Ministry of Railways (India): Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Government ministry of India}}
{{Redirect|Railway Board|the former British board|British Railways Board}}
{{Redirect|Railway Board|the former British board|British Railways Board}}
{{short description|Indian government ministry responsible for rail transport}}
{{For|the minister responsible|Minister of Railways (India)}}
{{use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}
{{use Indian English|date=July 2016}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2016}}
{{More citations needed|date=May 2020}}
{{Infobox government agency
{{Infobox government agency
| name = {{Big|रेल मंत्रालय }}
| name           = Ministry of Railways
| native_name = {{Small|Ministry of Railways}}
| seal            = Government of India logo.svg
| native_name_a =  
| seal_width      = 100px
| native_name_r =  
| seal_caption    = Branch of Government of India
| type = [[Ministry (government department)|Ministry]]
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| seal = Emblem of India.svg
| native_name_a   =  
| seal_width = 90px
| native_name_r   =  
| seal_caption = [[Emblem of India]]
| type           = [[Ministry (government department)|Ministry]]
| logo =
| logo            = Ministry of Railways India.svg
| logo_width =  
| logo_width     = 250px
| logo_caption =  
| logo_caption   = Ministry of Railways
| image = Rail Bhavan 1.jpg
| image           = Rail Bhavan in New Delhi 05.jpg
| image_size =  
| image_size     =  
| image_caption = [[Rail Bhavan]] in New Delhi, the seat of the Ministry of Railways and the Railways Board
| image_caption   = [[Rail Bhavan]] in New Delhi, the seat of the Ministry of Railways
| formed = {{Start date|1905|03||df=y}}<ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-04-15/patna/28138504_1_ecr-railway-week-indian-railways|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104232206/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-04-15/patna/28138504_1_ecr-railway-week-indian-railways|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 November 2012|title=ECR to observe Railway Week today |location=India |work=[[The Times of India]]| date=15 April 2010}}</ref>
| formed         = {{Start date|1905|03||df=y}}
| preceding1 =  
| preceding1     =  
| preceding2 = <!-- up to |preceding6= -->
| dissolved       =  
| dissolved =  
| superseding1   =  
| superseding1 =  
| jurisdiction   = [[Government of India]]
| superseding2 = <!-- up to |superseding6= -->
| headquarters   = [[Rail Bhavan]]<br>1, Raisina Road, [[New Delhi]], [[India]]
| jurisdiction = [[Government of India]]
| coordinates     = <!-- {{coord|LATITUDE|LONGITUDE|type:landmark_region:US|display=inline,title}} -->
| headquarters = [[Rail Bhavan]]<br />1, Raisina Road<br />[[New Delhi]]
| motto           =  
| coordinates = <!-- {{coord|LATITUDE|LONGITUDE|type:landmark_region:US|display=inline,title}} -->
| employees       = 1,212,882 (2022)<ref name="IRYB">{{cite report|url=https://iritm.indianrailways.gov.in/uploads/files/1680252282408-PDF%20Year%20Book%202021-22-English.pdf|title=Indian Railways Year Book 2021–22|publisher=[[Indian Railways]]|access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref>
| motto =  
| budget         = {{INRConvert|299059|c}} (2025–26)
| employees = 1.4 million (2011)<ref name=Stats_2010>{{cite book|title = Indian Railways Year Book (2009–2010)| url = http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/directorate/stat_econ/Stat_0910/Year%20Book%202009-10-Sml_size_English.pdf| publisher=Ministry of Railways, [[Government of India]]| year = 2011| page = 13| access-date =26 August 2008}}</ref>
| minister1_name  = [[Ashwini Vaishnaw]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.businesstoday.in/india/story/modi-cabinet-30-ashwini-vaishnaw-gets-railways-ib-ministry-432744-2024-06-10|title=Modi Cabinet 3.0: Ashwini Vaishnaw retains Railways and IT, gets I&B Ministry|date=10 June 2024|access-date=11 June 2024|newspaper=Business Today}}</ref>
| budget = {{INRConvert|72216|c}} <small>(2020-21 est.)</small> <ref>{{cite web |url=https://prsindia.org/sites/default/files/budget_files/Union%20Budget%20Analysis%20-%202020-21.pdf |title=Union Budget 2020-21 Analysis |date= 2020|website=prsindia.org |format=PDF}}</ref>
| minister1_pfo   = [[Minister of Railways (India)|Minister of Railways]]
| minister1_name = [[Ashwini Vaishnaw]]
| deputyminister1_name = [[V. Somanna]]
| minister1_pfo = [[Minister of Railways (India)|Minister of Railways]]  
| deputyminister1_pfo = [[Minister of State]]
| minister2_name = [[Raosaheb Danve]]
| deputyminister2_name = [[Ravneet Singh Bittu]]
| minister2_pfo = [[Minister (government)|Minister of State for Railways]]
| deputyminister2_pfo = [[Minister of State]]
| minister3_name = [[Darshana Jardosh]]
| chief1_name    = Satish Kumar,<ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-08-27 |title=Satish Kumar named new Chairman and CEO of Railway Board |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/satish-kumar-named-new-chairman-and-ceo-of-railway-board/article68574352.ece |access-date=2024-08-28 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref>[[Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers|IRSME]]
| minister3_pfo = [[Minister (government)|Minister of State for Railways]]
| chief1_position = [[Chairperson of the Railway Board|Chairman & CEO, Railway Board]]
| deputyminister1_name =
| chief2_name     =  
| deputyminister1_pfo =
| deputyminister2_name =
| deputyminister2_pfo = <!-- up to |deputyminister8_name= -->
| chief1_name = [[Suneet Sharma]], [[Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers|IRSME]]<ref name="Suneet Sharma chairman">{{cite web|url= https://www.news18.com/news/india/suneet-sharma-appointed-new-chairman-and-ceo-of-railway-board-3234803.html |work=news18|date=1 January 2020|access-date=1 January 2020}}</ref>
| chief1_position = Chairman and CEO, Railway Board
| chief2_name =  
| chief2_position = <!-- up to |chief9_name= -->
| chief2_position = <!-- up to |chief9_name= -->
| public_protector =  
| public_protector =  
| deputy =  
| deputy         =  
| parent_department =  
| parent_department =  
| parent_agency =  
| parent_agency   =  
| parent_agency_type = <!-- defaults to |type if left blank -->
| parent_agency_type = <!-- defaults to |type if left blank -->
| child1_agency = [[Indian Railways]]
| child1_agency   = [[Indian Railways]]
| child2_agency = <!-- up to |child25_agency= -->
| child2_agency   = [[Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India|DFCCIL]]
| keydocument1 = <!-- up to |keydocument6= -->
| keydocument1   = <!-- up to |keydocument6= -->
| website = {{URL|www.indianrailways.gov.in}} <br/> {{URL|www.indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/}}
| website         = {{URL|www.indianrailways.gov.in}}
| agency_id =  
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| map =  
| map             =  
| map_size =  
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| map_caption =  
| map_caption     =  
| footnotes =  
| footnotes       =  
| embed =  
| embed           =  
}}
}}


The '''Ministry of Railways''' is a ministry in the [[Government of India]], responsible for the [[rail transport in India|country's rail transport]]. The ministry operates the [[statute|statutory body]] [[Indian Railways]], an organisation that operates as a monopoly in rail transport and is headed by the [[Chairman Railway Board (India)|Chairman and CEO of Railway Board]]. The Ministry of Railways along with the Railway Board is housed inside [[Rail Bhavan]] in [[New Delhi]].
The '''Ministry of Railways''' is a ministry in the [[Government of India]], responsible for the [[rail transport in India|country's rail transport]]. The [[Indian Railways]] is the rail network operated and administered by the Railway Board constituted by the ministry. The ministry along with the Railway Board is housed inside [[Rail Bhawan]] in [[New Delhi]]. It is headed by the [[Minister of Railways (India)|Minister of Railways]]. With more than 1.2 million employees, it is one of the world's [[List of companies by employees|largest]] employers.


== Organisational structure ==
== History ==
The ministry has a [[Minister of Railways (India)|Union Minister]] and [[Minister of State]]. The [[Railway Board (India)|Railway Board]], which is the apex body of the [[Indian Railways]], reports to [[Parliament of India|parliament]] through the Ministry of Railways. The Railway Board comprises one [[Chairman Railway Board (India)|Chairman]], seven "members of the Railway Board",<ref>[http://www.india.gov.in/outerwin.php?id=http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/view_section.jsp?id=0,1,304,366,539/] Corporate Overview of Indian Railways Ministry</ref> and a Financial Commissioner (who is the representative of the Ministry of Finance in the Railway Board). It also includes a Director-General (Railway Health Services), Director-General (personnel) and a Director-General ([[Railway Protection Force]]). A number of directorates report to the Railway Board. Most of the officers posted in Ministry of Railways are either from organised "Group A Railway services" or the [[Railway Board Secretariat Service]].
The first [[railway track]] was operational in [[Chennai|Madras]] in 1837 and the first passenger train ran in [[Bombay]] in 1853.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/indias-1st-train-when-sahib-sindh-sultan-blew-steam/articleshow/19717248.cms?from=mdr|title=When India's first train blew steam|date=25 April 2013|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref><ref name="FR">{{cite news|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2018/apr/16/chennai-the-track-record-1801999.html|title=Chennai: The track record|date=16 April 2018|newspaper=[[New Indian Express]]|access-date=9 August 2023}}</ref> But the earlier railways were operated by private companies with the earliest being the [[Madras Railway]] established in 1845 and the [[Great Indian Peninsular Railway]] incorporated in 1849.<ref name="Hist">{{cite report|url=https://indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/directorate/Heritage/2021/PDF/3%20Presentation%20Shradha%20Arora%20IRICEN%202019.pdf|title=Understanding Indian Railway Heritage|publisher=[[Indian Railways]]|page=6|access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref> In October 1901, the Secretary of State for India in Council appointed Thomas Robertson as a special commissioner for Indian Railways to prepare a report on the administration of Indian Railways.<ref name="IR">{{cite report|url=https://indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/codesmanual/irfc1/chapter%20-%201%20(R).pdf|title=IRFC|publisher=[[Indian Railways]]|access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref> In his report in 1903, Thomas recommended setting up of a three-member Railway Board headed by a chief commissioner.<ref name="IR"/> In March 1905, the railway branch of the [[Central Public Works Department|Public Works Department]] was transferred to the newly established railway board under the [[Ministry of Commerce and Industry|department of commerce and industry]] by the Indian Railway Board Act.<ref>{{cite act|url=https://lddashboard.legislative.gov.in/sites/default/files/A1905-4.pdf|title=The Indian Railway Board Act, 1905|legislature=Parliament of India|year=1905}}</ref> In 1908, the set up was re-organized on the recommendations of the Railway Finance Committee (1908) by constituting the railway board headed by a president as a separate department.<ref name="IR"/> Pursuant to the [[William Mitchell Acworth|Acworth]] committee's recommendations in 1921, the railway board was expanded to four members with the addition of a financial commissioner in 1924 apart from the chief commissioner, one commissioners responsible for ways and works, projects and stores and the other responsible for general administration, staff and traffic.<ref name="IR"/>
 
In 1929, an additional member was added to the board and was assigned the responsibility for staff, so that the member in charge of traffic could focus solely on transport and commercial matters.<ref name="IRFCA">{{cite web|url=https://irfca.org/faq/faq-history3.html|title=History of Indian Railways|access-date=1 December 2023|work=IRFCA}}</ref> In 1944, all the railway companies were taken over by the Government.<ref>{{cite report|url=http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/financecode/ADMIN_FINANCE/AdminFinanceCh1_Data.htm|title=Evolution of Indian Railways-Historical Background|publisher=[[Indian Railways]]|access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref> The ministry of railways was part of the Ministry of Transport after the independence in 1947 and [[John Mathai]] served as its first minister from 1947 till 1948.<ref>{{cite report|url=https://cabsec.gov.in/writereaddata/initial_compositions_of_council_of_ministers/english/1_Upload_2027.pdf|title=Council of Ministers, 1947|publisher=[[Government of India]]|date=15 August 1947|access-date=1 June 2024|archive-date=23 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211123204431/https://cabsec.gov.in/writereaddata/initial_compositions_of_council_of_ministers/english/1_Upload_2027.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="RB2"/> On 22 September 1948, [[N. Gopalaswamy Ayyangar]] was appointed as the minister of the newly renamed Ministry of Railways and Transport.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pmml.nic.in/downloadIndividual/855|title=N. Gopalaswamy Ayyangar|publisher=[[Government of India]]|date=15 August 1947|access-date=1 June 2024|archive-date=22 September 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240922161937/http://pmml.nic.in/downloadIndividual/855|url-status=live}}</ref> On 17 April 1957, [[Jagjivan Ram]] became the first to head the standalone Minister of Railways.<ref name="MR"/>
 
In December 1950, the Central Advisory Committee for Railways approved the plan for re-organising Indian Railways into six [[Zones and divisions of Indian Railways|regional zones]] and re-constituting the railway board to four members with the senior-most functional member appointed the chairman of the board with no absolute over riding power.<ref>{{cite report|url=https://nair.indianrailways.gov.in/uploads/files/1430369298618-general%20overview.pdf|title=Overview of Indian Railways|publisher=National Academy of Indian Railways|access-date=1 January 2024}}</ref><ref name="IRFCA1">{{cite web|url=https://irfca.org/faq/faq-history4.html|title=History of Indian Railways|access-date=1 December 2023|work=IRFCA}}</ref> In October 1954, the chairman of the board was made responsible for decisions on technical and policy matters, with the status of a principal secretary to the [[Government of India]] with an additional member added.<ref name="IRFCA1"/>


