistance by submitting a medical certificate (Annexure-G) and undertaking (Annexure-G(a)). Candidates with benchmark disabilities (Blindness, Locomotor Disability affecting both arms, Cerebral Palsy) can opt for a scribe in their online application and submit an undertaking as per Annexure-H. The scribe’s educational qualification must be one step below that of the candidate.

Malpractice and Banned Items

Any candidate found using unfair means, impersonation, or sending a substitute to appear in the exam will be debarred for life from all RRB/RRC examinations, besides facing departmental and legal action. Electronic gadgets, calculators, wallets, belts, shoes, and metallic items are strictly banned inside the exam hall.

Important Contact Details

For technical assistance related to online registration, candidates can email details along with relevant documents to rrcecor@gmail.com, or contact RRC on working days between 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM at 0674-2303106. For difficulties filling the online application, candidates can also call the helpline number 7303484063 or email support@ecorbbs.in.

Legal Jurisdiction

Any legal issues arising from this notification fall within the jurisdiction of the Central Administrative Tribunal, Cuttack. Applications under the RTI Act seeking information related to this recruitment will not be entertained until the entire recruitment process is complete.