Order Details
| RBE No. | 61/2026 |
| Letter No. | E(NG)-I/2026/TR/15 (E-File: 3537162) |
| Date | 22.07.2026 |
| Issued by | Railway Board, Ministry of Railways (Establishment Directorate) |
| Subject | Transfer Policy for prioritizing own request transfer of non-gazetted railway employees having more than 20 years of regular service |
| Effective from | Two months from the date of issue of this policy circular (issued 22.07.2026) |
Summary / Introduction
Many railway employees across all zones have been waiting a long time for an own request transfer, and several of them have already served the Railways for many years. To help them, the Railway Board has introduced a new category of own request transfers on priority basis for non-gazetted employees with more than 20 years of regular service. The employee still applies on the HRMS portal as usual, but transfer orders are issued automatically in order of seniority (years of regular service), without an NOC from the Accepting Unit.
The RBE refers to Para 312 of IREM Vol. I, RBE No. 16/1986 (letter dated 21.01.1986), RBE No. 24/2000 (letter dated 08.02.2000) and Master Circular No. 24 (letter dated 17.08.2023). The existing procedure continues for employees with less than 20 years of regular service.
Key Highlights
- A new category of priority own request transfers is created for non-gazetted employees with more than 20 years of regular service.
- Employees continue to apply for the desired zonal railway/division/unit on the HRMS portal.
- On the first of every month, HRMS generates a consolidated priority list.
- Priority lists are category-wise for each Accepting Unit separately, ranked by years of regular service in descending order.
- Transfer orders are issued automatically on HRMS, strictly in order of priority and up to the available vacancies. No NOC from the Accepting Unit is required.
- The employee is to be physically relieved within 15 days of the auto-transfer order, with approval of the controlling JAG officer/Branch Officer.
- Physical relieving can be put on hold only with DRM’s approval and only in the cases listed in the RBE.
- Delay in handing over/taking over on account of stock sheets etc. must not exceed one month.
- Transfers under this scheme are only for change of place. Change of category or department, and open line to Production Units/Workshops transfers, are not covered.
- Other existing own request transfer rules continue to apply.
- The scheme starts two months from the date of issue, so that HRMS and Railway units can prepare.
Reasons for which physical relieving may be put on hold (with DRM’s approval):
| Para | Reason |
|---|---|
| vi(a) | Employee is not clear from D&AR/Vigilance cases |
| vi(b) | Proper handing over of stock sheets etc. has not taken place (maximum delay: one month) |
| vi(c) | Employee does not have the prescribed educational qualification |
| vi(d) | Held-up cases are reviewed every month at DRM level. Cases lacking the requisite educational qualification are rejected and the HRMS transfer order is cancelled |
Original Text of RBE
RBE No.61/2026
भारत सरकार/GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
रेल मंत्रालय/MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
(रेलवे बोर्ड/RAILWAY BOARD)
No. E(NG)-I/2026/TR/15 (E-File: 3537162) New Delhi, dated 22.07.2026
The General Manager (P)
All Zonal Railways/PUs
(As per standard mailing list)
Sub: Transfer Policy for prioritizing own request transfer of non-gazetted railway employees having more than 20 years of regular service.
Ref: (i) Para 312 of IREM Vol. I.
(ii) Railway Board’s letter No. E(NG)I-85/SR6/14 dated 21.01.1986 (RBE No. 16/1986).
(iii) Railway Board’s letter No. E(NG)I-99/TR/15 dated 08.02.2000 (RBE No. 24/2000).
(iv) Railway Board’s letter No. E(NG)I-2019/TR/10 dated 17.08.2023 (Master Circular No. 24).
Instructions regarding own request transfers of non-gazetted employees have been issued from time to time by Railway Board. As per the current procedure, transfer requests of employees are registered as per their category, with priority being assigned based on the date of submission of applications. Applications are then forwarded in order of priority based on the vacancy position in the Relieving Unit. On receipt of No Objection Certificate from the Accepting Unit, transfer order of the applicant is issued by the Relieving Unit. It is seen that there are certain employees across all the zones of Indian Railways who have been awaiting transfer on request for a considerable period of time. A number of these employees have already served for a considerable number of years in Indian Railways.
2. It has accordingly been decided to introduce a new category of own request transfers on priority basis of those non-gazetted railway employees with more than 20 years of regular service. This would be an employee friendly measure designed to ensure that requests of employees who have served Railways for more than 20 years are processed on priority basis in recognition of their long years of service.
3. The modalities of the new policy for prioritising own request transfers of employees with more than 20 years of regular service are detailed below:
i. The employees seeking transfer shall continue to apply for transfer to the desired zonal railway/division/unit on HRMS portal.
ii. On the first of every month, HRMS shall generate a consolidated priority list of employees with more than 20 years of regular service who have sought transfer on own request.
iii. The priority list shall be generated taking the following criteria into consideration:
(a) Category-wise priority lists shall be generated for each Accepting Unit separately.
