78 Days' Salary As Festive Bonus For 11.4 Lakh Railway Employees

New Delhi: Every year, just before the Durga Puja and Dusshera holidays, railway staff wait for one announcement. This year it has come, and about 11.40 lakh of them will benefit.The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved a bonus equal to 78 days' wages for eligible railway employees. The total payout is Rs 2,009.61 crore, and it will go to 11,40,770 staff.The bonus is meant for non-gazetted railway employees. The maximum payable to an eligible employee is Rs 17,951 for 78 days.It covers a wide range of jobs, including:- Track maintainers- Loco pilots- Train managers (guards)- Station masters- Supervisors- Technicians and technician helpers- Pointsmen- Ministerial staff- Other Group 'C' staffThe Cabinet said this year's approval is in recognition of the excellent performance of railway staff. The bonus is also meant to act as an incentive to motivate employees to keep improving the performance of the Railways.READ | Delhi-Patna Vande Bharat Special For Diwali, Chhath: Route, Stops And FareThe Railways performed very well in 2025-26. It loaded a record 1,670 million tonnes of cargo and carried nearly 7.41 billion passengers.How This Year's Bonus Compares With Last YearThe Cabinet cleared the same 78-day bonus on 24 September 2025, at Rs 1,865.68 crore for 10,91,146 employees. This year's total is Rs 143.93 crore higher, a rise of about 7.7 per cent. About 49,600 more employees are covered, an increase of roughly 4.5 per cent.The 78-day period and the ceiling per employee are unchanged. Last year's maximum was also Rs 17,951.