The total sanctioned strength of the service is '478' after cadre restructuring orders on 09.03.2019.

50% vacancies in the initial recruitment grade of the Indian Railways Personnel Service (IRPS) Railway office are filled up through the UPSC Civil Service Examination held every year while remaining vacancies are filled up by promotion of Group 'B' officers of feeder cadres through selection made by UPSC.The first direct recruitment to the cadre was done by UPSC in the year 1980.

After selection, the IRPS probationers undergo general foundation training at one of the training academies, that is, Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), RCVP Noronha Academy of Administration at Bhopal and Dr. Marri Chenna Reddy Human Resource Development Institute of Telangana at Hyderabad.

Managing good industrial relations with trade unions and to see welfare of close to 1.4 million railway employees and their families .

Railway is one of the model employers with a large number of welfare measures being implemented to look after the staff and their families.

At the apex level of the Ministry of Railways, Member Staff is the highest level post, who is ex-officio Secretary to Government of India.Currently he is assisted by Director General (Personnel) and two Additional members, Additional Member (Staff) and Additional Member (Industrial Relations), who are in the rank of Additional Secretary to Government of India.Below them are a group of Principal Executive Directors, Directors, Joint Directors and Deputy Directors who work at Railway Board level who are either drawn from the service or from the Railway Board Secretariat Service.

The role of Personnel Department as it is called all over encompasses all those which are in any Human Resources Management department of any organisation including those of dealing with Labour Relations and Labour Legislations.