What RRB ALP is
The Railway Recruitment Boards recruit Assistant Loco Pilots, the entry point into driving trains on Indian Railways, through a dedicated exam distinct from RRB NTPC and RRB Group D: where those recruit for non-technical and general-duty posts, ALP is specifically a technical, ITI-and-engineering-qualified role. It is one of the largest single technical recruitment drives on Indian Railways by vacancy count, and a common target for candidates comparing government engineering routes, alongside SSC JE and other technical exams covered in government jobs for B.Tech graduates without GATE.
Who can apply
Eligibility runs on three parallel qualification routes: Class 10 pass with an ITI certificate in a notified trade, a three-year Engineering Diploma, or a full Engineering Degree. The age band is 18 to 30 years as on the 1st of July of the notification year, with the standard relaxation for OBC and SC/ST candidates. Confirm which of the three qualification routes your own certificate falls under against the current notification, since not every ITI trade or diploma stream is automatically eligible.
How the exam runs
Selection runs across four stages. CBT 1 is a screening round: sixty minutes, seventy five questions worth seventy five marks, covering Mathematics, General Intelligence and Reasoning, and General Science, with a one-third mark penalty for each wrong answer. CBT 2 splits into two parts: Part A is ninety minutes, one hundred questions on Mathematics, General Intelligence and Reasoning, and Basic Science and Engineering, also with negative marking; Part B is sixty minutes, seventy five trade-related questions matching your own ITI trade, and is qualifying only, it does not itself count toward your final merit score. Run your expected attempt pattern through the negative marking calculator before deciding how much to guess on the negatively-marked stages.
The final stage is the Computer Based Aptitude Test (CBAT), which carries no negative marking, followed by document verification and a medical examination, since loco pilots must clear specific vision and health standards for the role.
There is no interview at any stage.
Preparing the application
Photograph and signature specifications match the standard RRB format: a recent JPEG photo between 20 and 50 kilobytes, light background, and a scanned signature between 10 and 20 kilobytes on white paper in black or blue ink. The photo resizer and signature resizer on this site adjust an existing photo or signature to the required size in the browser.
The application fee is five hundred rupees for general candidates, of which four hundred rupees is refunded on appearing for CBT 1. SC, ST, women, EBC, ex-servicemen, transgender and minority candidates pay two hundred fifty rupees, fully refunded minus bank charges on appearing for CBT 1.
On exam day
Reach the centre at least ninety minutes before the reporting time on your admit card. Carry the printed e-admit card, an original government photo identification, and two passport size photographs matching the one on the admit card. Mobile phones, smartwatches, calculators, earphones and any other electronic device are prohibited inside the examination hall.
After CBT 2
Only candidates who clear Part A of CBT 2 have Part B evaluated, and only Part B’s qualifying score, not its raw marks, decides whether you proceed to CBAT; a strong Part B score beyond the qualifying mark carries no further merit weight. The medical examination standards for loco pilots are specific and non-negotiable, so review them early rather than discovering a disqualifying condition after clearing every written stage.
For anything this page cannot answer, treat the RRB common application portal, linked above, as the last word: zone-wise vacancies, the current cycle’s confirmed dates and the official notification PDF are published there.