CMRL Recruitment 2026 – 11 Posts | Chennai Metro Rail

Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) released two recruitment notifications on 1 July 2026 on its official website. Notification No. CMRL/HR/REG/03/2026 covers posts filled on a regular basis, and Notification No. CMRL/HR/CON/DEP/04/2026 covers posts filled on a contract or deputation basis. Applications for both are open now on the CMRL career portal and close on 20 July 2026. CMRL Recruitment 2026 suits senior engineers, architects, and finance professionals from Railways, Metros, PSUs, and the private sector who want a leadership-level government job in Chennai’s metro rail project.

Together, the two notifications carry 11 vacancies across General Manager, Deputy General Manager, Chief General Manager, Joint General Manager, and Manager posts. A full post-wise breakdown of vacancies, pay, and eligibility follows below, along with the place of posting at CMRL’s Chennai office. Candidates should check all details in the article below.

Information verified from the official Chennai Metro Rail Limited notification No. CMRL/HR/REG/03/2026 and notification No. CMRL/HR/CON/DEP/04/2026, both dated 01-07-2026.

Quick Summary of CMRL Recruitment 2026

About Chennai Metro Rail Limited

Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) is a special purpose vehicle (SPV) that is a joint venture of the Government of India and the Government of Tamil Nadu. It is entrusted with implementing the Metro Rail Project in Chennai. CMRL is ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015 certified. For a candidate, joining CMRL at GM, DGM, CGM, or JGM level means working on one of India’s fastest-expanding metro networks, with direct exposure to rolling stock procurement, electrical systems, automatic fare collection, station architecture, and project finance at a leadership level.

How This Recruitment Compares

CMRL is not the only metro corporation hiring at this level in 2026. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) advertised a General Manager (Rolling Stock) post on direct recruitment or deputation basis in April 2026, in the same IDA pay band of Rs.1,20,000 to Rs.2,80,000 that CMRL uses for its regular-basis GM and DGM posts. Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has also been filling General Manager and Deputy General Manager posts on contract through 2026, at a consolidated pay of roughly Rs.1,64,000 to Rs.2,06,250 a month.

Against this, CMRL’s contract-basis Chief General Manager pay of Rs.2,70,000 a month sits above what BMRCL currently pays contract GMs, while CMRL’s General Manager contract pay of Rs.2,25,000 is also higher than BMRCL’s GM band. This is added context based on other current metro rail recruitments, not part of the official CMRL notification. Confirm current openings directly with each organisation before comparing.

Both CMRL notifications also run selection the same way as DMRC and BMRCL: no written exam, a scrutiny/shortlisting stage, then a personal interview, and for CMRL specifically, a medical examination.

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Important Dates

Both notifications were issued the same day and share the same closing date.

CMRL states that only short-listed candidates will be notified for interview, and no hard copy or paper applications will be entertained for either notification.

Vacancy Details and Salary

A) Regular Basis — Notification No. CMRL/HR/REG/03/2026

Apart from Basic Pay, these posts also carry DA (IDA pattern), HRA (30% of Basic Pay), Cafeteria Allowance (31.5% of Basic Pay), and other benefits. Reservation of posts will be followed as per Government of Tamil Nadu guidelines. Category-wise vacancy split is not mentioned in the official notification.

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B) Contract / Deputation Basis — Notification No. CMRL/HR/CON/DEP/04/2026

Combined verified total across both notifications: 11 posts.

A deputationist can choose between two pay options: drawing the pay of their parent organisation plus deputation allowance and project allowance (10% of Basic Pay each), or drawing the equivalent cadre IDA pay scale in CMRL with IDA, HRA, and Cafeteria Allowance (31.5% of Basic Pay). Category-wise vacancy split and reservation of posts are not mentioned in this notification.

Eligibility (Post-Wise)

Eligibility differs by post and by the applicant’s current sector (Government, Metro/PSU, or Private). CMRL accepts candidates from all three routes for every post listed below.

Regular Basis Posts

General Manager (Operations) — 01 post. Must hold a B.E / B.Tech or any Graduate degree from a Govt-recognised, AICTE/UGC-approved institute.

• From Government: officer in Senior Administrative Grade (SAG) in Railways/Equivalent in GoI, or Chief Engineer in State Govt organisations.
• From Metros/PSUs: minimum 20 years post-qualification executive experience, including at least 3 years as AGM in IDA pay scale Rs.1,00,000–2,60,000 or equivalent.
• From Private Sector: minimum 20 years post-qualification executive experience, including at least 3 years in top management (equivalent to AGM in PSU) reporting directly to a Director or Board; must have worked in companies with project size of at least Rs.500 Crore or annual turnover of at least Rs.100 Crore in the last 3 years, with documentary proof to be uploaded.
• Experience required: Operations & Maintenance in Railways/Metro or a related field. UTO (unattended train operation) experience is preferred.

