8th Pay Commission for Indian Railways
How the 8th Pay Commission could change pay for Indian Railways: the pay level of common posts, with starting pay today and at a fitment factor of 1.92, and the allowances that are specific to this department.
How many people work here
- 12,28,992 staff, permanent and temporary, on 31 March 2025 (Group A 10,025; Group B 7,165; Group C 12,11,802), down from 12,52,180 a year earlier. This total leaves out the Metropolitan Transport Projects (Railways); with their 19 staff the grand total is 12,29,011. Source
- Department of Expenditure estimate as on 1 March 2024: 14,79,701 sanctioned posts and about 12,39,576 regular employees in position (a separate count from the Railway Board's figure above). Source
| Post | Level | Today | × 1.92 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Track Maintainer Gr-IV, Pointsman-B and other Level 1 posts | 1 | ₹18,000 | ₹34,600 |
| Assistant Loco Pilot | 2 | ₹19,900 | ₹38,200 |
| Commercial-cum-Ticket Clerk | 3 | ₹21,700 | ₹41,700 |
| Senior Ticket Collector / TTE | 5 | ₹29,200 | ₹56,100 |
| Goods Train Manager (Goods Guard) | 5 | ₹29,200 | ₹56,100 |
| Station Master | 6 | ₹35,400 | ₹68,000 |
| Loco Pilot (Goods, Passenger, Mail) | 6 | ₹35,400 | ₹68,000 |
| Junior Engineer | 6 | ₹35,400 | ₹68,000 |
Allowances specific to this department
- Running allowance (Kilometreage Allowance): Running staff are paid per kilometre run. From 1 January 2024 the rate per 100 km is ₹606 for Loco Pilot (Mail), ₹600 for Loco Pilot (Passenger), ₹594 for Loco Pilot (Goods), ₹430 for Assistant Loco Pilot, ₹549 for Mail/Express Guard and ₹537 for Goods Guard. The Railway Board sets these rates with Finance Ministry concurrence; the 2017 allowances resolution left them to the Ministry of Railways. Source
- Risk and Hardship Allowance for Track Maintainers: Track Maintainers Grade I to IV get cell R3H2 of the Risk and Hardship Matrix: ₹2,700 a month at Level 8 and below and ₹3,400 at Level 9 and above from 1 July 2017, raised to ₹3,375 and ₹4,250 from 1 January 2024. Source
- Night Duty Allowance: Paid to eligible non-gazetted Railway staff up to Level 7 (including those at Level 8 through MACP). The July 2022 order applied this provisionally from 4 July 2022. The hourly rate is worked out on basic pay of at most ₹43,600. Source
- Special Train Controllers' Allowance: ₹5,000 a month for Section Controllers and Deputy Chief Controllers from 1 July 2017; ₹6,250 from 1 January 2024. Source
- Breakdown Allowance: The 7th CPC proposed abolishing it; the Government kept it at 2.25 times the old rates (₹270 to ₹675 a month from 1 July 2017). From 1 January 2024: ₹338 at Level 1, ₹506 at Level 2, ₹675 at Levels 4 and 5, ₹844 at Level 6 and above (the order lists no Level 3 rate). Source
- Cycle Allowance: ₹180 a month (doubled from ₹90) for the Department of Posts and Railways from 1 July 2017; the 7th CPC had proposed abolishing it. Source
- Dress Allowance (Station Masters and RPF): From 1 January 2024: ₹25,000 a year for RPF/RPSF officers, ₹12,500 for RPF other ranks and Station Masters, ₹6,250 for other entitled staff, and ₹2,250 a month for nurses. Source
- Productivity Linked Bonus (PLB): The Cabinet approves this bonus for eligible non-gazetted Railway staff each year; it has been 78 days' wages. For 2025-26 it approved ₹2,009.61 crore for 11,40,770 employees on 14 October 2026, at most ₹17,951 per employee. Source
Recognised staff federations
- All India Railwaymen's Federation (AIRF) and National Federation of Indian Railwaymen (NFIR): The Railway Board recognised AIRF and NFIR at Board level after the December 2024 secret ballot, and its later orders call them 'both the recognized Federations'. In the Departmental Council (JCM) the staff side has 30 members: 16 from AIRF and 14 from NFIR. Source