Southern Railway Apprentice Recruitment 2026: 4,471 Posts, Eligibility, Stipend, Merit List & Apply Online

🚆 Southern Railway Apprentice Recruitment 2026 is now open for candidates looking for apprenticeship training in Indian Railways. Southern Railway has issued Notification No. 01/2026 dated 28 August 2026 for engagement of 4,471 Act Apprentices under the Apprentices Act, 1961.

The vacancies are divided into 163 Fresher seats and 4,308 Ex-ITI seats across workshops, divisions and units under Southern Railway. The online application process started on 28 August 2026 and will remain open until 27 September 2026 at 5:00 PM. (NDTV)

⚠️ Important: This is apprenticeship training, not a regular Railway job appointment. Completion of apprenticeship does not automatically guarantee regular employment in Southern Railway. (Digital Chhattisgarh)

📋 Southern Railway Apprentice Recruitment 2026 Overview

The official Southern Railway website currently has a dedicated “Act Apprentice 2026-27” section under Personnel Branch Information. (Southern Railway)

🏭 Southern Railway Apprentice Vacancy 2026

The 4,471 training slots are divided into two major categories:

👨‍🔧 Fresher Category – 163 Seats

The Fresher vacancies include Fitter, Welder, Painter and Medical Laboratory Technician trades.

🛠️ Ex-ITI Category – 4,308 Seats

The Ex-ITI seats cover numerous trades and units. The major unit groups are:

Trades include Fitter, Electrician, Welder, Machinist, Turner, Diesel Mechanic, Carpenter, Painter, Wireman, Plumber, COPA/PASAA, Electronics Mechanic, Instrument Mechanic, Mechanic R&AC, Draughtsman (Civil), ICTSM, Stenographer, Secretarial Assistant and several others. (VacancyPage)

🎓 Educational Qualification

Eligibility depends on the category and trade.

Fresher – Fitter, Painter & Welder

Candidates generally need:

• Passed Class 10 under the 10+2 system

• Minimum 50% aggregate marks

• The prescribed relaxation applies to SC/ST/PwBD candidates.

Fresher – Medical Laboratory Technician

Candidates need:

• Passed Class 12

• Physics, Chemistry and Biology as prescribed

• Minimum 50% aggregate, subject to the notification’s applicable relaxation. (Rojgar Pulse)

Ex-ITI Candidates

For most Ex-ITI trades, candidates need:

• Class 10 under the 10+2 system

• Minimum 50% aggregate, where applicable

• ITI certificate in the relevant trade

• NCVT/SCVT-recognised trade qualification.

Certain trades such as Electrician, Electronics Mechanic, Secretarial Assistant & Stenographer, ICTSM and COPA/PASAA have additional subject/trade-specific requirements. Candidates should therefore check the exact trade before applying. (Free Job Alert)

⚠️ Candidates who already hold certain higher technical qualifications or have completed qualifying apprenticeship/training may be excluded under the notification’s specific conditions. (Free Job Alert)

📍 Who Can Apply? Geographical Eligibility

This is one of the most important conditions of the recruitment.

Candidates must ordinarily reside within the specified Southern Railway geographical jurisdiction, covering:

• Entire Tamil Nadu

• Entire Puducherry

• Entire Kerala

• Entire Andaman & Nicobar Islands

• Entire Lakshadweep

• SPSR Nellore and Chittoor districts of Andhra Pradesh

• Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka. (VacancyPage)

Therefore, candidates from other states should not apply simply because they possess the required qualification.

🎂 Age Limit

The age is considered as on the date of notification, 28 August 2026.

The applicable relaxation is subject to the conditions and certificates prescribed in the notification. (Free Job Alert)

💳 Application Fee

The ₹100 fee is non-refundable. (Check My Prep)

💰 Southern Railway Apprentice Stipend

This recruitment provides a stipend, not a regular Railway salary.

The prescribed stipend increases during subsequent years according to the applicable apprenticeship rules. Sources reproducing the notification state a 10% increase in the second year and a further 15% increase in the third year. (Rojgar Pulse)

📝 Southern Railway Apprentice Selection Process 2026

There is no written examination or interview for this apprenticeship engagement. Selection is based on academic/technical merit. (Jagranjosh.com)

1️⃣ Merit List

Fresher:
Class 10 marks are converted to a score out of 200.

Ex-ITI:
Class 10 marks are converted to 100 marks and ITI marks to 100 marks. Both receive equal weightage, making a total of 200 marks.

MLT:
Higher Secondary marks in the prescribed subjects are converted to 200 marks.

2️⃣ Document Verification

Shortlisted candidates have to produce original certificates and other required documents.

3️⃣ Medical Fitness

Candidates selected for further processing must satisfy the prescribed medical requirements.

4️⃣ Apprenticeship Engagement

After successful verification and fulfilment of the required conditions, candidates are engaged for apprenticeship training under the Apprentices Act, 1961. (Rojgar Pulse)

📚 Southern Railway Apprentice Exam Pattern 2026

There is no CBT, written examination or interview in this recruitment.

