Southern Railway Apprentice Recruitment 2026 Notice Out for 4,471 Fresher and Ex-ITI Vacancies Across Various Railway Divisions & Units

• Southern Railway has announced 4,471 Act Apprentice vacancies across workshops, divisions and other units.
• Vacancies include 163 Fresher and 4,308 Ex-ITI posts, requiring 10th, 12th or ITI qualifications depending on the trade.
• Online applications close on September 27, 2026, with merit-based selection and no written exam or interview.

Southern Railway has started recruitment for 4,471 Act Apprentice positions across its workshops, divisions and units, providing apprenticeship training opportunities for eligible Fresher and Ex-ITI candidates. The engagement is being carried out under the Apprentices Act, 1961 through the Office of the Chief Workshop Manager, Carriage & Wagon Works, Perambur, Chennai.

The Southern Railway Apprentice Recruitment 2026 application process began on August 28, with candidates given until September 27 at 5:00 PM to complete online registration. Of the total vacancies, 163 are earmarked for Fresher candidates and 4,308 for Ex-ITI candidates across multiple trades and units.

Selection will be based on academic merit rather than a recruitment examination or interview. Candidates must also meet the prescribed residential jurisdiction requirement, with applications restricted to specified states, Union Territories and districts falling within Southern Railway’s eligible area.

Southern Railway Apprentice Recruitment 2026 Notification

Southern Railway is inviting applications under Notification No. CPB/P1/98/Act/TP/Vol.XXI for Act Apprentice engagement in Carriage & Wagon Works, Perambur and other Southern Railway divisions, workshops and units.

Southern Railway Apprentice Vacancy 2026

The 4,471 vacancies have been divided into Fresher and Ex-ITI categories. The Ex-ITI category accounts for the majority of openings with 4,308 positions.

Fresher Apprentice Vacancies

Ex-ITI Apprentice Vacancies

The notified vacancies are tentative and may change. Candidates should refer to the detailed recruitment notification for the complete unit-wise and trade-wise distribution.

Age Limit

Age will be determined as on August 28, 2026.

The upper-age relaxation is three years for OBC-NCL and five years for SC/ST candidates. PwBD candidates receive 10 years of relaxation, increasing to 13 years for PwBD-OBC and 15 years for PwBD-SC/ST candidates.

Eligible States and Areas

Applications are restricted to candidates residing within the prescribed Southern Railway jurisdiction.

Eligible locations include the whole of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry, along with the Union Territories of Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep.

Candidates residing in SPSR Nellore and Chittoor districts of Andhra Pradesh and Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka are also included in the eligible jurisdiction.

Applicants should confirm that their place of residence meets the notification conditions before applying.

Southern Railway Apprentice Stipend 2026

The prescribed monthly stipend differs according to educational qualification and apprenticeship category.

The prescribed minimum stipend increases by 10% during the second year and 15% during the third year, wherever the training period extends to those stages.

Training Period

The apprenticeship duration depends on the trade and whether the candidate is applying under the Fresher or Ex-ITI category.

Application Fee

Payment, where applicable, must be completed through the prescribed online facility.

Southern Railway Apprentice Selection Process

There will be no written examination or interview for Southern Railway Act Apprentice Recruitment 2026. Selection will be based on a merit list prepared from candidates’ academic and technical marks.

For Fresher candidates, Matriculation marks will be converted to a total of 200 marks.

For Ex-ITI applicants, Matriculation marks will be converted to 100 and ITI marks to another 100, producing a combined merit score out of 200.

For MLT candidates, Higher Secondary marks in the prescribed subjects will be converted to a total of 200.

If two candidates obtain the same merit score, preference will first be given to the older candidate. If their dates of birth are also the same, the candidate who passed Matriculation earlier will receive preference.

Shortlisted candidates will subsequently be called for document verification. The tentative date for publication of the document verification shortlist is October 15, 2026.

Candidates Not Eligible to Apply

Course Completed Act Apprentices are not eligible for this recruitment.

Engineering graduates and diploma holders are also excluded, as are candidates holding vocational certificates with one year or more of training or job experience, subject to the conditions stated in the notification.

Candidates should therefore verify their eligibility carefully before submitting the application.

Important Dates

How to Apply for Southern Railway Apprentice Recruitment 2026

Applications for the 4,471 Act Apprentice vacancies must be submitted online through the Southern Railway recruitment system.

1. Visit the Southern Railway official website at sr.indianrailways.gov.in.
2. Open “News & Updates” and navigate to “Personnel Branch Information.”
3. Locate the Act Apprentice recruitment under Notification No. CPB/P1/98/Act/TP/Vol.XXI.
4. Read the complete notification and confirm your trade, educational and residential eligibility.
5. Open the online application portal and register using an active email address and mobile number.
6. Enter the required personal, educational, ITI and category information.
7. Select the appropriate Fresher or Ex-ITI category and applicable trade/unit.
8. Upload the photograph, signature and required certificates in the prescribed format.
9. Pay the Rs. 100 processing fee if applicable. SC, ST, PwBD and women candidates are exempt.
10. Review the application carefully and submit it before September 27, 2026 at 5:00 PM.
11. Save or print the submitted application and fee acknowledgement for future reference.

Candidates called for document verification will be required to produce their original certificates. Recruitment-related lists and subsequent notices will be published through the Southern Railway website.

Important Links

The apprenticeship engagement does not guarantee subsequent employment with Indian Railways. Candidates completing Act Apprenticeship training may, however, receive the applicable preference for Level-1 direct recruitment vacancies under prevailing Railway rules.