Order Details
| RBE No. | 70/2026 |
| Letter No. | E(NG)-I/2026/TR/14 (E-File: 3535712) |
| Date | 01.09.2026 |
| Issued by | Railway Board, Ministry of Railways (Establishment Directorate) |
| Subject | Inter-Railway Own Request Transfer (IRRT) of employee directly recruited as ESM Grade-II through RRB prior to policy change vide Railway Board No. 48/2018 |
| Effective from | Not specified in the RBE (issued on 01.09.2026) |
Summary / Introduction
Since RBE No. 48/2018, direct recruitment in ESM Grade-II has been discontinued and a 15% direct recruitment quota was introduced in ESM Grade-I with a higher educational qualification. As a result, employees directly recruited as ESM Grade-II before 26.03.2018 who lack this higher qualification could not take Inter-Railway Own Request Transfer. Para 312 of IREM Vol-I allows such transfers only in grades that have a direct recruitment element.
With RBE No. 70/2026, the Railway Board has removed this difficulty. These employees can now be considered for IRRT against a direct recruitment quota vacancy of ESM-I in the receiving Railway/Production Unit, subject to four conditions given in the letter.
Key Highlights
- Applies to employees directly recruited as ESM Grade-II (through RRB) before 26.03.2018.
- They may be considered for IRRT against an ESM-I direct recruitment (DR) quota vacancy in the receiving Railway/Production Unit.
- The receiving Railway/Unit must agree to the transfer and to downgrade the ESM-I DR vacancy to ESM Grade-II.
- The employee must hold the educational qualification prescribed for DR to ESM Grade-II as applicable before 26.03.2018.
- The employee is placed in ESM Grade-II, with seniority fixed under Para 312 of IREM and other extant instructions on own request transfer.
- The downgraded vacancy remains an ESM Grade-II vacancy until the transferred employee is promoted to ESM Grade-I. It is then restored to ESM Grade-I and filled against the DR quota.
| Grade | Position under this RBE |
|---|---|
| ESM Grade-I | DR vacancy is downgraded to Grade-II to accommodate the transferee; restored on his/her promotion to Grade-I |
| ESM Grade-II | Grade in which the transferred employee is placed |
Original Text of RBE
RBE No. 70/2026
भारत सरकार / GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
रेल मंत्रालय / MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
रेलवे बोर्ड / (RAILWAY BOARD)
No. E(NG)-I/2026/TR/14 (E-File: 3535712) New Delhi, dated 01.09.2026
The General Manager (P),
All Zonal Railways and Production Units.
(As per standard mailing list).
Sub: Inter-Railway Own Request Transfer (IRRT) of employee directly recruited as ESM Grade-II through RRB prior to policy change vide Railway Board No. 48/2018.
Ref: (i) Para 312 of IREM Volume-I.
(ii) Para 149 (4) of IREM Volume-I.
(iii) Board’s letter No. E(NG)I/2015/PM8/1 dated 26.03.2018 (RBE No. 48/2018).
In terms of Para 312 of IREM, Volume-I, read with Para 149(4) of IREM, Volume-I, transfer on own request from one Railway to another Railway is permissible in a grade where there is an element of Direct Recruitment, subject to the employee possessing the educational qualification prescribed for Direct Recruitment to that grade. The seniority of an employee transferred on own request is to be fixed below that of the existing employees in the relevant grade in the receiving Railway/Unit, in accordance with the extant instructions.
2. Vide Board’s letter No. E(NG)I/2015/PM8/1 dated 26.03.2018 (RBE No. 48/2018), the Direct Recruitment quota in ESM Grade-II was discontinued and a 15% Direct Recruitment quota was introduced in ESM Grade-I, along with revised educational qualification. Consequently, employees who were directly recruited as ESM Grade-II prior to 26.03.2018 and who do not possess the higher educational qualification now applicable for direct recruitment to ESM-I, are no longer in a position to avail Inter-Railway Own Request Transfer, as there is no element of Direct Recruitment in ESM Grade-II at present.