== Current members ==
The board was expanded with an additional member responsible for electrical engineering in 1972 and a further member responsible for health in 1976.<ref name="IRFCA2">{{cite web|url=https://irfca.org/faq/faq-history5.html|title=History of Indian Railways|access-date=1 December 2023|work=IRFCA}}</ref>
'''Current [[Minister of Railways (India)|Minister of Railways]]''':
* [[Ashwini Vaishnaw]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Ashwini Vaishnaw, ex-IITian and MBA graduate from Wharton, takes charge as IT, Railway Minister |url=https://zeenews.india.com/india/ashwini-vaishnaw-ex-iitian-and-mba-graduate-from-wharton-takes-charge-as-it-railway-minister-2374834.html}}</ref> (2021-current)


'''Current [[Minister of Railways (India)|Minister of State, Railways]]''':
The Ministry of Railways was merged with the [[Ministry of Road Transport and Highways|Ministry of Shipping and Transport]] and the [[Ministry of Civil Aviation (India)|Department of Civil Aviation]] on 25 September 1985 to form the [[Ministry of Surface Transport (India)|Ministry of Transport]] and [[Bansi Lal]], who served as the Railways Minister prior to the merger became the first holder of the new office.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cabsec.gov.in/writereaddata/councilofministers/english/1_Upload_2288.pdf|title=Council of Ministers, 1985|publisher=[[Government of India]]|date=25 September 1985|access-date=1 June 2024|archive-date=7 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220707092659/https://cabsec.gov.in/writereaddata/councilofministers/english/1_Upload_2288.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> However, on 22 October 1986, the Ministry of Railways was again separated into an independent ministry and has been the same since then.<ref name="MR"/><ref name="JJ">{{cite web|url=https://www.jagranjosh.com/general-knowledge/list-of-railways-ministers-of-india-1497879511-1|title=List of Railway Ministers of India|date=26 November 2021 |publisher=[[Jagran Josh]]|access-date=1 June 2024|archive-date=26 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220526175339/https://www.jagranjosh.com/general-knowledge/list-of-railways-ministers-of-india-1497879511-1|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Raosaheb Danve]]<ref name="aninews.in">{{cite web | title= Darshana Vikram Jardosh, Raosaheb Dadarao Danve take charge as MoS for Railways |url=https://www.aninews.in/news/national/general-news/darshana-vikram-jardosh-raosaheb-dadarao-danve-take-charge-as-mos-for-railways20210708122047/}}</ref> (2021-current)
* [[Darshana Jardosh]]<ref name="aninews.in"/> (2021-current)


'''Present Members of Railway Board''':
In 2004, the board is expanded by the introduction of two new members responsible for signalling & telecom and for stores respectively.<ref name="IRFCA3">{{cite web|url=https://irfca.org/faq/faq-history6.html|title=History of Indian Railways|access-date=1 December 2023|work=IRFCA}}</ref> In December 2019, the [[Cabinet of India|Union Cabinet]] decided to reduce the size of the board from eight to five.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.livemint.com/news/india/cabinet-approves-restructuring-of-railway-board-11577181494500.html|title=Cabinet approves restructuring of Railway Board|date=24 December 2019|work=Livemint|access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref>
* [[Chairman Railway Board (India)|Chairman and CEO of Railway Board]] : [[Suneet Sharma]]<ref name="Suneet Sharma chairman" />
* Member Infrastructure: Sanjeev Mittal
* Member (Traction and Rolling stock): Rahul Jain
* Member (Operation and Business development): Sanjay Kumar Mohanty
* Member (Finance: ): Mr. Naresh Salecha
* Finance Commissioner: Position abolished
Director General (RHS): Bishnu Prasad Nanda
* Director General (RPF): Arun Kumar, IPS
* Director General (HR) : Vacant
* Director General (Safety) : Rahul Jain (L/A)
* Secretary: Sushant Kumar Mishra


{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible"
=== Railway Budget ===
|+Railway Board Directorates
{{Main|Railway budget of India}}
|Accounts
The first [[Railway budget of India|railway budget]] was presented in 1924.<ref name="Hist"/> Since then, Railway budget was presented as a standalone budget every year before the [[Union budget of India|union budget]] by the Railway Minister till 2016.<ref>{{cite news|title=After 92 years, Rail Budget is history|url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/after-92-years-rail-budget-is-history-116092100575_1.html|newspaper=Business Standard|date=22 September 2016|access-date=24 March 2017|archive-date=25 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170325025440/http://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/after-92-years-rail-budget-is-history-116092100575_1.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The last [[Railway Budget]] was presented on 25 February 2016 and on 21 September 2016, Government of India approved merger of the rail and general budgets from 2017.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/Railway-budget-to-be-merged-with-General-budget-from-2017/article14570182.ece1|title=Railway budget to be merged with General budget from 2017|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=14 August 2016|access-date=1 December 2023|archive-date=13 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230613070953/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/Railway-budget-to-be-merged-with-General-budget-from-2017/article14570182.ece1|url-status=live}}</ref> The railway budget was estimated to be {{INRConvert|264600|c}} for the financial year 2023–24.<ref>{{cite report|url=https://indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/directorate/finance_budget/Budget_2023-24/Statement%20of%20Railway%20Receipts%20and%20Expenditure%20Budget%202023-24.pdf|title=Railway Receipts and Expenditure|publisher=[[Indian Railways]]|access-date=1 December 2023|archive-date=1 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230701140420/https://indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/directorate/finance_budget/Budget_2023-24/Statement%20of%20Railway%20Receipts%20and%20Expenditure%20Budget%202023-24.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
|Civil Engineering
 
|Coaching
== Organisation ==
|Computerization & Information Systems
{|class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin-left:1em"
|+ Administrative officials
|-
!Title
!Name
|-
|[[Minister of Railways (India)|Minister of Railways]]
|[[Ashwini Vaishnaw]]
|-
|[[Minister of Railways (India)|Minister of State, Railways]]
|[[V. Somanna]], [[Ravneet Singh Bittu]]
|-
|[[Chairman Railway Board (India)|Chairman and CEO of Railway Board]]
|Satish Kumar
|}
The ministry has a [[Minister of Railways (India)|union minister]] and one or more [[Minister of State|ministers of state]].<ref>{{cite report|url=https://indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/directorate/stat_econ/pdf/2022/Org_Str_22.pdf|title=Organization Chart|publisher=[[Indian Railways]]|access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref> The railway board reports to the union ministry with the directorates of [[Railway electric traction|traction]], [[Railway engineering|engineering]], [[traffic]], [[rolling stock]], [[Railway signalling|signalling]], [[materials]], [[human resources|personnel]], [[Railway Protection Force]] (RPF), [[finance]], [[health]] and [[safety]] reporting to the board.<ref name="ZR">{{cite report|url=https://indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/directorate/stat_econ/Year_Book/Org_Chart_1.pdf|title=Organization Chart|publisher=[[Indian Railways]]|access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref> [[Indian Railways]] is a statutory body that reports to [[Parliament of India|parliament]] and is under the [[ownership]] of ministry of railways.<ref>{{cite news|last=Roy|first=Debasish|title=Why isn't the Railways a PSU?|newspaper=[[The Economic Times]]|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/why-isnt-the-railways-a-psu/articleshow/7584262.cms?from=mdr|date=27 February 2019|access-date=23 August 2020}}</ref> Indian Railways is further divided into 18 administrative zones (17 operational), headed by general managers who report to the board along with the heads of other institutions and undertakings owned by the Indian Railways.<ref name="ZR"/> The railway board consists of a [[Chairman Railway Board (India)|chairman]], four members responsible for operations & business development, traction & rolling stock, infrastructure and finance respectively.<ref name="RB">{{cite report|url=https://indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/view_section.jsp?lang=0&id=0,1,304,365|title=Railway Board|publisher=[[Indian Railways]]|access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref> Also part of the board are four director generals responsible for human resources, health, RPF and safety respectively.<ref name="RB"/>
 
===Statutory Bodies/Public Sector Undertakings===
*[[Rail India Technical and Economic Service]]
*[[Rail Land Development Authority]]
*[[IRCON International]]
*IRCON Renewable Power Limited
*[[Rail Vikas Nigam Limited]]
*[[Indian Railways Finance Corporation]]
*SIDCUL CONCOR Infra Company Ltd., a JV of SIDCUL and CONCOR
*Krishnapatnam Railway Company Limited, a JV of RVNL, Sagarmala Development Company, NMDC, Govt. of Andhra Pradesh, etc.
*[[Centre for Railway Information Systems]]
 
===Society===
*Indian Railway Welfare Organisation
 
== Railway Budget ==
{{Main|Railway budget of India}}
The first [[Railway budget of India|railway budget]] was presented in 1924.<ref name="Hist"/> Since then, Railway budget was presented as a standalone budget every year before the [[Union budget of India|union budget]] till 2016.<ref>{{cite news|title=After 92 years, Rail Budget is history|url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/after-92-years-rail-budget-is-history-116092100575_1.html|newspaper=Business Standard|date=22 September 2016|access-date=24 March 2017}}</ref> The last [[Railway Budget]] was presented on 25 February 2016 and on 21 September 2016, Government of India approved merger of the rail and general budgets from 2017.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/Railway-budget-to-be-merged-with-General-budget-from-2017/article14570182.ece1|title=Railway budget to be merged with General budget from 2017|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=14 August 2016|access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref> The railway budget is estimated to be {{INRConvert|264600|c}} for the financial year 2023–24.<ref>{{cite report|url=https://indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/directorate/finance_budget/Budget_2023-24/Statement%20of%20Railway%20Receipts%20and%20Expenditure%20Budget%202023-24.pdf|title=Railway Receipts and Expenditure|publisher=[[Indian Railways]]|access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref>
 
== Railway ministers ==
{{Infobox official post
| post = {{small|[[India]]}}<br> Minister of Railways
| body =
| native_name = {{transliteration|hi|Rail Mantrī}}
| flag = Flag of India.svg
| flagcaption = [[Flag of India]]
| insignia = Ministry of Railways India.svg
| insigniacaption = [[Emblem of India]]
| image = Ashwini Vaishnaw Minister of IT.jpg
| imagesize = 200px
| incumbent = [[Ashwini Vaishnaw]]
| incumbentsince = {{start date|2021|7|7|df=y}}
| type =
| status =
| department = Ministry of Railways
| style =
| member_of = [[Union Cabinet of India]]
| reports_to = [[President of India]]<br>[[Prime Minister of India]]<br>[[Parliament of India]]
| residence =
| seat =
| nominator =
| appointer = [[President of India]]
| appointer_qualified = on the recommendation of the [[Prime Minister of India|Prime Minister]]
| termlength =
| termlength_qualified =
| constituting_instrument =
| precursor =
| formation = {{start date|1947|df=y}}
| first = [[John Matthai]]<br />{{small|(as Minister of Transport)}}
| last =
| abolished =
| succession =
| unofficial_names =
| deputy = [[#Ministers of State|Minister of State for Railways]]
| salary =
| abbreviation =
| website =
}}
The '''Minister of Railways''' ([[Hindi]]: {{transliteration|hi|'''Rail Mantrī'''}}) is the head of the ministry and a member of the [[Union Council of Ministers (India)|union council of ministers]] of India. The position of the Minister of Railways is usually held by a minister of cabinet rank and is often assisted by one or two junior Ministers of State.<ref>{{cite report|url=https://indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/directorate/stat_econ/pdf/2022/Org_Str_22.pdf|title=Organization Chart|publisher=[[Indian Railways]]|access-date=1 December 2023|archive-date=12 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221212154019/https://indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/directorate/stat_econ/pdf/2022/Org_Str_22.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
 
[[John Mathai]] was the first Minister of Railways.<ref name="RB2">{{cite news|url=https://www.business-standard.com/budget/news/budget-2024-how-india-s-railway-budget-has-changed-over-the-years-123122000872_1.html|title=Budget 2024: How India's Railway Budget has changed over the years|date=20 December 2023|access-date=1 June 2024|newspaper=[[Business Standard]]|archive-date=18 May 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240518205105/https://www.business-standard.com/budget/news/budget-2024-how-india-s-railway-budget-has-changed-over-the-years-123122000872_1.html|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Lal Bahadur Shastri]] who served as the Minister of Railways and Transport from 1952 until 1956 became the second [[Prime Minister of India]] in 1964.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pmindia.gov.in/en/former_pm/shri-lal-bahadur-shastri/|title=Lal Bahadur Shastri|publisher=[[Government of India]]|access-date=1 December 2023|archive-date=17 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190617080922/https://www.pmindia.gov.in/en/former_pm/shri-lal-bahadur-shastri/|url-status=live}}</ref> Four prime ministers, namely [[Rajiv Gandhi]], [[P. V. Narasimha Rao]], [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]] (twice) and [[Manmohan Singh]] (twice) have briefly held the portfolio of the Minister of Railways during their premiership.<ref name="MR">{{cite report|url=https://indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/directorate/secretary_branches/OM/2021/List_MR.pdf|title=List of Ministers of Railways|publisher=[[Indian Railways]]|access-date=1 June 2024|archive-date=2 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230402054829/https://indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/directorate/secretary_branches/OM/2021/List_MR.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Mohsina Kidwai]] was the first female to hold the charge of the ministry (as Minister of Surface Transport) while [[Mamata Banerjee]] is the first female to have served as the Minister of Railways.<ref name="MR"/> [[Madhavrao Scindia]] and [[Ram Naik]] are the only people to have served as Ministers of State for Railways with an Independent charge. [[Lalit Narayan Mishra]] is the only cabinet minister to die in office after being assassinated in a bomb blast in 1975,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://sundayguardianlive.com/top-five/family-wants-union-ministers-assassination-to-be-reinvestigated|title=Family wants Union Minister's assassination to be reinvestigated|date=31 December 2023|access-date=1 June 2024|newspaper=The Sunday Guardian|archive-date=12 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240112191419/https://sundayguardianlive.com/top-five/family-wants-union-ministers-assassination-to-be-reinvestigated|url-status=live}}</ref> while [[Suresh Angadi]] is the only minister of state to die in office.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://guwahatiplus.com/guwahati/india-mos-railways-suresh-angadi-dies-of-covid-19|title=India Mos Railways Suresh Angadi dies of Covid-19|date=23 September 2020|access-date=1 June 2024|work=Guwahati Plus|archive-date=22 September 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240922162001/https://guwahatiplus.com/guwahati/india-mos-railways-suresh-angadi-dies-of-covid-19|url-status=live}}</ref>
 