Deputy General Manager (Rolling Stock) — 02 posts. Must hold a B.E / B.Tech (Electrical/ECE) degree.

• From Government: officer with 3 years’ service in Senior Time Scale (STS) in Railways/Equivalent in GoI, or Executive Engineer (EE) in State Govt organisations with minimum 13 years post-qualification executive experience.
• From Metros/PSUs: minimum 13 years experience including at least 4 years as Manager in IDA pay scale Rs.70,000–2,00,000 or equivalent.
• From Private Sector: minimum 13 years experience including at least 4 years in middle management (equivalent to Manager in PSU) reporting to senior management; project size at least Rs.500 Crore or turnover at least Rs.100 Crore in the last 3 years, with proof.
• Experience required: Operations/Maintenance of Electric Rolling Stock in Metro/Railways, and/or tendering for procurement of rolling stock under international competitive bidding, design review, testing, commissioning, depot machine planning, and CMC contract management. Must be conversant with statutory clearance from RDSO, CMRS and GoI.

Deputy General Manager (Automatic Fare Collection) — 01 post. Must hold a BE / B.Tech (ECE/EEE/IT/CSE) or combination degree.

• From Government: officer with 3 years’ service in STS in Railways/Equivalent, or EE in State Govt organisations with minimum 13 years post-qualification executive experience.
• From Metros/PSUs: minimum 13 years experience including at least 4 years as Manager in IDA pay scale Rs.70,000–2,00,000.
• From Private Sector: minimum 13 years experience including at least 4 years in middle management, project size at least Rs.500 Crore or turnover at least Rs.100 Crore.
• Experience required: Planning, design, installation, testing, commissioning, operation and maintenance of AFC infrastructure such as AFC gates, ticketing systems, IT infrastructure, networking, LAN/WAN servers, software integration, network security, cyber security, and ERP implementation.

Manager (Automatic Fare Collection) — 01 post. Must hold a BE / B.Tech (ECE/EEE/IT/CSE) or combination degree.

• From Government: officer in STS in Railways/Equivalent, or Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) in State Govt organisations with minimum 7 years post-qualification executive experience.
• From Metros/PSUs: minimum 7 years experience including at least 4 years as Deputy Manager in IDA pay scale Rs.60,000–1,80,000.
• From Private Sector: minimum 7 years experience including at least 4 years in middle management (equivalent to Deputy Manager); project size at least Rs.200 Crore or turnover at least Rs.50 Crore.
• Experience required: same AFC infrastructure areas as the DGM (AFC) post above.

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Contract / Deputation Basis Posts

Chief General Manager (Electrical Systems) — must hold B.E / B.Tech in Electrical Engineering.

• From Government: officer with 5 years’ service in SAG in Railways/Equivalent, or 5 years as Chief Engineer in State Govt organisations.
• From Metros/PSUs: minimum 25 years experience including at least 3 years as GM in IDA pay scale Rs.1,20,000–2,80,000.
• From Private Sector: minimum 25 years experience including at least 3 years in top management (equivalent to GM in PSU) reporting to a Director/Board; project size at least Rs.500 Crore or turnover at least Rs.100 Crore.

General Manager (Electrical Systems) — same post as above, filled at this designation for less-senior eligible candidates. Same qualification.

• From Government: officer working in SAG in Railways/Equivalent, or Chief Engineer in State Govt organisations.
• From Metros/PSUs: minimum 20 years experience including at least 3 years as AGM in IDA pay scale Rs.1,00,000–2,60,000.
• From Private Sector: minimum 20 years experience including at least 3 years in top management (equivalent to AGM in PSU); project size at least Rs.500 Crore or turnover at least Rs.100 Crore.
• Experience for both CGM/GM (Electrical Systems): Design, erection, testing & commissioning of HT/LT electrical power supply systems, 25 kV traction sub-station equipment, cable distribution, UPS, earthing, lighting arrestor, fire protection, and BMS/SCADA in Metro Rail/Railways. Must be conversant with EIG approvals, Indian Electricity Rules, and contract management.

Chief General Manager (Rolling Stock) — must hold B.E / B.Tech (Electrical/ECE).

