Assistant Loco Pilot / Loco Pilot

Sit beside the Loco Pilot in the engine cab. Watch signals and the track. Check the locomotive before and after a trip. Help with small repairs. Learn to run the train, and move up to Loco Pilot over the years.

A day in the work
You report to the running room or lobby, usually 30 minutes or more before the train leaves, and check the engine with your Loco Pilot. On the run, you call out signals, watch the track and instruments, and keep a lookout for anything unusual. At the end of the trip you sign off, rest at the station's running room or go home, and the next duty could be at night. Your duty hours change from week to week because trains run round the clock.

1. Step 1 · Class 9–10Pass Class 10 (Matriculation/SSLC). Take Maths and Science seriously, because the exam tests them. Look after your eyesight from now on, because railway vision rules are strict.
2. Step 2 · After Class 10 (1–3 years)Do an ITI in a trade listed in the railway notice, or a 3-year diploma in Mechanical, Electrical, Electronics or Automobile Engineering. The 2026 notice lists the ITI trades. The diploma and apprenticeship options are from earlier notices, so confirm them in the latest one. (reported — check with the official body)
3. Step 3 · When RRB notifies (roughly once a year)Apply online only on rrbapply.gov.in when a Centralised Employment Notice (CEN) comes out. In CEN 01/2026 the age limit was 18–30 years on 1 July 2026, with relaxations for some categories. There were 11,127 vacancies in 2026 across all RRBs.
4. Step 4 · CBT-1 (screening)A computer-based test that shortlists candidates for the next stage. In 2026 it was scheduled for 3–5 November (reported). It is reported to have 75 questions in 60 minutes, with one-third negative marking. Its marks are reported not to count in the final merit. (reported — check with the official body)
5. Step 5 · CBT-2 and CBATCBT-2 tests Maths, Science and basic reasoning, and also your trade subject. The CBAT is an aptitude test for the job, and the notice asks for a medical self-declaration on CBAT day. The final merit is reported to be based on CBT-2 Part A and the CBAT. (reported — check with the official body)
6. Step 6 · Document verification and medicalOriginal certificates are checked. Then comes the medical test, standard A-1. The official notice asks for good general health, 6/6 distant vision without glasses, and a declaration about any LASIK or other eye surgery.
7. Step 7 · Training, posting and promotionSelected candidates get training in railway rules and in electric and diesel locomotives, then a posting in one of the railway zones. Marks in training are reported to decide seniority. A reported promotion path is Senior ALP after about two years, then Loco Pilot (Shunter, Goods, Passenger, Mail). Promotions depend on vacancies and on passing departmental tests. (reported — check with the official body)

• ITI routeClass 10, then ITI in a listed trade, then the RRB ALP exam. This is the most common route and starts earliest.
• Diploma routeClass 10, then a 3-year diploma in Mechanical, Electrical, Electronics or Automobile Engineering, then the RRB ALP exam (reported from earlier notices; check the latest CEN).
• Apprentice or degree routeEarlier notices also accepted Act Apprentices in the listed trades, and engineering degree holders in the same disciplines. Check the latest CEN before planning around this.

Fees from: RRB Chandigarh: Detailed CEN 01/2026 · RRB CEN 01/2026 detailed notice (Assistant Loco Pilot), exam fee and refund clauses · Kerala Diploma Admission Prospectus 2026-27 (Government/Aided Polytechnic fee section) · Govt ITI Bharari Himachal Pradesh fee structure · Delhi Govt ITI online admission portal (2026 notice) · Delhi ITI Registration Guidelines and Fee Structure for Online Admission 2026 (PDF). Fees change every year — check the college's own fee page before you pay.

Starting pay is fixed by the government pay scale, and it grows with promotions, allowances and the extra pay running staff get for kilometres and hours worked, so experienced loco pilots earn clearly more than new ALPs.

In CEN 01/2026 the post is marked 'Not Suitable' for persons with benchmark disabilities, and it needs the A-1 medical standard including 6/6 vision without glasses. Women can apply, and earlier notices gave fee concession and age relaxation to some women candidates (reported; check the CEN for your category).

• Class 7–9Build a simple circuit with a battery, a switch and a bulb, or open an old cycle or fan with an adult. Learn which part moves what. This is the kind of thinking the job needs.
• Class 10–12Read the official CEN 01/2026 PDF (trades, medical standard, selection steps) and get your eyes checked. Then choose between ITI and a diploma with a clear idea of what the exam needs.Open link ↗
• College or afterWhile doing your ITI or diploma, take a free NPTEL course on basic electrical or mechanical engineering to strengthen your trade subject.Open link ↗

• There is no direct entry as Loco Pilot. Everyone starts as Assistant Loco Pilot and is promoted over the years.
• Eyesight is a big hurdle. The official notice asks for 6/6 distant vision without glasses and a declaration if you have had LASIK or other eye surgery. Get your eyes checked early and read the medical rules in the CEN.
• Apply only on the official RRB website named in the notice (rrbapply.gov.in). The dates, vacancies and rules here are from CEN 01/2026. They change every year, so always read the newest CEN.
• Age relaxations (for example for SC/ST, OBC-NCL, ex-servicemen) are given in the CEN. Check your own category there.