The current Minister of Railways is [[Ashwini Vaishnaw]] of the [[Bharatiya Janata Party]] who has been in office since 7 July 2021 while [[V. Somanna]] and [[Ravneet Singh]] are the ministers of state for railways.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pmindia.gov.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Portfolios_of_the_Union_Council_of_Ministers_10_june_2024.pdf|title=Portfolios of the Union Council of Ministers|date=10 June 2024|access-date=1 June 2024|publisher=[[Government of India]]|archive-date=11 June 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240611043852/https://www.pmindia.gov.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Portfolios_of_the_Union_Council_of_Ministers_10_june_2024.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
 
=== Cabinet Ministers ===
*'''Key:''' {{note label|†|†|†}} Assassinated or died in office
*'''Note:''' MoS, I/C {{ndash}} Minister of State (Independent Charge)
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Indian Railway Ministers<ref name="MR"/><ref name="JJ"/><ref name="List">{{cite report|url=http://www.irfca.org/docs/railway-ministers.html|title=IRFCA link of railways ministers|work=IRFCA|access-date=1 December 2023|archive-date=9 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110809042850/http://www.irfca.org/docs/railway-ministers.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Full List of Railway Ministers of India|url=https://notespress.com/list-of-railway-minister-of-india/|work=Notes Press|date=25 August 2023|access-date=1 December 2023|archive-date=1 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231101200419/https://notespress.com/list-of-railway-minister-of-india/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Full List of Railway Ministers of India|url=https://notespress.com/list-of-railway-minister-of-india/|work=Notes Press|date=25 August 2023|access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite report|url=http://www.irfca.org/docs/railway-ministers.html|title=IRFCA link of railways ministers|work=IRFCA|access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref>
! rowspan="2" colspan="2"| Portrait
! rowspan="2" style="width:19em" |Minister<br />{{small|(Birth-Death)<br />Constituency}}
! colspan="3" |Term of office
! rowspan="2" style="width:8em" |Political party
! rowspan="2"| Ministry
! rowspan="2" style="width:9em" |Prime Minister
|-
!style="width:6em"| From
!style="width:6em"| To
!Period
|-
! colspan="9" |Minister of Transport
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress}}"|
|[[File:John Mathai.jpg|70px]]
|'''[[John Mathai]]'''<br />{{small|(1886{{ndash}}1959)}}
|{{small|15 August}}<br />1947
|{{small|22 September}}<br />1948
!{{ayd|1947|8|15|1948|9|22}}
|[[Indian National Congress]]
|bgcolor="#87CEEB"| '''[[First Nehru ministry|Nehru I]]'''
|[[Jawaharlal Nehru]]
|-
! colspan="9" |Minister of Transport and Railways
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress}}"|
|[[File:Gopalaswamy Ayyangar.jpg|70px]]
|'''[[N. Gopalaswamy Ayyangar]]'''<br />{{small|(1882{{ndash}}1953)<br />MP for [[Madras Presidency|Madras]] (Interim)}}
|{{small|22 September}}<br />1948
|{{small|13 May}}<br />1952
!{{ayd|1948|9|22|1952|5|13}}
|rowspan="3"| [[Indian National Congress]]
|bgcolor="#87CEEB"| '''[[First Nehru ministry|Nehru I]]'''
|rowspan="3"| [[Jawaharlal Nehru]]
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress}}"|
|[[File:Lal Bahadur Shastri (from stamp).jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Lal Bahadur Shastri]]'''<br />{{small|(1904{{ndash}}1966)<br />Rajya Sabha MP for [[Uttar Pradesh]]}}
|{{small|13 May}}<br />1952
|{{small|7 December}}<br />1956
!{{ayd|1952|5|13|1956|12|7}}
|rowspan="2" bgcolor="#87CEEB"| '''[[Second Nehru ministry|Nehru II]]'''
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress}}"|
|[[File:Jagjivan Ram 1991 stamp of India.jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Jagjivan Ram]]'''<br />{{small|(1908{{ndash}}1986)<br />MP for [[Sasaram Lok Sabha constituency#1952-1957|Shahabad South]]}}
|{{small|7 December}}<br />1956
|{{small|17 April}}<br />1957
!{{ayd|1956|12|7|1957|4|17}}
|-
! colspan="9" |Minister of Railways
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress}}"|
|[[File:Jagjivan Ram 1991 stamp of India.jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Jagjivan Ram]]'''<br />{{small|(1908{{ndash}}1986)<br />MP for [[Sasaram Lok Sabha constituency|Sasaram]]}}
|{{small|17 April}}<br />1957
|{{small|10 April}}<br />1962
!{{ayd|1957|4|17|1962|4|10}}
|rowspan="9"| [[Indian National Congress]]
|bgcolor="#87CEEB"| '''[[Third Nehru ministry|Nehru III]]'''
|rowspan="3"| [[Jawaharlal Nehru]]
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress}}"|
| [[File:Swaran Singh Lok Sabha photo.jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Swaran Singh]]'''<br />{{small|(1907{{ndash}}1994)<br />MP for [[Jalandhar Lok Sabha constituency|Jullundur]]}}
|{{small|10 April}}<br />1962
|{{small|1 September}}<br />1963
!{{ayd|1962|4|10|1963|9|1}}
|rowspan="2" bgcolor="#87CEEB"| '''[[Fourth Nehru ministry|Nehru IV]]'''
|-
|rowspan="2" bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress}}"|
|rowspan="2"| [[File:H. C. Dasappa official portrait.gif|70px]]
|rowspan="2"| '''[[H. C. Dasappa]]'''<br />{{small|(1894{{ndash}}1964)<br />MP for Bangalore}}
|{{small|1 September}}<br />1963
|{{small|27 May}}<br />1964
!rowspan="2"| {{ayd|1963|9|1|1964|6|9}}
|-
|{{small|27 May}}<br />1964
|{{small|9 June}}<br />1964
|bgcolor="#87CEEB"| '''[[First Nanda ministry|Nanda I]]'''
|[[Gulzarilal Nanda]]<br />(acting)
|-
|rowspan="3" bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress}}"|
|rowspan="3"| [[File:Miss India Indrani Rehman, S.K. Patil, and two of the sponsors of the contest (cropped).jpg|70px]]
|rowspan="3"| '''[[S. K. Patil]]'''<br />{{small|(1898{{ndash}}1981)<br />MP for [[Mumbai South Lok Sabha constituency|Mumbai South]]}}
|{{small|9 June}}<br />1964
|{{small|11 January}}<br />1966
!rowspan="3"| {{ayd|1964|6|9|1967|3|13}}
|bgcolor="#87CEEB"| '''[[Shastri ministry|Shastri]]'''
|[[Lal Bahadur Shastri]]
|-
|{{small|11 January}}<br />1966
|{{small|24 January}}<br />1966
|bgcolor="#87CEEB"| '''[[Second Nanda ministry|Nanda II]]'''
|[[Gulzarilal Nanda]]<br />(acting)
|-
|{{small|24 January}}<br />1966
|{{small|13 March}}<br />1967
|bgcolor="#87CEEB"| '''[[First Indira Gandhi ministry|Indira I]]'''
|rowspan="9"| [[Indira Gandhi]]
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress}}"|
|[[File:C M Poonacha.gif|70px]]
|'''[[C. M. Poonacha]]'''<br />{{small|(1910{{ndash}}1990)<br />MP for [[Mangalore Lok Sabha constituency|Mangalore]]}}
|{{small|13 March}}<br />1967
|{{small|14 February}}<br />1969
!{{ayd|1967|3|13|1969|2|14}}
|rowspan="4" bgcolor="#87CEEB"| '''[[Second Indira Gandhi ministry|Indira II]]'''
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress}}"|
|[[File:Ram Subhag Singh.jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Ram Subhag Singh]]'''<br />{{small|(1917{{ndash}}1980)<br />MP for [[Buxar Lok Sabha constituency|Buxar]]}}
|{{small|14 February}}<br />1969
|{{small|4 November}}<br />1969
!{{ayd|1969|2|14|1969|11|4}}
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress (R)}}"|
|[[File:P. Govinda Menon official portrait.gif|70px]]
|'''[[Panampilly Govinda Menon]]'''<br />{{small|(1906{{ndash}}1970)<br />MP for [[Mukundapuram Lok Sabha constituency|Mukundapuram]]}}
|{{small|4 November}}<br />1969
|{{small|18 February}}<br />1970
!{{ayd|1969|11|4|1970|2|18}}
|rowspan="6"| [[Indian National Congress (R)]]
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress (R)}}"|
|[[File:Gulzarilal Nanda 1.jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Gulzarilal Nanda]]'''<br />{{small|(1898{{ndash}}1998)<br />MP for [[Kurukshetra Lok Sabha constituency|Kurukshetra]]}}
|{{small|18 February}}<br />1970
|{{small|18 March}}<br />1971
!{{ayd|1970|2|18|1971|3|18}}
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress (R)}}"|
| [[File:Kengal Hanumanthaiah.gif|70px]]
|'''[[Kengal Hanumanthaiah]]'''<br />{{small|(1908{{ndash}}1980)<br />MP for [[Bangalore North Lok Sabha constituency|Bangalore City]]}}
|{{small|18 March}}<br />1971
|{{small|22 July}}<br />1972
!{{ayd|1971|3|18|1972|7|22}}
|rowspan="4" bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress (R)}}"| '''[[Third Indira Gandhi ministry|Indira III]]'''
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress (R)}}"|
|[[File:T. A. Pai photo.jpg|70px]]
|'''[[T. A. Pai]]'''<br />{{small|(1922{{ndash}}1981)<br />Rajya Sabha MP for [[Karnataka]]}}
|{{small|22 July}}<br />1972
|{{small|5 February}}<br />1973
!{{ayd|1972|7|22|1973|2|5}}
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress (R)}}"|
|[[File:Lalit_Narayan_Mishra_1976_stamp_of_India_(cropped).jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Lalit Narayan Mishra]]'''<br />{{small|(1923{{ndash}}1975)<br />MP for [[Darbhanga Lok Sabha constituency|Darbhanga]]}}
|{{small|5 February}}<br />1973
|{{small|3 January}}<br />1975{{ref label|†|†|†}}
!{{ayd|1973|2|5|1975|1|3}}
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress (R)}}"|
|[[File:Kamalapati Tripathi Lok Sabha photo.jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Kamalapati Tripathi]]'''<br />{{small|(1905{{ndash}}1990)<br />Rajya Sabha MP for [[Uttar Pradesh]]}}
|{{small|10 February}}<br />1975
|{{small|23 March}}<br />1977
!{{ayd|1975|2|10|1977|3|23}}
|-
|style="background:{{party color|Janata Party}}; color:white"|
| [[File:Madhu Dandavate Lok Sabha photo.jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Madhu Dandavate]]'''<br />{{small|(1924{{ndash}}2005)<br />MP for [[Rajapur Lok Sabha constituency|Rajapur]]}}
|{{small|26 March}}<br />1977
|{{small|28 July}}<br />1979
!{{ayd|1977|3|26|1979|7|28}}
|[[Janata Party]]
|bgcolor="#1F75FE"| '''[[Morarji Desai ministry|Desai]]'''
|[[Morarji Desai]]
|-
|-
|Corporate Co-ordination
|style="background:{{party color|Janata Party (Secular)}}; color:white"|
|Economics
|[[File:T. A. Pai photo.jpg|70px]]
|Efficiency & Research
|'''[[T. A. Pai]]'''<br />{{small|(1922{{ndash}}1981)<br />MP for [[Udupi Lok Sabha constituency|Udipi]]}}
|Electrical Engineering
|{{small|28 July}}<br />1979
|{{small|14 January}}<br />1980
!{{ayd|1979|7|28|1980|1|14}}
|[[Janata Party (Secular)]]
|bgcolor="#6495ED"| '''[[Charan Singh ministry|Charan Singh]]'''
|[[Charan Singh]]
|-
|-
|Establishment
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress (I)}}"|
|Finance
|[[File:Kamalapati Tripathi Lok Sabha photo.jpg|70px]]
|Finance (Budget)
|'''[[Kamalapati Tripathi]]'''<br />{{small|(1905{{ndash}}1990)<br />MP for [[Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency|Varanasi]]}}
|Finance (Expenditure)
|{{small|14 January}}<br />1980
|{{small|12 November}}<br />1980
!{{ayd|1980|1|14|1980|11|12}}
|rowspan="6"| [[Indian National Congress (I)]]
|rowspan="4" bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress (I)}}"| '''[[Fourth Indira Gandhi ministry|Indira IV]]'''
|rowspan="4"| [[Indira Gandhi]]
|-
|-
|Health
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress (I)}}"|
|Infrastructure
|[[File:Kedar Pandey.jpg|70px]]
|Land & Amenities
|'''[[Kedar Pandey]]'''<br />{{small|(1920{{ndash}}1982)<br />MP for [[Bettiah Lok Sabha constituency|Bettiah]]}}
|Legal
|{{small|12 November}}<br />1980
|{{small|15 January}}<br />1982
!{{ayd|1980|11|12|1982|1|15}}
|-
|-
|Non Fare Revenue (NFR)
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress (I)}}"|
|Management Services
|[[File:Prakash Chandra Sethi Lok Sabha photo.jpg|70px]]
|Mechanical Engg
|'''[[Prakash Chandra Sethi]]'''<br />{{small|(1919{{ndash}}1996)<br />MP for [[Indore Lok Sabha constituency|Indore]]}}
|Mechanical Engg (PU&W)
|{{small|15 January}}<br />1982
|{{small|2 September}}<br />1982
!{{ayd|1982|1|15|1982|9|2}}
|-
|-
|Official Language
|rowspan="2" bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress (I)}}"|
|Pay Commission
|rowspan="2"| [[File:Indian Minister Ghani Khan.jpg|70px]]
|Planning
|rowspan="2"| '''[[A. B. A. Ghani Khan Choudhury]]'''<br />{{small|(1927{{ndash}}2006)<br />MP for [[Malda Lok Sabha constituency|Malda]]}}
|Heritage
|{{small|2 September}}<br />1982
|{{small|31 October}}<br />1984
!{{ayd|1982|9|2|1984|10|31}}
|-
|-
|Public Relation
|{{small|4 November}}<br />1984
|Environment Management
|{{small|31 December}}<br />1984
|Transformation Cell
!{{ayd|1984|11|4|1984|12|31}}
|Railway Sports Promotion Board
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress (I)}}"| '''[[First Rajiv Gandhi ministry|Rajiv I]]'''
|rowspan="2"| [[Rajiv Gandhi]]
|-
|-
|Secretary Branches
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress (I)}}"|
|Security
| [[File:Bansi_Lal_(cropped).jpg|70px]]
|Signal
|'''[[Bansi Lal]]'''<br />{{small|(1927{{ndash}}2006)<br />MP for [[Bhiwani Lok Sabha constituency|Bhiwani]]}}
|Statistics & Economics
|{{small|31 December}}<br />1984
|{{small|25 September}}<br />1985
!{{ayd|1984|12|31|1985|9|25}}
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress (I)}}"| '''[[Second Rajiv Gandhi ministry|Rajiv II]]'''
|-
|-
|Stores
! colspan="9" |Minister of Transport
|Telecommunication
|Track
|Traffic Commercial
|-
|-
|Traffic Transportation
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress (I)}}"|