3. The matter has been considered in Railway Board and it has been decided that employees who were directly recruited as ESM Grade-II prior to 26.03.2018 may be considered for Inter-Railway Own Request Transfer against a direct recruitment quota vacancy of ESM-I in the receiving Railway/Production Unit, subject to the following conditions:
- The receiving Railway/Production Unit agrees to the transfer and to downgrade an ESM Grade-I DR vacancy to ESM Grade-II for accommodating the transferred employee.
- The employee possesses the educational qualification prescribed for Direct Recruitment to ESM Grade-II as applicable prior to 26.03.2018.
- The employee shall be transferred and placed in ESM Grade-II and his/her seniority shall be fixed in accordance with Para 312 of IREM and other extant instructions governing own request transfer.
- The downgraded vacancy shall continue to be operated as ESM Grade-II till the transferred employee is promoted to ESM Grade-I in his/her turn, whereafter the vacancy shall be restored to ESM Grade-I and will be filled against the DR quota.
(Sanjay Kumar)
Dy. Director/Estt.(N)
Railway Board
Phone – 43658/011-23303658
Download
Download RBE No. 70/2026 (PDF)
Eligibility
Based only on the RBE, an employee can be considered for IRRT under this order if:
- Recruitment: He/she was directly recruited as ESM Grade-II before 26.03.2018 (the RBE’s subject line also mentions recruitment through RRB).
- Qualification: He/she holds the educational qualification prescribed for Direct Recruitment to ESM Grade-II as applicable before 26.03.2018.
- Receiving Railway/Unit: It agrees to the transfer and to downgrade an ESM Grade-I DR vacancy to ESM Grade-II.
- Seniority: The transferred employee is placed in ESM Grade-II, with seniority fixed under Para 312 of IREM and other extant instructions on own request transfer.
Our Opinion
This section is our own reading of the RBE and is not part of the official order.
- For employees: This opens an IRRT route that was closed after 2018 for pre-26.03.2018 direct recruit ESM Grade-II staff who lack the higher ESM-I qualification. The transfer is “may be considered”, so it is not automatic.
- Dependence on the receiving Railway: The transfer can happen only if the receiving Railway/Unit agrees to downgrade one of its ESM-I DR vacancies. Employees should therefore expect the outcome to vary between Railways.
- Unclear or missing points: The RBE does not state an effective date, a procedure or timeline for applications, or whether pending or earlier-rejected requests will be reconsidered.
- For Zonal Railways: They need to decide how to treat such requests, since the Board has left agreement to downgrade a vacancy to the receiving Railway. They will also need to fix seniority under Para 312 and track the downgraded vacancy until the employee’s promotion to Grade-I, when it is restored.
FAQ
1. Who can benefit from RBE No. 70/2026?
Employees directly recruited as ESM Grade-II before 26.03.2018.
2. Against which vacancy can the transfer be considered?
Against a direct recruitment quota vacancy of ESM-I in the receiving Railway/Production Unit.
3. In which grade will the employee be placed, and how is seniority fixed?
The employee is placed in ESM Grade-II. Seniority is fixed under Para 312 of IREM and other extant instructions on own request transfer.
4. What happens to the downgraded vacancy?
It continues as an ESM Grade-II vacancy until the employee is promoted to ESM Grade-I. It is then restored to ESM Grade-I and filled against the DR quota.
Disclaimer: This post is for information only. The ‘Our Opinion’ and FAQ sections are our own explanation of the RBE. Readers should refer to the official Railway Board letter and their Zonal Railway’s orders for authentic reference.
Tags: RBE 70/2026, RBE No. 70/2026, Railway Board, IRRT, Inter-Railway Own Request Transfer, ESM Grade-I, ESM Grade-II, Direct Recruitment, RBE 48/2018, Para 312 IREM, Para 149(4) IREM, E(NG)-I/2026/TR/14
