The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has postponed the Engineering Services Examination (ESE) for 2025 in light of significant changes to the recruitment process for Indian Railway Management Service (IRMS) officers. This decision was made following the government’s introduction of a new recruitment scheme that will involve selecting IRMS officers through both the Civil Services Examination (CSE) and the ESE. According to the UPSC, the postponement is intended to provide aspirants with sufficient time to adjust to these changes and prepare adequately for the upcoming examination.
Initially, the UPSC had scheduled the ESE (Preliminary) for February 9, 2025, as per its annual examination program. However, due to the revised recruitment process, the preliminary exam will now be conducted on June 8, 2025, and the ESE (Main) on August 10, 2025. This delay ensures that candidates have ample time to understand the updated recruitment scheme and prepare thoroughly for the exams.
The new recruitment scheme marks a significant change, as IRMS officers from various engineering sub-cadres, including Civil, Electrical, Mechanical, Signal & Telecommunication, and Stores, will be selected through the ESE. On the other hand, the Traffic, Accounts, and Personnel sub-cadres will be filled through the Civil Services Examination (CSE). The Ministry of Railways has also formalized these changes through the Indian Railway Management Service (Amendment) Rules, 2024, which were notified on October 9, 2024.
The decision to unify the recruitment process for IRMS officers was approved by the Union Cabinet in 2019, which aimed to streamline the recruitment of eight Group A services under the Indian Railways. These services included the Indian Railway Traffic Service, Indian Railway Accounts Service, Indian Railway Personnel Service, and various engineering services like the Indian Railway Service of Engineers and the Indian Railway Service of Electrical Engineers, among others. The merging of these services into a single, central IRMS cadre is designed to foster greater cohesion and efficiency within the Indian Railways.
In light of these changes, UPSC has opened a new application window for ESE 2025 from October 18 to November 22, 2024, to allow new applicants to register. Candidates who had applied in the original window, which closed on October 8, 2024, can also modify or update their details during this period. Additionally, a correction window will be open from November 23 to November 29, 2024, enabling applicants to make any necessary edits to their applications.
The UPSC has advised all candidates to carefully review the new guidelines and deadlines to ensure that their applications comply with the updated requirements for ESE 2025. This additional time will help aspirants adapt to the new recruitment framework, ensuring a smoother transition and better preparation for the exams.
(This article is a reworked version of a PTI feed)