|Tourism & Catering
| [[File:Bansi_Lal_(cropped).jpg|70px]]
|Vigilance
|'''[[Bansi Lal]]'''<br />{{small|(1927{{ndash}}2006)<br />MP for [[Bhiwani Lok Sabha constituency|Bhiwani]]}}
|Works
|{{small|25 September}}<br />1985
|{{small|4 June}}<br />1986
!{{ayd|1985|9|25|1986|6|4}}
|rowspan="3"| [[Indian National Congress (I)]]
|rowspan="3" bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress (I)}}"| '''[[Second Rajiv Gandhi ministry|Rajiv II]]'''
|rowspan="3"| [[Rajiv Gandhi]]
|-
|-
|Metropolitan Transport
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress (I)}}"|
|IRCA
|[[File:RajivGandhi.jpg|70px]]
|High Power Committee
|'''[[Rajiv Gandhi]]'''<br />{{small|(1944{{ndash}}1991)<br />MP for [[Amethi Lok Sabha constituency|Amethi]]}}<br />(Prime Minister)
|Safety
|{{small|4 June}}<br />1986
|{{small|24 June}}<br />1986
!{{ayd|1986|6|4|1986|6|24}}
|-
|-
|High Level Committee for Railway Restructuring
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress (I)}}"|
|Accounting Reforms
|[[File:Mohsina Kidwai (cropped).jpg|70px]]
|Passenger Amenities Committee
|'''[[Mohsina Kidwai]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1932)<br />MP for [[Meerut Lok Sabha constituency|Meerut]]}}
|Documents laid in Lok Sabha  
|{{small|24 June}}<br />1986
|{{small|22 October}}<br />1986
!{{ayd|1986|6|24|1986|10|22}}
|-
! colspan="9" |Minister of Railways
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress (I)}}"|
|[[File:Madhavrao Scindia 2005 stamp of India.jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Madhavrao Scindia]]'''<br />{{small|(1945{{ndash}}2001)<br />MP for [[Gwalior Lok Sabha constituency|Gwalior]]}}<br />(MoS, I/C)
|{{small|22 October}}<br />1986
|{{small|2 December}}<br />1989
!{{ayd|1986|10|22|1989|12|2}}
|[[Indian National Congress (I)]]
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress (I)}}"| '''[[Second Rajiv Gandhi ministry|Rajiv II]]'''
|[[Rajiv Gandhi]]
|-
|style="background:{{party color|Janata Dal}}; color:white"|
|[[File:George Fernandes (cropped).jpg|70px]]
|'''[[George Fernandes]]'''<br />{{small|(1930{{ndash}}2019)<br />MP for [[Muzaffarpur Lok Sabha constituency|Muzaffarpur]]}}
|{{small|6 December}}<br />1989
|{{small|10 November}}<br />1990
!{{ayd|1989|12|6|1990|11|10}}
|[[Janata Dal]]
|style="background:#4C915F"| '''[[V. P. Singh ministry|V. P. Singh]]'''
|[[V. P. Singh]]
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya)}}"|
|[[File:Janeshwar Mishra Lok Sabha photo.jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Janeshwar Mishra]]'''<br />{{small|(1933{{ndash}}2010)<br />MP for [[Prayagraj Lok Sabha constituency|Allahabad]]}}
|{{small|21 November}}<br />1990
|{{small|21 June}}<br />1991
!{{ayd|1990|11|21|1991|6|21}}
|[[Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya)]]
|style="background:#74C365"| '''[[Chandra Shekhar ministry|Chandra Shekhar]]'''
|[[Chandra Shekhar]]
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress (I)}}"|
|[[File:Veteran Leader Ck jaffer Sharief on a Hartal (cropped).JPG|70px]]
|'''[[C. K. Jaffer Sharief]]'''<br />{{small|(1933{{ndash}}2018)<br />MP for [[Bangalore North Lok Sabha constituency|Bangalore North]]}}
|{{small|21 June}}<br />1991
|{{small|17 August}}<br />1995
!{{ayd|1991|6|21|1995|8|17}}
|rowspan="2"| [[Indian National Congress (I)]]
|rowspan="2" bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress (I)}}"| [[Rao ministry|'''Rao''']]
|rowspan="2"| [[P. V. Narasimha Rao]]
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress (I)}}"|
|[[File:Visit of Narasimha Rao, Indian Minister for Foreign Affairs, to the CEC (cropped)(2).jpg|70px]]
|'''[[P. V. Narasimha Rao]]'''<br />{{small|(1921{{ndash}}2004)<br />MP for [[Nandyal Lok Sabha constituency|Nandyal]]}}<br />(Prime Minister)
|{{small|18 August}}<br />1995
|{{small|16 May}}<br />1996
!{{ayd|1995|8|18|1996|5|16}}
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Bharatiya Janata Party}}"|
|[[File:Atal Bihari Vajpayee (crop 2).jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]]'''<br />{{small|(1924{{ndash}}2018)<br />MP for [[Lucknow Lok Sabha constituency|Lucknow]]}}<br />(Prime Minister)
|{{small|16 May}}<br />1996
|{{small|1 June}}<br />1996
!{{ayd|1996|5|16|1996|6|1}}
|[[Bharatiya Janata Party]]
|style="background:#FFA551;"| '''[[First Vajpayee ministry|Vajpayee I]]'''
|Self
|-
|rowspan="2" bgcolor="{{party color|Janata Dal}}"|
|rowspan="2"| [[File:Ram Vilas Paswan (cropped).jpg|70px]]
|rowspan="2"| '''[[Ram Vilas Paswan]]'''<br />{{small|(1946{{ndash}}2020)<br />MP for [[Hajipur Lok Sabha constituency|Hajipur]]}}
|{{small|1 June}}<br />1996
|{{small|21 April}}<br />1997
!rowspan="2"| {{ayd|1996|6|1|1998|3|19}}
|rowspan="2"| [[Janata Dal]]
|style="background:#4C915F"| '''[[Deve Gowda ministry|Deve Gowda]]'''
|[[H. D. Deve Gowda]]
|-
|{{small|21 April}}<br />1997
|{{small|19 March}}<br />1998
|style="background:#4C915F"| '''[[Gujral ministry|Gujral]]'''
|[[Inder Kumar Gujral]]
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Samata Party}}"|
|[[File:Nitish Kumar in February 2007.jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Nitish Kumar]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1951)<br />MP for [[Barh Lok Sabha constituency|Barh]]}}
|{{small|19 March}}<br />1998
|{{small|5 August}}<br />1999
!{{ayd|1998|3|19|1999|8|5}}
|[[Samata Party]]
|rowspan="2" style="background:#FFA551;"| '''[[Second Vajpayee ministry|Vajpayee II]]'''
|rowspan="5"| [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]]
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Bharatiya Janata Party}}"|
|[[File:Governor Ram Naik.jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Ram Naik]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1934)<br />MP for [[Mumbai North Lok Sabha constituency|Mumbai North]]}}<br />(MoS, I/C)
|{{small|6 August}}<br />1999
|{{small|13 October}}<br />1999
!{{ayd|1999|5|5|1999|10|13}}
|[[Bharatiya Janata Party]]
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Trinamool Congress}}"|
|[[File:Ms. Mamata Banerjee, in Kolkata on July 17, 2018 (cropped) (cropped).JPG|70px]]
|'''[[Mamata Banerjee]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1955)<br />MP for [[Kolkata Dakshin Lok Sabha constituency|Calcutta South]]}}
|{{small|13 October}}<br />1999
|{{small|16 March}}<br />2001
!{{ayd|1999|10|13|2001|3|16}}
|[[Trinamool Congress]]
|rowspan="3" style="background:#FFA551;"| '''[[Third Vajpayee ministry|Vajpayee III]]'''
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Bharatiya Janata Party}}"|
|[[File:Atal Bihari Vajpayee (crop 2).jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]]'''<br />{{small|(1924{{ndash}}2018)<br />MP for [[Lucknow Lok Sabha constituency|Lucknow]]}}<br />(Prime Minister)
|{{small|16 March}}<br />2001
|{{small|20 March}}<br />2001
!{{ayd|1996|5|16|1996|6|1}}
|[[Bharatiya Janata Party]]
|-
|style="background:{{party color|Janata Dal (United)}}; color:white"|
|[[File:Nitish Kumar in February 2007.jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Nitish Kumar]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1951)<br />MP for [[Barh Lok Sabha constituency|Barh]]}}
|{{small|20 March}}<br />2001
|{{small|22 May}}<br />2004
!{{ayd|2001|3|20|2004|5|22}}
|[[Janata Dal (United)]]
|-
|style="background:{{party color|Rashtriya Janata Dal}}; color:white"|
|[[File:Lalu Prasad Yadav addressing the EEC - 2006 (cropped).jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Lalu Prasad Yadav]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1948)<br />MP for [[Chapra Lok Sabha constituency|Chapra]]}}
|{{small|23 May}}<br />2004
|{{small|22 May}}<br />2009
!{{ayd|2004|5|23|2009|5|22}}
|[[Rashtriya Janata Dal]]
|bgcolor="#87CEEB"| [[First Manmohan Singh ministry|'''Manmohan I''']]
|rowspan="10"| [[Manmohan Singh]]
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Trinamool Congress}}"|
|[[File:Ms. Mamata Banerjee, in Kolkata on July 17, 2018 (cropped) (cropped).JPG|70px]]
|'''[[Mamata Banerjee]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1955)<br />MP for [[Kolkata Dakshin Lok Sabha constituency|Kolkata Dakshin]]}}
|{{small|23 May}}<br />2009
|{{small|19 May}}<br />2011
!{{ayd|2009|5|23|2011|5|19}}
|[[Trinamool Congress]]
|rowspan="9" bgcolor="#87CEEB"| [[Second Manmohan Singh ministry|'''Manmohan II''']]
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress}}"|
|[[File:Manmohan Singh in 2009.jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Manmohan Singh]]'''<br />{{small|(1932{{ndash}}2024)<br />Rajya Sabha MP for [[Assam]]}}<br />(Prime Minister)
|{{small|19 May}}<br />2011
|{{small|12 July}}<br />2011
!{{ayd|2011|5|19|2011|7|12}}
|[[Indian National Congress]]
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Trinamool Congress}}"|
|[[File:Dinesh trivedi.jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Dinesh Trivedi]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1950)<br />MP for [[Barrackpore Lok Sabha constituency|Barrackpore]]}}
|{{small|12 July}}<br />2011
|{{small|19 March}}<br />2012
!{{ayd|2011|7|12|2012|3|19}}
|rowspan="2"| [[Trinamool Congress]]
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Trinamool Congress}}"|
|[[File:Mukul Roy.png|70px]]
|'''[[Mukul Roy]]'''<br />{{small|(1954–2026)<br />Rajya Sabha MP for [[West Bengal]]}}
|{{small|20 March}}<br />2012
|{{small|22 September}}<br />2012
!{{ayd|2012|3|20|2012|9|22}}
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress}}"|
|[[File:C P Joshi UNDP 2010.jpg|70px]]
|'''[[C. P. Joshi]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1950)<br />MP for [[Bhilwara Lok Sabha constituency|Bhilwara]]}}
|{{small|22 September}}<br />2012
|{{small|28 October}}<br />2012
!{{ayd|2012|9|22|2012|10|28}}
|rowspan="5"| [[Indian National Congress]]
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress}}"|
|[[File:The Union Minister for Railways, Shri Pawan Kumar Bansal inaugurating the New Block of Civil Hospital at Manimajra, in Chandigarh on April 07, 2013.jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Pawan Kumar Bansal]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1948)<br />MP for [[Chandigarh Lok Sabha constituency|Chandigarh]]}}
|{{small|28 October}}<br />2012
|{{small|11 May}}<br />2013
!{{ayd|2012|10|28|2013|5|11}}
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress}}"|
|[[File:C P Joshi UNDP 2010.jpg|70px]]
|'''[[C. P. Joshi]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1950)<br />MP for [[Bhilwara Lok Sabha constituency|Bhilwara]]}}
|{{small|11 May}}<br />2013
|{{small|15 June}}<br />2013
!{{ayd|2013|5|11|2013|6|15}}
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress}}"|
|[[File:Manmohan Singh in 2009.jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Manmohan Singh]]'''<br />{{small|(1932{{ndash}}2024)<br />Rajya Sabha MP for [[Assam]]}}<br />(Prime Minister)
|{{small|15 June}}<br />2013
|{{small|17 June}}<br />2013
!{{ayd|2013|6|15|2013|6|17}}
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress}}"|
|[[File:Mallikarjun Kharge.jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Mallikarjun Kharge]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1942)<br />MP for [[Gulbarga Lok Sabha constituency|Gulbarga]]}}
|{{small|17 June}}<br />2013
|{{small|26 May}}<br />2014
!{{ayd|2013|6|17|2014|5|26}}
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Bharatiya Janata Party}}"|
|[[File:D.V. Sadananda Gowda.jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Sadananda Gowda|D. V. Sadananda Gowda]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1953)<br />MP for [[Bangalore North Lok Sabha constituency|Bangalore North]]}}
|{{small|27 May}}<br />2014
|{{small|9 November}}<br />2014
!{{ayd|2014|5|27|2014|11|9}}
|rowspan="6"| [[Bharatiya Janata Party]]
|rowspan="3" style="background:#FFA551;"| '''[[First Modi ministry|Modi I]]'''
|rowspan="6"| [[Narendra Modi]]
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Bharatiya Janata Party}}"|
|[[File:Suresh Prabhu (cropped).jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Suresh Prabhu]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1953)<br />Rajya Sabha MP for [[Haryana]], till 2016<br />Rajya Sabha MP for [[Andhra Pradesh]], from 2016}}
|{{small|9 November}}<br />2014
|{{small|3 September}}<br />2017
!{{ayd|2014|11|9|2017|9|3}}
|-
|rowspan="2" bgcolor="{{party color|Bharatiya Janata Party}}"|
|rowspan="2"| [[File:Piyush Goyal crop.jpg|70px]]
|rowspan="2"| '''[[Piyush Goyal]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1964)<br />Rajya Sabha MP for [[Maharashtra]]}}
|{{small|3 September}}<br />2017
|{{small|30 May}}<br />2019
!rowspan="2"| {{ayd|2017|9|3|2021|7|7}}
|-
|{{small|31 May}}<br />2019
|{{small|7 July}}<br />2021
|rowspan="2" style="background:#FFA551;"| '''[[Second Modi ministry|Modi II]]'''
|-
|rowspan="2"bgcolor="{{party color|Bharatiya Janata Party}}"|
| rowspan=2|[[File:Ashwini Vaishnaw cropped.jpg|70px]]
| rowspan=2|'''[[Ashwini Vaishnaw]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1970)<br />Rajya Sabha MP for [[Odisha]]}}
| 7 July<br>2021
| 9 June<br>2024
| rowspan=2|'''{{ayd|2021|7|7}}'''
|-
| 10 June<br>2024
|''Incumbent''
| style="background:#FFA551;|[[Third Modi ministry|Modi III]]
|-
|-
|Mobility
|Technology Mission for Indian Railways
|Advisory Group of Experts (AGE)
|Bridge & Structue (B&S)
|}
|}


