New Delhi: In a major festive-season bonanza for railway employees, the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved a Productivity Linked Bonus (PLB) equivalent to 78 days’ wages for eligible non-gazetted railway staff for 2025-26. The decision will benefit around 11.40 lakh employees, with the total payout estimated at Rs 2,009.61 crore.
Eligible employees will receive a maximum bonus of Rs 17,951, calculated for the approved 78-day period. The annual announcement comes as a significant financial boost for railway personnel ahead of the festive season.
The bonus will cover a broad range of non-gazetted employees, including track maintainers, loco pilots, train managers (guards), station masters, supervisors, technicians, technician helpers, pointsmen, ministerial staff and other Group C personnel.
The Cabinet said the decision recognises the outstanding performance of railway employees and is intended to motivate them to sustain and improve the operational efficiency of Indian Railways.
The Railways recorded strong performance during 2025-26, transporting a record 1,670 million tonnes of freight and carrying nearly 7.41 billion passengers. The government has cited these achievements as a reflection of the contribution made by railway personnel to the country’s transport and logistics network.
Payout rises by Rs 143.93 crore
The bonus outlay has increased substantially compared with the previous year. On September 24, 2025, the Cabinet approved a 78-day bonus worth Rs 1,865.68 crore for 10,91,146 railway employees.
This year’s allocation is higher by Rs 143.93 crore, representing an increase of approximately 7.7%. The number of beneficiaries has also risen by nearly 49,600, or around 4.5%.
However, the bonus period and the maximum amount payable to an individual employee remain unchanged. As in the previous year, the ceiling has been fixed at Rs 17,951 for 78 days.
The annual Productivity Linked Bonus is a key incentive for railway employees, rewarding their contribution to freight movement, passenger services and the overall functioning of the vast railway network.
