The force was established by the RPF Act, 1957,[3] enacted by the Indian Parliament for "the better protection and security of railway property and passenger area".

However the power of arrests under other penal laws rests in the hands of the Government Railway Police (GRP) of each state.

Since railways have a linear territory traversing inter-state lines, a foolproof security system has been hard to provide.

The provincial system found acceptance on recommendation of Railway Police Committee, 1921 and the present GRP came into existence.

The ‘Company Police’ evolved into present RPF in 1957 passing through "Watch and Ward" phase from 1872-1954, and as "Railway Security Force" from  1954-1956.

[6] Thus, for a full 100 years, the Force though being used for providing security to the vital artery of national communication and economic progress did not itself have any legislative status.

instituted  a  special  enquiry  through  Director, Intelligence Bureau (Ministry of Home Affairs) who in his report in 1954 forcefully brought out  the  necessity  of  organising  the  Watch  &  Ward  on  a statutory basis.

Moreover, in 2019, the RPF was granted additional empowerment under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, allowing officers to undertake search, seizure, and arrest activities in relation to drug-related offenses.

Notably, officers holding the rank of Assistant Sub Inspector and above within the RPF hierarchy are authorized to exercise the powers and fulfill the duties outlined in section 42 of the NDPS Act within their respective jurisdictions.

[10] The Gazetted IRPFS Officers utilise a similar rank structure to the IPS (Indian Police Service).

Inspector General All the officers of Railway Protection Force are members of the Indian Railway Protection Force Service (IRPFS) and are either recruited through UPSC Civil Services Examination or get promoted from Non-Gazetted ranks to Officer Ranks by time bound promotions.