== History ==
===Ministers of State===
In 1901, on the recommendations of Sir Thomas Robertson Committee regarding the administration and working of the railways, an early version of the railway board was constituted. It initially had three members.
*'''Key:''' {{note label|†|†|†}} Assassinated or died in office


In 1905, its powers were formalised by [[Lord Curzon]]'s government. Its membership consisted of a Government Railway official, who was the Chairman of the Board, a Railway Manager from England and an Agent of a Company Railway. The Board was placed under the Department of Commerce and Industry of the Indian Government.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Ministers of State<ref name="MR"/><ref name="List"/>
! rowspan="2" colspan="2" | Portrait
! rowspan="2" style="width:17em" |Minister<br />{{small|(Birth-Death)<br />Constituency}}
! colspan="3" |Term of office
! rowspan="2" style="width:8em" |Political party
! rowspan="2"| Ministry
! rowspan="2" style="width:9em" |Prime Minister
|-
!style="width:6em"| From
!style="width:6em"| To
!Period
|-
! colspan="9" |Minister of State for Transport and Railways
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress}}"|
|
|'''[[K. Santhanam]]'''<br />{{small|(1895{{ndash}}1980)<br />MP for [[Madras Presidency|Madras]] (Constituent Assembly)}}
|{{small|1 October}}<br />1948
|{{small|29 May}}<br />1952
!{{ayd|1948|10|1|1952|5|29}}
|[[Indian National Congress]]
|bgcolor="#87CEEB"| '''[[First Nehru ministry|Nehru I]]'''
|[[Jawaharlal Nehru]]
|-
! colspan="9" |Minister of State for Railways
|-
|rowspan="5" bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress}}"|
|rowspan="5"| [[File:Ram Subhag Singh.jpg|70px]]
|rowspan="5"| '''[[Ram Subhag Singh]]'''<br />{{small|(1917{{ndash}}1980)<br />MP for [[Bikramganj Lok Sabha constituency|Bikramganj]]}}
|{{small|13 May}}<br />1964
|{{small|27 May}}<br />1964
!rowspan="5"| {{ayd|1964|5|13|1967|3|13}}
|rowspan="6"| [[Indian National Congress]]
|bgcolor="#87CEEB"| '''[[Fourth Nehru ministry|Nehru IV]]'''
|[[Jawaharlal Nehru]]
|-
|{{small|27 May}}<br />1964
|{{small|9 June}}<br />1964
|bgcolor="#87CEEB"| '''[[First Nanda ministry|Nanda I]]'''
|[[Gulzarilal Nanda]]<br />(acting)
|-
|{{small|9 June}}<br />1964
|{{small|11 January}}<br />1966
|bgcolor="#87CEEB"| '''[[Shastri ministry|Shastri]]'''
|[[Lal Bahadur Shastri]]
|-
|{{small|11 January}}<br />1966
|{{small|24 January}}<br />1966
|bgcolor="#87CEEB"| '''[[Second Nanda ministry|Nanda II]]'''
|[[Gulzarilal Nanda]]<br />(acting)
|-
|{{small|24 January}}<br />1966
|{{small|13 March}}<br />1967
|bgcolor="#87CEEB"| '''[[First Indira Gandhi ministry|Indira I]]'''
|rowspan="2"| [[Indira Gandhi]]
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress}}"|
|
|'''[[Parimal Ghosh]]'''<br />{{small|(1917{{ndash}}1985)<br />MP for [[Ghatal Lok Sabha constituency|Ghatal]]}}
|{{small|13 March}}<br />1967
|{{small|17 October}}<br />1969
!{{ayd|1967|3|13|1969|10|17}}
|bgcolor="#87CEEB"| '''[[Second Indira Gandhi ministry|Indira II]]'''
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress (R)}}"|
|[[File:Mohammad Shafi Qureshi, Governor of Madhya Pradesh (cropped).jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Mohammad Shafi Qureshi]]'''<br />{{small|(1928{{ndash}}2016)<br />MP for [[Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency|Anantnag]]}}
|{{small|10 October}}<br />1974
|{{small|23 March}}<br />1977
!{{ayd|1974|10|10|1977|3|23}}
|rowspan="2"| [[Indian National Congress (R)]]
|rowspan="2" bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress (R)}}"| '''[[Third Indira Gandhi ministry|Indira III]]'''
|rowspan="2"| [[Indira Gandhi]]
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress (R)}}"|
|[[File:Surendra Pal Singh portrait.jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Surendra Pal Singh (politician)|Surendra Pal Singh]]'''<br />{{small|(1917{{ndash}}2009)<br />MP for [[Bulandshahr Lok Sabha constituency|Bulandshahr]]}}
|{{small|23 December}}<br />1976
|{{small|24 March}}<br />1977
!{{ayd|1976|12|23|1977|3|24}}
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Janata Party}}"|
|
|'''[[Sheo Narain]]'''<br />{{small|(1913{{ndash}}1987)<br />MP for [[Basti Lok Sabha constituency|Basti]]}}
|{{small|14 August}}<br />1977
|{{small|28 July}}<br />1979
!{{ayd|1977|8|14|1979|7|28}}
|[[Janata Party]]
|bgcolor="#1F75FE"| '''[[Morarji Desai ministry|Desai]]'''
|[[Morarji Desai]]
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress (I)}}"|
|[[File:Veteran Leader Ck jaffer Sharief on a Hartal (cropped).JPG|70px]]
|'''[[C. K. Jaffer Sharief]]'''<br />{{small|(1933{{ndash}}2018)<br />MP for [[Bangalore North Lok Sabha constituency|Bangalore North]]}}
|{{small|14 January}}<br />1980
|{{small|31 October}}<br />1984
!{{ayd|1980|1|14|1984|10|31}}
|rowspan="2"| [[Indian National Congress (I)]]
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress (I)}}"| '''[[Fourth Indira Gandhi ministry|Indira IV]]'''
|[[Indira Gandhi]]
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress (I)}}"|
|[[File:Madhavrao Scindia 2005 stamp of India.jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Madhavrao Scindia]]'''<br />{{small|(1945{{ndash}}2001)<br />MP for [[Gwalior Lok Sabha constituency|Gwalior]]}}
|{{small|31 December}}<br />1984
|{{small|25 September}}<br />1985
!{{ayd|1984|12|31|1985|9|25}}
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress (I)}}"| '''[[Second Rajiv Gandhi ministry|Rajiv II]]'''
|[[Rajiv Gandhi]]
|-
! colspan="9" |Minister of State for Transport {{ndash}} Department of Railways
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress (I)}}"|
|[[File:Madhavrao Scindia 2005 stamp of India.jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Madhavrao Scindia]]'''<br />{{small|(1945{{ndash}}2001)<br />MP for [[Gwalior Lok Sabha constituency|Gwalior]]}}
|{{small|25 September}}<br />1985
|{{small|22 October}}<br />1986
!{{ayd|1985|9|25|1986|10|22}}
|[[Indian National Congress (I)]]
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress (I)}}"| '''[[Second Rajiv Gandhi ministry|Rajiv II]]'''
|[[Rajiv Gandhi]]
|-
! colspan="9" |Minister of State for Railways
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya)}}"|
|
|'''[[Bhakta Charan Das]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1958)<br />MP for [[Kalahandi Lok Sabha constituency|Kalahandi]]}}
|{{small|21 November}}<br />1990
|{{small|21 June}}<br />1991
!{{ayd|1990|11|21|1991|6|21}}
|[[Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya)]]
|style="background:#74C365"| '''[[Chandra Shekhar ministry|Chandra Shekhar]]'''
|[[Chandra Shekhar]]
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress (I)}}"|
|
|'''[[Mallikarjun Goud]]'''<br />{{small|(1941{{ndash}}2002)<br />MP for [[Mahabubnagar Lok Sabha constituency|Mahabubnagar]]}}
|{{small|21 June}}<br />1991
|{{small|18 January}}<br />1993
!{{ayd|1991|6|21|1993|1|18}}
|rowspan="4"| [[Indian National Congress (I)]]
|rowspan="4" bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress (I)}}"| [[Rao ministry|'''Rao''']]
|rowspan="4"| [[P. V. Narasimha Rao]]
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress (I)}}"|
|[[File:Kahnu Charan Lenka (cropped).jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Kahnu Charan Lenka]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1939)<br />Rajya Sabha MP for [[Odisha]]}}
|{{small|18 January}}<br />1993
|{{small|2 April}}<br />1994
!{{ayd|1993|1|18|1994|4|2}}
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress (I)}}"|
|
|'''[[Mallikarjun Goud]]'''<br />{{small|(1941{{ndash}}2002)<br />MP for [[Mahabubnagar Lok Sabha constituency|Mahabubnagar]]}}
|{{small|21 August}}<br />1995
|{{small|19 September}}<br />1995
!{{ayd|1995|8|21|1995|9|19}}
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress (I)}}"|
|[[File:Suresh Kalmadi 2009.jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Suresh Kalmadi]]'''<br />{{small|(1944{{ndash}}2026)<br />Rajya Sabha MP for [[Maharashtra]]}}
|{{small|15 September}}<br />1995
|{{small|16 May}}<br />1996
!{{ayd|1995|9|15|1996|5|16}}
|-
|rowspan="2" bgcolor="{{party color|All India Indira Congress (Tiwari)}}"|
|rowspan="2"| [[File:Shri Satpal Maharaj.jpg|70px]]
|rowspan="2"| '''[[Satpal Maharaj]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1951)<br />MP for [[Garhwal Lok Sabha constituency|Garhwal]]}}
|{{small|6 July}}<br />1996
|{{small|21 April}}<br />1997
!rowspan="2"| {{ayd|1996|7|6|1997|6|9}}
|rowspan="2"| [[All India Indira Congress (Tiwari)]]
|style="background:#4C915F"| '''[[Deve Gowda ministry|Deve Gowda]]'''
|[[H. D. Deve Gowda]]
|-
|{{small|21 April}}<br />1997
|{{small|9 June}}<br />1997
|style="background:#4C915F"| '''[[Gujral ministry|Gujral]]'''
|[[Inder Kumar Gujral]]
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Bharatiya Janata Party}}"|
|[[File:Governor Ram Naik.jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Ram Naik]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1934)<br />MP for [[Mumbai North Lok Sabha constituency|Mumbai North]]}}
|{{small|19 March}}<br />1998
|{{small|6 August}}<br />1999
!{{ayd|1998|3|19|1999|8|6}}
|[[Bharatiya Janata Party]]
|style="background:#FFA551;"| '''[[Second Vajpayee ministry|Vajpayee II]]'''
|rowspan="8"| [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]]
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Samata Party}}"|
|[[File:Dig Vijaysingh.jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Digvijay Singh (Bihar politician)|Digvijay Singh]]'''<br />{{small|(1955{{ndash}}2010)<br />MP for [[Banka Lok Sabha constituency|Banka]]}}
|{{small|13 October}}<br />1999
|{{small|22 July}}<br />2001
!{{ayd|1999|10|13|2001|7|22}}
|[[Samata Party]]
|rowspan="7" style="background:#FFA551;"| '''[[Third Vajpayee ministry|Vajpayee III]]'''
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Bharatiya Janata Party}}"|
|
|'''[[Bangaru Laxman]]'''<br />{{small|(1939{{ndash}}2014)<br />Rajya Sabha MP for [[Gujarat]]}}
|{{small|22 November}}<br />1999
|{{small|31 August}}<br />2000
!{{ayd|1999|11|22|2000|8|31}}
|rowspan="2"| [[Bharatiya Janata Party]]
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Bharatiya Janata Party}}"|
|[[File:O Rajagopal.jpg|70px]]
|'''[[O. Rajagopal]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1929)<br />Rajya Sabha MP for [[Madhya Pradesh]]}}
|{{small|31 August}}<br />2000
|{{small|1 July}}<br />2002
!{{ayd|2000|8|31|2002|7|1}}
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Samata Party}}"|
|[[File:Dig Vijaysingh.jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Digvijay Singh (Bihar politician)|Digvijay Singh]]'''<br />{{small|(1955{{ndash}}2010)<br />MP for [[Banka Lok Sabha constituency|Banka]]}}
|{{small|1 August}}<br />2001
|{{small|1 July}}<br />2002
!{{ayd|2001|8|1|2002|7|1}}
|[[Samata Party]]
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Pattali Makkal Katchi}}"|
|[[File:A. K. Moorthy (cropped).jpg|70px]]
|'''[[A. K. Moorthy]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1964)<br />MP for [[Chengalpattu Lok Sabha constituency|Chengalpattu]]}}
|{{small|1 July}}<br />2002
|{{small|15 January}}<br />2004
!{{ayd|2002|7|1|2004|1|15}}
|[[Pattali Makkal Katchi]]
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Bharatiya Janata Party}}"|
|[[File:The ILO Deputy Director General (Policy) International Labour Organization, Ms. Deborah Greenfield meeting the Minister of State for Labour and Employment (Independent Charge), Shri Bandaru Dattatreya, in New Delhi (cropped).jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Bandaru Dattatreya]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1947)<br />MP for [[Secunderabad Lok Sabha constituency|Secunderabad]]}}
|{{small|1 July}}<br />2002
|{{small|8 September}}<br />2003
!{{ayd|2002|7|1|2003|9|8}}
|rowspan="2"| [[Bharatiya Janata Party]]
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Bharatiya Janata Party}}"|
|
|'''[[Basangouda Patil Yatnal]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1963)<br />MP for [[Bijapur Lok Sabha constituency|Bijapur]]}}
|{{small|8 September}}<br />2003
|{{small|22 May}}<br />2004
!{{ayd|2003|9|8|2004|5|22}}
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress}}"|
|[[File:Naranbhai Rathwa releasing a Gujarati version of PIB Booklet on Achievements of UPA Government - 4 years at a press (cropped).jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Naranbhai Rathwa]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1953)<br />MP for [[Chhota Udaipur Lok Sabha constituency|Chhota Udaipur]]}}
|{{small|23 May}}<br />2004
|{{small|22 May}}<br />2009
!{{ayd|2004|5|23|2009|5|22}}
|[[Indian National Congress]]
|rowspan="2" bgcolor="#87CEEB"| [[First Manmohan Singh ministry|'''Manmohan I''']]
|rowspan="8"| [[Manmohan Singh]]
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Pattali Makkal Katchi}}"|
|[[File:R. Velu addressing addressing at the Closing Ceremony of the 56th Senior National Kabaddi Championship (cropped).jpg|70px]]
|'''[[R. Velu]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1940)<br />MP for [[Arakkonam Lok Sabha constituency|Arakkonam]]}}
|{{small|23 May}}<br />2004
|{{small|29 March}}<br />2009
!{{ayd|2004|5|23|2009|3|29}}
|[[Pattali Makkal Katchi]]
|-
|style="background:{{party color|Indian Union Muslim League}}; color:white"|
|[[File:The portrait of the Minister of State for Railways, Shri E. Ahammed.jpg|70px]]
|'''[[E. Ahamed]]'''<br />{{small|(1938{{ndash}}2017)<br />MP for [[Malappuram Lok Sabha constituency|Malappuram]]}}
|{{small|28 May}}<br />2009
|{{small|19 January}}<br />2011
!{{ayd|2009|5|28|2011|1|19}}
|[[Indian Union Muslim League]]
|rowspan="6" bgcolor="#87CEEB"| [[Second Manmohan Singh ministry|'''Manmohan II''']]
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress}}"|
|[[File:The portrait of the Minister of State for Railways, Shri K.H. Muniyappa.jpg|70px]]
|'''[[K. H. Muniyappa]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1948)<br />MP for [[Kolar Lok Sabha constituency|Kolar]]}}
|{{small|28 May}}<br />2009
|{{small|28 October}}<br />2012
!{{ayd|2009|5|28|2012|10|28}}
|rowspan="2"| [[Indian National Congress]]
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress}}"|
|[[File:Bharatsinh Solanki assuming office as MoS, Railways in January 2011 (cropped).jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Bharatsinh Solanki]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1953)<br />MP for [[Anand Lok Sabha constituency|Anand]]}}
|{{small|19 January}}<br />2011
|{{small|28 October}}<br />2012
!{{ayd|2011|1|19|2012|10|28}}
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Trinamool Congress}}"|
|[[File:Mukul Roy.png|70px]]
|'''[[Mukul Roy]]'''<br />{{small|(1954–2026)<br />Rajya Sabha MP for [[West Bengal]]}}
|{{small|19 May}}<br />2011
|{{small|12 July}}<br />2011
!{{ayd|2011|5|19|2011|7|12}}
|[[Trinamool Congress]]
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress}}"|
|[[File:Shri Kotla Jaya Surya Prakash Reddy taking charge as the Minister of State for Railways, in New Delhi on October 29, 2012.jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Kotla Jayasurya Prakasha Reddy]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1951)<br />MP for [[Kurnool Lok Sabha constituency|Kurnool]]}}
|rowspan="2"| {{small|28 October}}<br />2012
|rowspan="2"| {{small|26 May}}<br />2014
!rowspan="2"| {{ayd|2012|10|28|2014|5|26}}
|rowspan="2"| [[Indian National Congress]]
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress}}"|
| [[File:The Minister of State for Railways, Shri Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury addressing at the presentation of the National Awards for Outstanding Service in Railways, in Mumbai on April 16, 2013 (cropped).jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1956)<br />MP for [[Baharampur Lok Sabha constituency|Baharampur]]}}
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Bharatiya Janata Party}}"|
|[[File:Manoj Sinha.jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Manoj Sinha]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1959)<br />MP for [[Ghazipur Lok Sabha constituency|Ghazipur]]}}
|{{small|27 May}}<br />2014
|{{small|30 May}}<br />2019
!{{ayd|2014|5|27|2019|5|30}}
|rowspan="7"| [[Bharatiya Janata Party]]
|rowspan="2" style="background:#FFA551;"| '''[[First Modi ministry|Modi I]]'''
|rowspan="7"| [[Narendra Modi]]
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Bharatiya Janata Party}}"|
|[[File:Rajen Gohain assuming office as Minister of State, Railways (cropped).jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Rajen Gohain]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1950)<br />MP for [[Nowgong Lok Sabha constituency|Nowgong]]}}
|{{small|5 July}}<br />2016
|{{small|30 May}}<br />2019
!{{ayd|2016|7|5|2019|5|30}}
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Bharatiya Janata Party}}"|
|[[File:Suresh Angadi assuming office in May 2019.jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Suresh Angadi]]'''<br />{{small|(1955{{ndash}}2020)<br />MP for [[Belgaum Lok Sabha constituency|Belgaum]]}}
|{{small|31 May}}<br />2019
|{{small|23 September}}<br />2020{{ref label|†|†|†}}
!{{ayd|2019|5|31|2020|9|23}}
|rowspan="3" style="background:#FFA551;"| '''[[Second Modi ministry|Modi II]]'''
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Bharatiya Janata Party}}"|
|[[File:The Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Shri Raosaheb Dadarao Danve calls on the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, in New Delhi on March 05, 2015 (cropped).jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Raosaheb Danve]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1955)<br />MP for [[Jalna Lok Sabha constituency|Jalna]]}}
|rowspan="2"| {{small|7 July}}<br />2021
|rowspan="2"| {{small|9 June}}<br />2024
!rowspan="2"| {{ayd|2021|7|7|2024|6|9}}
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Bharatiya Janata Party}}"|
|[[File:Darshana Jardosh with PM Modi (cropped).jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Darshana Jardosh]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1961)<br />MP for [[Surat Lok Sabha constituency|Surat]]}}
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Bharatiya Janata Party}}"|
|[[File:V. Somanna in 2024.jpg|70px]]
|'''[[V. Somanna]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1950)<br />MP for [[Tumkur Lok Sabha constituency|Tumkur]]}}
|rowspan="2"| {{small|10 June}}<br />2024
|rowspan="2"| ''Incumbent''
!rowspan="2"| {{ayd|2024|6|10}}
|rowspan="2" style="background:#FFA551;"| '''[[Third Modi ministry|Modi III]]'''
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Bharatiya Janata Party}}"|
|[[File:Ravneet Singh Bittu2.jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Ravneet Singh Bittu]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1975)<br />Rajya Sabha MP for [[Rajasthan]]}}
|-
|}