(b) The priority list for transfer shall be based on the number of years of regular service in descending order.
iv. Once the monthly priority list is generated on HRMS in terms ofPara 3 (ii) and (iii) above, transfer orders strictly in the order of priority, to the extent of vacancies available in the Accepting Unit shall be automatically issued on HRMS. No NOC from the Accepting Unit shall be required for this purpose.
v. Subsequent to issue of auto-transfer orders on HRMS, the employee will be physically relieved as per the current procedure with the approval of the controlling JAG officer/Branch Officer within 15 days of the issue of the auto-transfer order on HRMS.
vi. Physical relieving of the employee may only be put on hold with the approval of DRM, and only in the following cases:
(a) Employee is not clear from D&AR/Vigilance cases.
(b) Proper handing over of stock sheets, etc. has not taken place. In such cases, even if no reliever has been posted, it would be the responsibility of the Controlling JAG officer / Branch Officer to nominate staff to complete the handing over/taking over formalities. Under no circumstances should the physical relieving of the staff be delayed beyond one month on this account.
(c) Employee does not have the prescribed educational qualification required.
(d) Cases of all such employees whose physical relieving has been put on hold will be reviewed every month at the level of DRM. Cases of employees not having the requisite educational qualification shall, however, be rejected and their transfer order issued on HRMS shall be cancelled.
4. Transfers under the new 20 years scheme shall be considered only for change of place and no requests for Change of Category or Department shall be considered under this scheme. Further, no transfers from the open line to Production Units/Workshops shall be considered under the 20 years scheme.
5. Other than the procedure detailed above, extant rules governing own request transfers shall continue to apply to employees covered under the 20 years scheme.
6. The existing procedure, including, inter alia, the procedure for registration of applications, maintenance of priority on the basis of the date of registration and requirement of NOC from the Accepting Unit shall continue to apply to employees with less than 20 years of regular service.
7. Successful implementation of the 20 years scheme would require readiness of HRMS in all aspects – including having all details of posting, educational qualification and other requisite details. Therefore, the scheme shall become operational w.e.f. two months from the date of issue of this policy circular, enabling the HRMS team as well as the various units of Indian Railways to be in readiness for operationalization of the scheme.
Receipt of these instructions may kindly be acknowledged.
Hindi version will follow.
(Sanjay Kumar)
Dy. Director/Estt.(N)
Railway Board
Phone – 43658/011-23303658
E-mail Id- sanjay.kumar6@gov.in
Download Link
[Download RBE No. 61/2026 (PDF)]
Eligibility
As stated in the RBE:
- Who: Non-gazetted railway employees with more than 20 years of regular service.
- How to apply: Through the HRMS portal, for the desired zonal railway/division/unit.
- Selection method: Monthly priority list on HRMS, category-wise for each Accepting Unit, based on years of regular service in descending order. Orders are issued up to the vacancies available in the Accepting Unit.
- Educational qualification: The employee must have the prescribed educational qualification. Otherwise the HRMS transfer order is cancelled.
- Not covered: Change of category or department, and transfers from the open line to Production Units/Workshops.
- Employees with less than 20 years of regular service: The existing procedure (registration date priority and NOC from the Accepting Unit) continues.
Our Opinion
This section is our own reading of the RBE and is not part of the official order.
- For employees: Seniority by years of regular service will decide the order, and no NOC from the Accepting Unit is needed. Employees with long service who have been waiting for years may benefit most, but transfer is possible only where vacancies exist in the Accepting Unit.
- Points to keep in mind: The scheme covers only change of place. Employees should check that their educational qualification and posting details are correctly recorded on HRMS, since the RBE says the transfer order is cancelled if the qualification is missing. Pending D&AR/Vigilance cases can also hold up physical relieving.
- What is not clear: The RBE does not define “regular service” or say how it is counted. It does not say what happens when two employees have equal service. It also does not say how the 15-day relieving period applies when relieving is put on hold. The Hindi version is still to follow.
- What Zonal Railways still need to do: Acknowledge receipt, and make sure HRMS has all posting and educational qualification details ready before the scheme starts. They should also brief controlling JAG officers/Branch Officers and DRMs on the 15-day relieving timeline and the monthly review of held cases.
FAQ
Q1. Who is covered by the new scheme?
Non-gazetted railway employees with more than 20 years of regular service who seek transfer on own request.
Q2. How is priority decided?
HRMS generates a monthly list on the first of each month, category-wise for each Accepting Unit, in descending order of years of regular service.
Q3. Is an NOC from the Accepting Unit needed?
No. Transfer orders are issued automatically on HRMS, up to the vacancies available. The NOC requirement continues only for employees with less than 20 years of regular service.
Q4. When can physical relieving be delayed?
Only with DRM’s approval, if the employee is not clear from D&AR/Vigilance cases, handing over of stock sheets is incomplete (not beyond one month), or the prescribed educational qualification is lacking.
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 No. 61/2026, RBE 61/2026, Own Request Transfer, OR Transfer, 20 Years Regular Service, Transfer Policy, HRMS Transfer, Non-Gazetted Employees, Priority List, Railway Board, E(NG)-I/2026/TR/15, Master Circular No. 24, IREM Para 312
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