• From Government: IRSEE officer with 5 years’ service in SAG in Railways/Equivalent, or 5 years as Chief Engineer in State Govt organisations.
• From Metros/PSUs: minimum 25 years experience including at least 3 years as GM in IDA pay scale Rs.1,20,000–2,80,000.
• From Private Sector: minimum 25 years experience including at least 3 years in top management; project size at least Rs.500 Crore or turnover at least Rs.100 Crore.

General Manager (Rolling Stock) — same post, lower designation route. Same qualification.

• From Government: IRSEE officer working in SAG, or Chief Engineer in State Govt organisations.
• From Metros/PSUs: minimum 20 years experience including at least 3 years as AGM in IDA pay scale Rs.1,00,000–2,60,000.
• From Private Sector: minimum 20 years experience including at least 3 years in top management; project size at least Rs.500 Crore or turnover at least Rs.100 Crore.
• Experience for both CGM/GM (Rolling Stock): O&M of electric rolling stock, tendering for procurement under international bidding, design and review of rolling stock, testing, commissioning, depot machine planning, CMC contract management, and statutory clearances from RDSO, CMRS and GoI.

Joint General Manager (Architect) — 01 post. Must hold B.Arch (M.Arch preferable).

• From Government: officer in Junior Administrative Grade (JAG) in Railways/Equivalent, or Executive Engineer (EE) cadre in State Govt organisations with minimum 15 years post-qualification executive experience.
• From Metros/PSUs: minimum 15 years experience including at least 4 years as DGM in IDA pay scale Rs.80,000–2,20,000.
• From Private Sector: minimum 15 years experience including at least 4 years in senior management (equivalent to DGM), reporting to top management; project size at least Rs.500 Crore or turnover at least Rs.100 Crore.
• Experience required: major infrastructure and mixed-use development, metro station design and its integration with property development, sustainable design and green building practices, transit-oriented development integration, and multimodal transport planning. Must be conversant with TNCDBR, NBC/NFPA, CRZ, EC norms, and software such as AutoCAD and BIM.

Deputy General Manager (Finance & Accounts) — 01 post. Must be a Graduate/Post-graduate with CA/CMA.

• From Government: officer with 3 years’ service in STS in Railways/Equivalent, or Chief Accounts Officer (CAO) cadre in State Govt organisations with minimum 13 years post-qualification executive experience.
• From Metros/PSUs: minimum 13 years experience including at least 4 years as Manager in IDA pay scale Rs.70,000–2,00,000.
• From Private Sector: minimum 13 years experience including at least 4 years in middle management; project size at least Rs.500 Crore or turnover at least Rs.100 Crore.
• Experience required: GEM payment clearing, vendor payment review, coordination with internal auditors, O&M budget compilation, review of Annual Maintenance Contracts, MIS reporting, general ledger review, financial statement preparation, Ind AS knowledge, ERP, and advanced Excel/PowerPoint skills.

Manager (Architect) — 02 posts. Must hold B.Arch (M.Arch preferable).

• From Government: officer in STS in Railways/Equivalent, or Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) cadre in State Govt organisations with 7 years post-qualification executive experience.
• From Metros/PSUs: minimum 7 years experience including at least 4 years as DM in IDA pay scale Rs.60,000–1,80,000.
• From Private Sector: minimum 7 years experience including at least 4 years in middle management (equivalent to DM); project size at least Rs.200 Crore or turnover at least Rs.50 Crore.
• Experience required: major infrastructure and mixed-use development, architecture design, life and fire safety requirements, material selection, and design/construction of architectural finishes for stations. Software familiarity with CADD, Photoshop, 3D Max, or Revit is preferable.

Age relaxation (applies across both notifications): SC / SC (Arunthathiyars) / ST candidates get +5 years; Most Backward Classes, Denotified Communities, and Backward Classes (Muslim and non-Muslim) get +2 years; Differently Abled Persons get up to +10 years; Ex-servicemen get the prescribed age limit plus length of armed forces service plus 3 years. In every case, the maximum age after cumulative relaxation cannot exceed 58 years as on the date of notification.

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Selection Process

Both notifications use the same two-stage process: an interview, followed by a medical examination. The interview stage judges candidates on knowledge, skills, comprehension, attitude, aptitude, and physical fitness.

1. Screening and shortlisting — CMRL scrutinises applications based on documents and certificates uploaded online. Meeting the qualification and experience criteria does not automatically guarantee an interview call; only short-listed candidates are notified.
2. Interview — No TA/DA is paid by CMRL for attending the interview.
3. Medical examination — The first-time medical examination is paid for by CMRL. If a candidate seeks an extension for joining and needs a second medical exam, that expense is borne by the candidate, along with to-and-fro travel costs for the test.
4. Character and antecedents verification, and certificate verification — Provisionally selected candidates must submit original certificates for verification and undergo the medical examination before appointment is confirmed.

