Railway employees to get up to Rs.17,951 bonus as Cabinet approves 78 days’ PLB for 11.40 lakh staff
The approval comes after the Railways recorded strong performance in 2025-26
- Oct 14, 2026,
- Updated Oct 14, 2026 4:55 PM IST
The Union Cabinet has approved a productivity-linked bonus (PLB) equivalent to 78 days’ wages for 11,40,770 eligible non-gazetted Railway employees, with a total payout of Rs.2,009.61 crore.
The bonus will be paid before the Durga Puja/Dussehra holidays, as is done every year. The government said the payment recognises the performance of Railway staff and is intended to motivate employees to continue working towards improving the performance of the Railways.
The maximum amount payable to an eligible Railway employee is Rs.17,951 for 78 days. The payment will cover various categories of Railway staff, including Track maintainers, Loco Pilots, Train Managers (Guards), Station Masters, Supervisors, Technicians, Technician Helpers, Pointsmen, Ministerial staff and other Group 'C' staff.
The approval comes after the Railways recorded strong performance in 2025-26. During the year, the national transporter loaded a record 1670 Million Tonnes of cargo and carried nearly 7.41 Billion passengers.
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What is PLB and how did the scheme start
Productivity Linked Bonus is a payment linked to the performance and productivity of eligible Railway employees. The Railways were the first departmental undertaking of the Government of India to introduce the concept of PLB.
The scheme was introduced because of the important role of the Railways as infrastructure support for the performance of the economy as a whole.
The government considered PLB more suitable for the Railways than a bonus system based on the Payment of Bonus Act, 1965, which does not apply to the Railways. However, the broad principles of the Act were kept in view for determining aspects such as the wage or pay ceiling and the definition of salary or wages.
The PLB scheme for Railway employees came into force from 1979-80. It was evolved in consultation with the two recognised federations, the All India Railwaymen's Federation and National Federation of Indian Railwaymen, and with the approval of the Cabinet. The scheme also envisages a review every three years.
The Union Cabinet has approved a productivity-linked bonus (PLB) equivalent to 78 days’ wages for 11,40,770 eligible non-gazetted Railway employees, with a total payout of Rs.2,009.61 crore.
The bonus will be paid before the Durga Puja/Dussehra holidays, as is done every year. The government said the payment recognises the performance of Railway staff and is intended to motivate employees to continue working towards improving the performance of the Railways.
The maximum amount payable to an eligible Railway employee is Rs.17,951 for 78 days. The payment will cover various categories of Railway staff, including Track maintainers, Loco Pilots, Train Managers (Guards), Station Masters, Supervisors, Technicians, Technician Helpers, Pointsmen, Ministerial staff and other Group 'C' staff.
The approval comes after the Railways recorded strong performance in 2025-26. During the year, the national transporter loaded a record 1670 Million Tonnes of cargo and carried nearly 7.41 Billion passengers.
Don't Miss: ‘A world of choke points…’: Jaishankar asks ‘middle powers’ to play a more active role
What is PLB and how did the scheme start
Productivity Linked Bonus is a payment linked to the performance and productivity of eligible Railway employees. The Railways were the first departmental undertaking of the Government of India to introduce the concept of PLB.
The scheme was introduced because of the important role of the Railways as infrastructure support for the performance of the economy as a whole.
The government considered PLB more suitable for the Railways than a bonus system based on the Payment of Bonus Act, 1965, which does not apply to the Railways. However, the broad principles of the Act were kept in view for determining aspects such as the wage or pay ceiling and the definition of salary or wages.
The PLB scheme for Railway employees came into force from 1979-80. It was evolved in consultation with the two recognised federations, the All India Railwaymen's Federation and National Federation of Indian Railwaymen, and with the approval of the Cabinet. The scheme also envisages a review every three years.