In 1921, a reorganisation of the Railway Board was carried out, and a Chief Commissioner of Railways was appointed, who was solely responsible to the Government for decisions on technical matters and for advising the Government on matters of policy. Pursuant to the [[William Mitchell Acworth|Acworth]] Committee's recommendations in 1921, the Railway Board was reconstituted with effect from 1 April 1924. The reconstituted board consisted of the Chief Commissioner, a Financial Commissioner and two members. One was responsible for ways and works, and projects and stores. The other was responsible for general administration, staff and traffic.
===Deputy Ministers===
 
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
In 1929, an additional post at the member level was added to the board. It was given responsibility for staff, so that the member in charge of traffic could focus solely on transport and commercial matters. During this time, [[Frank D'Souza]] became the first Indian member of the board.<ref>[http://www.goansofpakistan.org/13-04-00.htm The Goans of Karachi, have a history of their own] Goas of Pakistan. Retrieved 1 October 2010.</ref>
! rowspan="2"| No.
 
! rowspan="2" colspan="2" |Portrait
In April, 1951 the post of Chief Commissioner was abolished and the senior-most functional member was appointed the Chairman of the Board, resulting in a membership of four.
! rowspan="2" style="width:17em" |Minister<br />{{small|(Birth-Death)<br />Constituency}}
 
! colspan="3" |Term of office
In October 1954, the Chairman of the Board was made responsible for decisions on technical and policy matters, with the status of a Secretary to Government in the Ministry of Railways. One more Member was also added and the strength of the Board again became five.<ref>Rao, M.A. (1988). ''Indian Railways'', New Delhi: National Book Trust, pp.49-54</ref>
! rowspan="2" style="width:8em" |Political party
 
! rowspan="2"| Ministry
In 1988, a new member with responsibility for signals, telecommunication and electrical matters was added to the board. On 16 April 2019 two more members, one with responsibility for signals and telecommunications, and another for material management, joined the board. At this point, the Railway Board had a strength of eight—a Chairman, and seven members. The Chairman is assisted by officers of [[Railway Board Secretariat Service]].
! rowspan="2" style="width:9em" |Prime Minister
 
|-
On 24 December 2019, the Union Cabinet decided to reduce the size of the board from eight to five. It also decided to merge its different cadres into a single Railway Management Service. The newly constituted Board will have Members for "Operation,[sic] Business Development, Human Resources, Infrastructure and Finance".[https://www.livemint.com/news/india/cabinet-approves-restructuring-of-railway-board/amp-11577181494500.html]
!style="width:6em"| From
 
