UPSC delays ESE-2025 after change in railways officers recruitment scheme

Decision came after the government decided that the recruitment to the IRMS would be made through both the Civil Services Examinations and the Engineering Services Examination

The UPSC on Friday postponed the Engineering Services Examination-2025 to give sufficient time to the aspirants for preparation, following a change in scheme for the recruitment of Indian Railway Management Service officers, according to an official statement.

The decision came after the government decided that the recruitment to the IRMS would be made through both the Civil Services Examinations and the ESE.

In order to give sufficient time to the aspirants of ESE-2025 to prepare for the examination, the Commission has decided to postpone the ESE (Preliminary) and ESE (Main) Exam, 2025, said the statement issued by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

"The ESE (Preliminary) 2025 and ESE (Main) 2025 will now be held on 8th June 2025 and 10th August 2025, respectively," it added.

As per the UPSC's annual programme of examination, 2025, the notification for the ESE-2025 was issued on September 18, 2024, with the last date of receipt of applications being October 8, 2024.

The ESE Preliminary/Stage-I test was scheduled to be held by the UPSC on February 9, 2025, in accordance with the rules published by the Ministry of Communications, Department of Telecommunications.

Meanwhile, the government has decided that the recruitment to the IRMS will be made through both the Civil Services Examinations (for Traffic, Accounts and Personnel sub-cadres) and ESE (for Civil, Electrical, Mechanical, Signal & Telecommunication and Stores sub-cadres), the statement said.

The Ministry of Railways has also notified the Indian Railway Management Service (Amendment) Rules, 2024 on October 9, 2024, it said.

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had in 2019 approved the unification of eight Group A services of the railways into a central service -- the IRMS.

The eight services were the Indian Railway Traffic Service, Indian Railway Accounts Service, Indian Railway Personnel Service, Indian Railway Service of Engineers, Indian Railway Stores Service, Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers, Indian Railway Service of Electrical Engineers and Indian Railway Service of Signal Engineers.

The officers for IRMS (Civil), IRMS (Stores), IRMS (Mechanical), IRMS (Electrical) and IRMS (Signal and Telecommunications) will be selected via ESE 2025, according to the UPSC.

Keeping in view of the decision of the government to include the IRMS in the ESE-2025, the opening of the correction window from October 9, 2024 (from the next day of the last date for receipt of application - October 8) was put on hold, it said.

The Commission has also decided to open a new application window from October 18 to November 22 for new applicants and also to enable old applicants (who have applied during the original application window of September to October 8) to make changes, the statement said.

Thereafter, a correction/edit window of seven days will be provided from November 23 to November 29 to all the applicants during which they will be able to modify/edit their particulars, it said.

The candidates, who have already applied during the application window from September 18 to October 8, need not apply again.

They may, however, update their particulars during the new application window and correction/edit window, if required, the UPSC said.

Aspirants for the ESE-2025 are advised to go through the same before applying for the examination, it added.