The merit score is therefore particularly important for candidates because selection is based on marks rather than an entrance examination. (VacancyPage)

📅 Important Dates

The document-verification shortlist date is tentative and should be checked again on the official Southern Railway website. (Free Job Alert)

🖥️ How to Apply Online

Follow these steps:

1. Visit the official Southern Railway website.

2. Open Personnel Branch Information.

3. Select Act Apprentice 2026-27.

4. Read Notification No. 01/2026 carefully.

5. Open the online application portal.

6. Complete registration with your basic details.

7. Select the appropriate category and trade.

8. Enter educational and ITI information correctly.

9. Upload the required documents and photograph/signature as instructed.

10. Pay the ₹100 fee if applicable.

11. Check every detail before final submission.

12. Submit the application before 27 September 2026, 5:00 PM.

13. Download and save the submitted application/acknowledgement.

The application portal is hosted separately for the Southern Railway apprentice recruitment. (Rojgar Pulse)

📄 Documents Required

Candidates should keep these documents/details ready:

• 10th marksheet/certificate

• 12th marksheet for applicable MLT candidates

• ITI certificate and marksheets for Ex-ITI candidates

• NCVT/SCVT certificate

• Date of birth proof

• Caste certificate, if applicable

• OBC-NCL certificate, where applicable

• EWS certificate, if applicable

• PwBD certificate, if applicable

• Recent photograph

• Valid ID details

• Mobile number

• Email ID

• Payment details

During document verification, candidates may be required to produce original certificates along with photocopies. Southern Railway’s previous apprentice DV instructions specifically required original educational, community and medical documents. (Southern Railway)

📊 Previous Southern Railway Apprentice Recruitment Data

Southern Railway Apprentice 2025

The previous recruitment under Notification No. 01/2025 offered 3,518 Act Apprentice training slots. Applications were invited from 25 August to 25 September 2025. (courses.epratibha.net)

The 2026 recruitment has therefore increased the announced training slots from 3,518 to 4,471.

The 2024 recruitment had 2,860 Act Apprentice seats, while the 2025 notification had 3,518 seats. (Free Job Alert)

📌 Previous Total Applications

A verified official figure for the total number of applications received in the 2025 Southern Railway Apprentice recruitment could not be located in the accessible official records reviewed for this article.

Therefore, NAUKRIDOOT does not publish an estimated application count as an official number.

📉 Previous Cutoff

Southern Railway Apprentice selection is merit-based rather than examination-based. There is consequently no single common written-exam cutoff like SSC, RRB CBT or other competitive examinations.

The effective merit level can vary according to:

• Trade

• Unit/workshop

• Category

• Candidate pool

• Number of available seats

• Class 10/ITI merit

The 2025 recruitment followed the same broad merit-based approach, with no written examination. (Deshpadega)

Therefore, candidates should not treat an unofficial website’s single percentage as the official Southern Railway Apprentice cutoff.

⭐ Why NAUKRIDOOT Is Useful for Candidates

At NAUKRIDOOT.COM, our aim is to provide candidates with practical recruitment information rather than simply copying vacancy headlines.

We try to clearly provide:

✅ Official notification details
✅ Vacancy breakup
✅ Eligibility and age requirements
✅ Application fee
✅ Stipend/pay information
✅ Selection process
✅ Important dates
✅ Previous recruitment data
✅ Previous cutoff information when officially available
✅ Admit card/result/merit-list updates
✅ Direct official links

Most importantly, when information such as the total number of applications or an official cutoff is not available, we clearly mention that instead of publishing an estimated number as fact.

🔗 Important Links

The Southern Railway website confirms the dedicated Act Apprentice 2026-27 section, while the recruitment portal and notification URL are hosted on the designated Southern Railway apprentice application system. (Southern Railway)

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

1. How many vacancies are available in Southern Railway Apprentice Recruitment 2026?

There are 4,471 apprenticeship training slots, including 163 Fresher and 4,308 Ex-ITI seats. (NDTV)

2. What is the last date to apply?

The online application can be submitted up to 27 September 2026 at 5:00 PM. (Free Job Alert)

3. Is there a written exam for Southern Railway Apprentice 2026?

No. Selection is based on merit prepared from the prescribed educational/ITI marks, followed by document verification and medical requirements. (Rojgar Pulse)

4. What is the age limit?

The minimum age is 15 years. The maximum age is generally 22 years for Fresher/Ex-ITI candidates and 24 years for MLT candidates, with applicable relaxations. (Free Job Alert)

5. What is the stipend?

The initial stipend is ₹8,200 for Class 10 Freshers and ₹9,600 for Class 12 MLT Freshers and Ex-ITI candidates. (Rojgar Pulse)

6. Can candidates from any state apply?

No. The notification restricts eligibility to candidates residing within the specified Southern Railway geographical jurisdiction. (VacancyPage)

7. Does apprenticeship guarantee a permanent Railway job?

No. Apprenticeship is a training engagement and does not automatically guarantee regular employment with Southern Railway. (Digital Chhattisgarh)

📌 Conclusion

Southern Railway Apprentice Recruitment 2026 offers 4,471 apprenticeship training opportunities for eligible Fresher and Ex-ITI candidates across numerous trades and railway units. The biggest advantage for eligible candidates is that there is no written examination or interview; selection is based on the prescribed merit calculation followed by document verification and medical requirements.

Candidates should pay particular attention to the geographical eligibility condition, trade-specific qualification, age limit and merit calculation before submitting the application.

The last date is 27 September 2026 at 5:00 PM. Candidates should complete the application well before the deadline and use the official Southern Railway notification for final verification.