For regular-basis posts, selected candidates go through a probation period: 1 year for the GM post, and 2 years for Manager and DGM posts. For contract-basis posts, the initial contract period is 2 years, extendable on mutual consent. For deputation posts, the initial period is 3 years, extendable up to 5 years.

Application Fee

Regular basis (CMRL/HR/REG/03/2026): Unreserved and Other category candidates pay a non-refundable fee of Rs.300. SC/ST candidates pay Rs.50. There is no fee for Differently Abled persons (only the disability certificate needs to be uploaded).

Contract/Deputation basis (CMRL/HR/CON/DEP/04/2026): The application fee is applicable only for contract-type employment, at the same rates — Rs.300 for Unreserved/Other category, Rs.50 for SC/ST, and no fee for Differently Abled persons. The notification does not separately state a fee for deputation applicants.

Fee is paid via NEFT/UPI to:

• Beneficiary Name: M/S Chennai Metro Rail Limited
• Bank: Canara Bank, A/c No. 0416214000030 (Current Account)
• IFSC: CNRB0000416
• Branch: Teynampet, Chennai

Fee once paid is non-refundable under any circumstances.

How to Apply

Both notifications share the same three-step online process:

1. Register on the CMRL Career portal using a valid email ID. This email will be used for all further correspondence.
2. Verify your email via the registration link CMRL sends you, then log in to the CMRL career page.
3. Fill all sections of the online form and upload the required documents as per the notification, to authenticate the details entered.

Apply here: CMRL Careers Portal

Documents to Keep Ready

• Recent passport-size photograph (JPEG/PNG, max 2MB)
• Age proof — Birth Certificate or 10th Standard Certificate
• Community Certificate
• Educational qualification certificates (10th, 12th, Diploma, Graduation, Post-Graduation)
• Experience certificates (present and previous employment)
• NOC / Through Proper Channel letter (for Govt/PSU applicants)
• Application fee payment proof — NEFT/UPI receipt (contract-type applicants, and all regular-basis applicants)
• Detailed Resume / Bio-data / CV
• Ex-servicemen proof, if applicable
• Disability certificate, if applicable
• Last 5 years’ ACRs, attested (for deputation posts, and all regular-basis posts)
• Vigilance clearance and Integrity certificate (for deputation posts, and all regular-basis posts)
• Proforma certificate from HR/Personnel of the current organisation (for deputation posts, and all regular-basis posts)
• Project size / turnover proof (for private sector applicants only)
• Any other relevant certificates

Persons already working in a Government/PSU organisation must apply through proper channel to hr@cmrl.in and produce an NOC at the time of interview.

Important Links

Should You Apply?

This recruitment suits senior professionals already operating at AGM/GM level or equivalent, not early or mid-career candidates. The minimum experience bar across every post is at least 7 years, and most posts ask for 13 to 25 years of post-qualification executive experience. Government officers need to already hold Senior Time Scale, Senior Administrative Grade, or equivalent cadre positions in Railways or State Govt departments. Private sector applicants need to show they worked on projects of Rs.200 Crore to Rs.500 Crore or more, with documentary proof.

The regular-basis posts (GM Operations, DGM Rolling Stock, DGM/Manager AFC) offer permanent CMRL employment with standard probation, IDA pay progression, and long-term career stability. The contract/deputation posts (CGM/GM Electrical Systems, CGM/GM Rolling Stock, JGM Architect, DGM Finance & Accounts, Manager Architect) pay a flat consolidated salary and carry a fixed 2-to-5-year term rather than permanence — a real trade-off between higher upfront pay and job security. Competition is likely to be moderate to high for the higher grades given how few similar vacancies open across Indian metro corporations at any given time, based on the DMRC and BMRCL comparisons above, but the specialised qualification requirements (B.Arch for architecture posts, CA/CMA for finance) naturally narrow the applicant pool for those specific posts.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sandeep Khati is the founder of India Job Alerts and a B.Tech in Computer Science from JGEC (2010). He started his career as a Systems Engineer at TCS and has been active in digital publishing since 2011, beginning with SearchDarjeeling.com(2011) and working as a web developer and designer at Darjeeling Informatics. Launched in April 2025, India Job Alerts is his most focused project — dedicated to publishing verified government and PSU job notifications for West Bengal, Sikkim, and All-India candidates. Every post is cross-checked against official notifications before publishing.. Know more

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