!style="width:6em"| To
=== Railway Budget ===
!Period
{{Main|Railway budget of India}}
|-
!colspan="10"| Deputy Minister for Transport and Railways
|-
!1
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress}}"|
|[[File:B. V. Keskar portrait.gif|70px]]
|'''[[B. V. Keskar]]'''<br />{{small|(1903{{ndash}}1984)<br />MP for [[Madras Presidency|Madras]] (Constituent Assembly)}}
|{{small|10 March}}<br />1952
|{{small|13 May}}<br />1952
!{{ayd|1952|3|10|1952|5|13}}
|rowspan="3"| [[Indian National Congress]]
|bgcolor="#87CEEB"| '''[[First Nehru ministry|Nehru I]]'''
|rowspan="3"| [[Jawaharlal Nehru]]
|-
!2
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress}}"|
|[[File:O. V. Alagesan Lok Sabha image.gif|70px]]
|'''[[O. V. Alagesan]]'''<br />{{small|(1911{{ndash}}1992)<br />MP for [[Chengalpattu Lok Sabha constituency|Chengalpattu]]}}
|{{small|12 August}}<br />1952
|{{small|16 April}}<br />1957
!{{ayd|1952|8|12|1957|4|16}}
|rowspan="2" bgcolor="#87CEEB"| '''[[Second Nehru ministry|Nehru II]]'''
|-
!3
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress}}"|
|[[File:Shah Nawaz Khan.jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Shah Nawaz Khan (general)|Shah Nawaz Khan]]'''<br />{{small|(1914{{ndash}}1993)<br />MP for [[Meerut Lok Sabha constituency|Meerut]]}}
|{{small|20 September}}<br />1956
|{{small|17 April}}<br />1957
!{{ayd|1956|9|20|1957|4|17}}
|-
!colspan="10"| Deputy Minister for Railways
|-
!(3)
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress}}"|
|[[File:Shah Nawaz Khan.jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Shah Nawaz Khan (general)|Shah Nawaz Khan]]'''<br />{{small|(1914{{ndash}}1993)<br />MP for [[Meerut Lok Sabha constituency|Meerut]]}}
|{{small|17 April}}<br />1957
|rowspan="2"| {{small|10 April}}<br />1962
!{{ayd|1957|4|17|1962|4|10}}
|rowspan="11"| [[Indian National Congress]]
|rowspan="2" bgcolor="#87CEEB"| '''[[Third Nehru ministry|Nehru III]]'''
|rowspan="4"| [[Jawaharlal Nehru]]
|-
!4
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress}}"|
|
|'''[[S. V. Ramaswamy]]'''<br />{{small|MP for [[Salem Lok Sabha constituency|Salem]]}}
|{{small|2 April}}<br />1958
!{{ayd|1958|4|2|1962|4|10}}
|-
!(3)
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress}}"|
|[[File:Shah Nawaz Khan.jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Shah Nawaz Khan (general)|Shah Nawaz Khan]]'''<br />{{small|(1914{{ndash}}1993)<br />MP for [[Meerut Lok Sabha constituency|Meerut]]}}
|rowspan="2"| {{small|16 April}}<br />1962
|rowspan="2"| {{small|27 May}}<br />1964
!rowspan="2"| {{ayd|1962|4|16|1964|5|27}}
|rowspan="2" bgcolor="#87CEEB"| '''[[Third Nehru ministry|Nehru III]]'''
|-
!(4)
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress}}"|
|
|'''[[S. V. Ramaswamy]]'''<br />{{small|MP for [[Salem Lok Sabha constituency|Salem]]}}
|-
!(3)
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress}}"|
|[[File:Shah Nawaz Khan.jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Shah Nawaz Khan (general)|Shah Nawaz Khan]]'''<br />{{small|(1914{{ndash}}1993)<br />MP for [[Meerut Lok Sabha constituency|Meerut]]}}
|rowspan="2"| {{small|27 May}}<br />1964
|rowspan="2"| {{small|9 June}}<br />1964
!rowspan="2"| {{ayd|1964|5|27|1964|6|9}}
|rowspan="2" bgcolor="#87CEEB"| '''[[First Nanda ministry|Nanda I]]'''
|rowspan="2"| [[Gulzarilal Nanda]]<br />(acting)
|-
!(4)
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress}}"|
|
|'''[[S. V. Ramaswamy]]'''<br />{{small|MP for [[Salem Lok Sabha constituency|Salem]]}}
|-
!rowspan="3"| 5
|rowspan="3" bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress}}"|
|rowspan="3"|
|rowspan="3"| '''Sham Nath'''<br />{{small|MP for [[Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha constituency|Chandni Chowk]]}}
|{{small|15 June}}<br />1964
|{{small|11 January}}<br />1966
!rowspan="3"| {{ayd|1964|6|15|1967|3|13}}
|bgcolor="#87CEEB"| '''[[Shastri ministry|Shastri]]'''
|[[Lal Bahadur Shastri]]
|-
|{{small|11 January}}<br />1966
|{{small|24 January}}<br />1966
|bgcolor="#87CEEB"| '''[[Second Nanda ministry|Nanda II]]'''
|[[Gulzarilal Nanda]]<br />(acting)
|-
|{{small|24 January}}<br />1966
|{{small|13 March}}<br />1967
|bgcolor="#87CEEB"| '''[[First Indira Gandhi ministry|Indira I]]'''
|rowspan="6"| [[Indira Gandhi]]
|-
!6
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress}}"|
|[[File:Governor S. C. Jamir with CM Naveen Patnaik and President Kovind (cropped).jpg|70px]]
|'''[[S. C. Jamir]]'''<br />{{small|(born 1931)<br />MP for [[Nagaland Lok Sabha constituency|Nagaland]]}}
|{{small|13 March}}<br />1967
|{{small|14 November}}<br />1967
!{{ayd|1967|3|13|1967|11|14}}
|rowspan="3" bgcolor="#87CEEB"| '''[[Second Indira Gandhi ministry|Indira II]]'''
|-
!7
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress}}"|
|
|'''[[Rohanlal Chaturvedi]]'''<br />{{small|(1919{{ndash}}?)<br />MP for [[Etah Lok Sabha constituency|Etah]]}}
|{{small|14 November}}<br />1967
|{{small|18 March}}<br />1971
!{{ayd|1967|11|14|1971|3|18}}
|-
!8
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress (R)}}"|
|[[File:Mohammad Yunus Saleem, Governor of Bihar (cropped).jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Mohammad Yunus Saleem]]'''<br />{{small|(1912{{ndash}}2004)<br />MP for [[Nalgonda Lok Sabha constituency|Nalgonda]]}}
|{{small|27 June}}<br />1970
|{{small|18 March}}<br />1971
!{{ayd|1970|6|27|1971|3|18}}
|rowspan="3"| [[Indian National Congress (R)]]
|-
!9
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress (R)}}"|
|[[File:Mohammad Shafi Qureshi, Governor of Madhya Pradesh (cropped).jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Mohammad Shafi Qureshi]]'''<br />{{small|(1928{{ndash}}2016)<br />[[Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency|Anantnag]]}}
|{{small|2 May}}<br />1971
|{{small|10 October}}<br />1974
!{{ayd|1971|5|2|1974|10|10}}
|rowspan="2" bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress (R)}}"| '''[[Third Indira Gandhi ministry|Indira III]]'''
|-
!10
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress (R)}}"|
|[[File:Buta Singh (headshot).jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Buta Singh]]'''<br />{{small|(1934{{ndash}}2021)<br />MP for [[Ropar Lok Sabha constituency|Ropar]]}}
|{{small|10 October}}<br />1974
|{{small|23 December}}<br />1976
!{{ayd|1974|10|10|1976|12|23}}
|-
!colspan="10"| Deputy Minister for Railways
|-
!11
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress (I)}}"|
|[[File:Mahabir Prasad addressing the third meeting of the National Khadi and Village Industries Board (NKVIB), in New Delhi on July 16, 2008.jpg|70px]]
|'''[[Mahaveer Prasad]]'''<br />{{small|(1939{{ndash}}2010)<br />MP for [[Bansgaon Lok Sabha constituency|Bansgaon]]}}
|{{small|14 February}}<br />1988
|{{small|4 July}}<br />1989
!{{ayd|1988|2|14|1989|7|4}}
|[[Indian National Congress (I)]]
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress (I)}}"| '''[[Second Rajiv Gandhi ministry|Rajiv II]]'''
|[[Rajiv Gandhi]]
|-
!12
|bgcolor="{{party color|Janata Dal}}"|
|
|'''[[Ajay Singh (diplomat)|Ajay Singh]]'''<br />{{small|(1950{{ndash}}2020)<br />MP for [[Agra Lok Sabha constituency|Agra]]}}
|{{small|23 April}}<br />1990
|{{small|10 November}}<br />1990
!{{ayd|1990|4|23|1990|11|10}}
|[[Janata Dal]]
|style="background:#4C915F"| '''[[V. P. Singh ministry|Vishwanath]]'''
|[[V. P. Singh]]
|-
!colspan="10"| {{nobold|''Position not in use since 10 November 1990''}}
|-
|}


The East India Railway Committee, chaired by Sir [[William Mitchell Acworth|William Acworth]] reported that there was a need for unified management of the entire railway system. On the recommendations of this committee and ratification of a resolution to do so in 1921, the government took over the actual management of all the railways, and also separated the railway finances from the general governmental finances. It also began to present the Railway Budget separately from the [[general budget of India]] every year. The Railway Board was expanded to have a Financial Commissioner, a member in charge of ways, works, stores and projects, and a member in charge of administration, staff, and traffic. Accordingly, from 1 April 1929, the responsibility for the compilation of accounts for the Railways was taken over by the Financial Commissioner, Railways from the Auditor General.
== Criticism and controversies ==
On 14 February 2008, [[Westinghouse Air Brake Company|Westinghouse Air Brake]], admitted to a US federal court of violating [[Foreign Corrupt Practices Act]] (FCPA) regulations by making improper payments from its subsidiary Pioneer Friction based in [[Kolkata]], to government officials of the [[Indian railway board]] to obtain and retain business with the Railway Board and curb taxes.<ref>{{cite report|url=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2008/February/08_crm_116.html|title=Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation Agrees to Pay $300,000 Penalty to Resolve Foreign Bribery Violations in India|publisher= Department of Justice, Government of United States|date=14 February 2008|access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref>


The last [[Railway Budget]]<ref>{{Cite web|title = After 92 years, Rail Budget is history|url = http://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/after-92-years-rail-budget-is-history-116092100575_1.html|website = Business Standard|access-date = 24 March 2017|language = en-US}}</ref> was presented on 25 February 2016 by Mr. [[Suresh Prabhu]]. The [[Modi government]] on 21 September 2016 approved merger of the rail and [[Union budget of India|general budgets]] from 2017, ending a 92-year-old practice of a separate budget.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/Railway-budget-to-be-merged-with-General-budget-from-2017/article14570182.ece1|title=Railway budget to be merged with General budget from 2017|date=14 August 2016|via=www.thehindu.com}}</ref>
On 3 May 2013, the [[Central Bureau of Investigation|CBI]] arrested then minister of railways [[Pawan Kumar Bansal]]'s nephew, Vijay Singla for accepting an alleged bribe of {{INRConvert|9|m}} from a middleman for the appointment of a particular person to the railway board.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/railway-minister-pawan-bansals-nephew-arrested-by-cbi-for-allegedly-accepting-bribe-521096|title=Railway Minister Pawan Bansal's nephew arrested by CBI for allegedly accepting bribe|work=[[NDTV]]|date=3 May 2013|access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref> The railway board clarified that no rules had been broken during the appointment and suspended Mahesh, the person concerned.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/NAT-TOP-mahesh-kumar-suspended-what-about-pawan-kumar-bansal-4254759-NOR.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130509043249/http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/NAT-TOP-mahesh-kumar-suspended-what-about-pawan-kumar-bansal-4254759-NOR.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=9 May 2013|title=Mahesh suspended, nephew arrested; What about Pawan Kumar Bansal?|work=[[Dainik Bhaskar]]|date=4 May 2013|access-date=5 May 2013}}</ref>
 
== Controversies ==
On 14 February 2008, [[Westinghouse Air Brake Company|Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation]], listed on the [[New York Stock Exchange]], admitted to violating [[Foreign Corrupt Practices Act]] (FCPA) regulations by making improper payments from its subsidiary Pioneer Friction Limited, based in [[Calcutta]], to government officials of the [[Indian railway board]]. Payments were made in order to obtain and retain business with the Railway Board and curb taxes.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2008/February/08_crm_116.html| title=Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation Agrees to Pay $300,000 Penalty to Resolve Foreign Bribery Violations in India| author=Department of Justice| publisher= Department of Justice | date=14 February 2008}}</ref>
 
On 3 May 2013, the [[Central Bureau of Investigation|CBI]] arrested then Minister of Railways [[Pawan Kumar Bansal]]'s nephew, Vijay Singla for accepting an alleged bribe of {{INRConvert|9|m}}, which was part of a larger sum of Rs. 100 million (US$16.2 million) from a middleman on behalf of Mahesh Kumar, in return for his appointment as Member (Electrical) of the Railway Board.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-05-04/india/39026606_1_bribery-case-congress-core-group-cbi | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130507025325/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-05-04/india/39026606_1_bribery-case-congress-core-group-cbi | url-status=dead | archive-date=7 May 2013 | title=Bansal's nephew remanded in CBI custody, Congress core group meets | work=[[The Times of India]] | date=4 May 2013 | access-date=5 May 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-05-03/india/39007829_1_railway-minister-pawan-kumar-bansal-railway-official | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130506060036/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-05-03/india/39007829_1_railway-minister-pawan-kumar-bansal-railway-official | url-status=dead | archive-date=2013-05-06 | work=[[The Times of India]] | title=Pawan Kumar Bansal's nephew booked by CBI for accepting Rs 90 lakh bribe}}</ref><ref>[http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/railway-minister-pawan-bansal-s-nephew-arrested-for-allegedly-accepting-bribe-362478 Railway Minister Pawan Bansal's nephew arrested by CBI for allegedly accepting bribe | NDTV.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Mahesh Kumar was suspended, although the Railway Board clarified that no rules had been broken during the appointment of Mahesh Kumar.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/NAT-TOP-mahesh-kumar-suspended-what-about-pawan-kumar-bansal-4254759-NOR.html | title=Mahesh suspended, nephew arrested; What about Pawan Kumar Bansal? | work=[[Dainik Bhaskar]] | date=4 May 2013 | access-date=5 May 2013}}</ref>


== References ==
== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}
{{Reflist|2}}


== External links ==
== External links ==
*{{Commons category-inline|Ministers of Railways of India}}
* [http://www.indianrailways.gov.in Official website of the Ministry of Railways]
* [http://www.indianrailways.gov.in Official website of the Ministry of Railways]
* [http://www.irfca.org/docs/railway-ministers.html IRFCA link of railways ministers]


{{Indian Railways}}
{{Indian Railways}}
{{Union ministries of India}}
{{Union ministries of India}}
 
{{Railway Ministers of India}}
{{Heads of the Ministries of the Government of India}}
{{authority control}}
{{authority control}}


[[Category:Ministry of Railways (India)| ]]
[[Category:Ministry of Railways (India)|Ministry of Railways]]
[[Category:Government ministries of India|Railways]]
[[Category:Government ministries of India|Railways]]
[[Category:Transport ministries|India, Railways]]
[[Category:Ministries of transport|India, Railways]]
[[Category:1853 establishments in India]]
[[Category:1905 establishments in India]]
[[Category:Railways ministries|India]]

Latest revision as of 19:59, 6 March 2026


"Railway Board" redirects here. For the former British board, see British Railways Board.
For the minister responsible, see Minister of Railways (India).

Ministry of Railways
Branch of Government of India
Ministry of Railways

Rail Bhavan in New Delhi, the seat of the Ministry of Railways
Ministry overview
FormedMarch 1905 (1905-03)
JurisdictionGovernment of India
HeadquartersRail Bhavan
1, Raisina Road, New Delhi, India
Employees1,212,882 (2022)[1]
Annual budget₹299,059 crore (US$42 billion) (2025–26)
Minister responsible
Deputy Ministers responsible
Ministry executive
Child agencies
Websitewww.indianrailways.gov.in

The Ministry of Railways is a ministry in the Government of India, responsible for the country's rail transport. The Indian Railways is the rail network operated and administered by the Railway Board constituted by the ministry. The ministry along with the Railway Board is housed inside Rail Bhawan in New Delhi. It is headed by the Minister of Railways. With more than 1.2 million employees, it is one of the world's largest employers.

History[edit | edit source]

The first railway track was operational in Madras in 1837 and the first passenger train ran in Bombay in 1853.[4][5] But the earlier railways were operated by private companies with the earliest being the Madras Railway established in 1845 and the Great Indian Peninsular Railway incorporated in 1849.[6] In October 1901, the Secretary of State for India in Council appointed Thomas Robertson as a special commissioner for Indian Railways to prepare a report on the administration of Indian Railways.[7] In his report in 1903, Thomas recommended setting up of a three-member Railway Board headed by a chief commissioner.[7] In March 1905, the railway branch of the Public Works Department was transferred to the newly established railway board under the department of commerce and industry by the Indian Railway Board Act.[8] In 1908, the set up was re-organized on the recommendations of the Railway Finance Committee (1908) by constituting the railway board headed by a president as a separate department.[7] Pursuant to the Acworth committee's recommendations in 1921, the railway board was expanded to four members with the addition of a financial commissioner in 1924 apart from the chief commissioner, one commissioners responsible for ways and works, projects and stores and the other responsible for general administration, staff and traffic.[7]

In 1929, an additional member was added to the board and was assigned the responsibility for staff, so that the member in charge of traffic could focus solely on transport and commercial matters.[9] In 1944, all the railway companies were taken over by the Government.[10] The ministry of railways was part of the Ministry of Transport after the independence in 1947 and John Mathai served as its first minister from 1947 till 1948.[11][12] On 22 September 1948, N. Gopalaswamy Ayyangar was appointed as the minister of the newly renamed Ministry of Railways and Transport.[13] On 17 April 1957, Jagjivan Ram became the first to head the standalone Minister of Railways.[14]

In December 1950, the Central Advisory Committee for Railways approved the plan for re-organising Indian Railways into six regional zones and re-constituting the railway board to four members with the senior-most functional member appointed the chairman of the board with no absolute over riding power.[15][16] In October 1954, the chairman of the board was made responsible for decisions on technical and policy matters, with the status of a principal secretary to the Government of India with an additional member added.[16]

The board was expanded with an additional member responsible for electrical engineering in 1972 and a further member responsible for health in 1976.[17]

The Ministry of Railways was merged with the Ministry of Shipping and Transport and the Department of Civil Aviation on 25 September 1985 to form the Ministry of Transport and Bansi Lal, who served as the Railways Minister prior to the merger became the first holder of the new office.[18] However, on 22 October 1986, the Ministry of Railways was again separated into an independent ministry and has been the same since then.[14][19]

In 2004, the board is expanded by the introduction of two new members responsible for signalling & telecom and for stores respectively.[20] In December 2019, the Union Cabinet decided to reduce the size of the board from eight to five.[21]

Railway Budget[edit | edit source]

Main article: Railway budget of India

The first railway budget was presented in 1924.[6] Since then, Railway budget was presented as a standalone budget every year before the union budget by the Railway Minister till 2016.[22] The last Railway Budget was presented on 25 February 2016 and on 21 September 2016, Government of India approved merger of the rail and general budgets from 2017.[23] The railway budget was estimated to be ₹264,600 crore (US$37 billion) for the financial year 2023–24.[24]

Organisation[edit | edit source]

Administrative officials
Title Name
Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw
Minister of State, Railways V. Somanna, Ravneet Singh Bittu
Chairman and CEO of Railway Board Satish Kumar

The ministry has a union minister and one or more ministers of state.[25] The railway board reports to the union ministry with the directorates of traction, engineering, traffic, rolling stock, signalling, materials, personnel, Railway Protection Force (RPF), finance, health and safety reporting to the board.[26] Indian Railways is a statutory body that reports to parliament and is under the ownership of ministry of railways.[27] Indian Railways is further divided into 18 administrative zones (17 operational), headed by general managers who report to the board along with the heads of other institutions and undertakings owned by the Indian Railways.[26] The railway board consists of a chairman, four members responsible for operations & business development, traction & rolling stock, infrastructure and finance respectively.[28] Also part of the board are four director generals responsible for human resources, health, RPF and safety respectively.[28]

Statutory Bodies/Public Sector Undertakings[edit | edit source]

Society[edit | edit source]

  • Indian Railway Welfare Organisation

Railway Budget[edit | edit source]

Main article: Railway budget of India

The first railway budget was presented in 1924.[6] Since then, Railway budget was presented as a standalone budget every year before the union budget till 2016.[29] The last Railway Budget was presented on 25 February 2016 and on 21 September 2016, Government of India approved merger of the rail and general budgets from 2017.[30] The railway budget is estimated to be ₹264,600 crore (US$37 billion) for the financial year 2023–24.[31]

Railway ministers[edit | edit source]

India
Minister of Railways
Rail Mantrī
Emblem of India
Flag of India
Incumbent
Ashwini Vaishnaw
since 7 July 2021 (2021-07-07)
Ministry of Railways
Member ofUnion Cabinet of India
Reports toPresident of India
Prime Minister of India
Parliament of India
AppointerPresident of India
on the recommendation of the Prime Minister
Formation1947 (1947)
First holderJohn Matthai
(as Minister of Transport)
DeputyMinister of State for Railways

The Minister of Railways (Hindi: Rail Mantrī) is the head of the ministry and a member of the union council of ministers of India. The position of the Minister of Railways is usually held by a minister of cabinet rank and is often assisted by one or two junior Ministers of State.[32]

John Mathai was the first Minister of Railways.[12] Lal Bahadur Shastri who served as the Minister of Railways and Transport from 1952 until 1956 became the second Prime Minister of India in 1964.[33] Four prime ministers, namely Rajiv Gandhi, P. V. Narasimha Rao, Atal Bihari Vajpayee (twice) and Manmohan Singh (twice) have briefly held the portfolio of the Minister of Railways during their premiership.[14] Mohsina Kidwai was the first female to hold the charge of the ministry (as Minister of Surface Transport) while Mamata Banerjee is the first female to have served as the Minister of Railways.[14] Madhavrao Scindia and Ram Naik are the only people to have served as Ministers of State for Railways with an Independent charge. Lalit Narayan Mishra is the only cabinet minister to die in office after being assassinated in a bomb blast in 1975,[34] while Suresh Angadi is the only minister of state to die in office.[35]

The current Minister of Railways is Ashwini Vaishnaw of the Bharatiya Janata Party who has been in office since 7 July 2021 while V. Somanna and Ravneet Singh are the ministers of state for railways.[36]

Cabinet Ministers[edit | edit source]

  • Key: † Assassinated or died in office
  • Note: MoS, I/C – Minister of State (Independent Charge)
Indian Railway Ministers[14][19][37][38][39][40]
Portrait Minister
(Birth-Death)
Constituency 		Term of office Political party Ministry Prime Minister
From To Period
Minister of Transport
John Mathai
(1886–1959) 		15 August
1947 		22 September
1948 		1 year, 38 days Indian National Congress Nehru I Jawaharlal Nehru
Minister of Transport and Railways
N. Gopalaswamy Ayyangar
(1882–1953)
MP for Madras (Interim) 		22 September
1948 		13 May
1952 		3 years, 234 days Indian National Congress Nehru I Jawaharlal Nehru
Lal Bahadur Shastri
(1904–1966)
Rajya Sabha MP for Uttar Pradesh 		13 May
1952 		7 December
1956 		4 years, 208 days Nehru II
Jagjivan Ram
(1908–1986)
MP for Shahabad South 		7 December
1956 		17 April
1957 		131 days
Minister of Railways
Jagjivan Ram
(1908–1986)
MP for Sasaram 		17 April
1957 		10 April
1962 		4 years, 358 days Indian National Congress Nehru III Jawaharlal Nehru
Swaran Singh
(1907–1994)
MP for Jullundur 		10 April
1962 		1 September
1963 		1 year, 144 days Nehru IV
H. C. Dasappa
(1894–1964)
MP for Bangalore 		1 September
1963 		27 May
1964 		282 days
27 May
1964 		9 June
1964 		Nanda I Gulzarilal Nanda
(acting)
S. K. Patil
(1898–1981)
MP for Mumbai South 		9 June
1964 		11 January
1966 		2 years, 277 days Shastri Lal Bahadur Shastri
11 January
1966 		24 January
1966 		Nanda II Gulzarilal Nanda
(acting)
24 January
1966 		13 March
1967 		Indira I Indira Gandhi
C. M. Poonacha
(1910–1990)
MP for Mangalore 		13 March
1967 		14 February
1969 		1 year, 338 days Indira II
Ram Subhag Singh
(1917–1980)
MP for Buxar 		14 February
1969 		4 November
1969 		263 days
Panampilly Govinda Menon
(1906–1970)
MP for Mukundapuram 		4 November
1969 		18 February
1970 		106 days Indian National Congress (R)
Gulzarilal Nanda
(1898–1998)
MP for Kurukshetra 		18 February
1970 		18 March
1971 		1 year, 28 days
Kengal Hanumanthaiah
(1908–1980)
MP for Bangalore City 		18 March
1971 		22 July
1972 		1 year, 126 days Indira III
T. A. Pai
(1922–1981)
Rajya Sabha MP for Karnataka 		22 July
1972 		5 February
1973 		198 days
Lalit Narayan Mishra
(1923–1975)
MP for Darbhanga 		5 February
1973 		3 January
1975[†] 		1 year, 332 days
Kamalapati Tripathi
(1905–1990)
Rajya Sabha MP for Uttar Pradesh 		10 February
1975 		23 March
1977 		2 years, 41 days
Madhu Dandavate
(1924–2005)
MP for Rajapur 		26 March
1977 		28 July
1979 		2 years, 124 days Janata Party Desai Morarji Desai
T. A. Pai
(1922–1981)
MP for Udipi 		28 July
1979 		14 January
1980 		170 days Janata Party (Secular) Charan Singh Charan Singh
Kamalapati Tripathi
(1905–1990)
MP for Varanasi 		14 January
1980 		12 November
1980 		303 days Indian National Congress (I) Indira IV Indira Gandhi
Kedar Pandey
(1920–1982)
MP for Bettiah 		12 November
1980 		15 January
1982 		1 year, 64 days
Prakash Chandra Sethi
(1919–1996)
MP for Indore 		15 January
1982 		2 September
1982 		230 days
A. B. A. Ghani Khan Choudhury
(1927–2006)
MP for Malda 		2 September
1982 		31 October
1984 		2 years, 59 days
4 November
1984 		31 December
1984 		57 days Rajiv I Rajiv Gandhi
Bansi Lal
(1927–2006)
MP for Bhiwani 		31 December
1984 		25 September
1985 		268 days Rajiv II
Minister of Transport
Bansi Lal
(1927–2006)
MP for Bhiwani 		25 September
1985 		4 June
1986 		252 days Indian National Congress (I) Rajiv II Rajiv Gandhi
Rajiv Gandhi
(1944–1991)
MP for Amethi
(Prime Minister) 		4 June
1986 		24 June
1986 		20 days
Mohsina Kidwai
(born 1932)
MP for Meerut 		24 June
1986 		22 October
1986 		120 days
Minister of Railways
Madhavrao Scindia
(1945–2001)
MP for Gwalior
(MoS, I/C) 		22 October
1986 		2 December
1989 		3 years, 41 days Indian National Congress (I) Rajiv II Rajiv Gandhi
George Fernandes
(1930–2019)
MP for Muzaffarpur 		6 December
1989 		10 November
1990 		339 days Janata Dal V. P. Singh V. P. Singh
Janeshwar Mishra
(1933–2010)
MP for Allahabad 		21 November
1990 		21 June
1991 		212 days Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya) Chandra Shekhar Chandra Shekhar
C. K. Jaffer Sharief
(1933–2018)
MP for Bangalore North 		21 June
1991 		17 August
1995 		4 years, 57 days Indian National Congress (I) Rao P. V. Narasimha Rao
P. V. Narasimha Rao
(1921–2004)
MP for Nandyal
(Prime Minister) 		18 August
1995 		16 May
1996 		272 days
Atal Bihari Vajpayee
(1924–2018)
MP for Lucknow
(Prime Minister) 		16 May
1996 		1 June
1996 		16 days Bharatiya Janata Party Vajpayee I Self
Ram Vilas Paswan
(1946–2020)
MP for Hajipur 		1 June
1996 		21 April
1997 		1 year, 291 days Janata Dal Deve Gowda H. D. Deve Gowda
21 April
1997 		19 March
1998 		Gujral Inder Kumar Gujral
Nitish Kumar
(born 1951)
MP for Barh 		19 March
1998 		5 August
1999 		1 year, 139 days Samata Party Vajpayee II Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Ram Naik
(born 1934)
MP for Mumbai North
(MoS, I/C) 		6 August
1999 		13 October
1999 		161 days Bharatiya Janata Party
Mamata Banerjee
(born 1955)
MP for Calcutta South 		13 October
1999 		16 March
2001 		1 year, 154 days Trinamool Congress Vajpayee III
Atal Bihari Vajpayee
(1924–2018)
MP for Lucknow
(Prime Minister) 		16 March
2001 		20 March
2001 		16 days Bharatiya Janata Party
Nitish Kumar
(born 1951)
MP for Barh 		20 March
2001 		22 May
2004 		3 years, 63 days Janata Dal (United)
Lalu Prasad Yadav
(born 1948)
MP for Chapra 		23 May
2004 		22 May
2009 		4 years, 364 days Rashtriya Janata Dal Manmohan I Manmohan Singh
Mamata Banerjee
(born 1955)
MP for Kolkata Dakshin 		23 May
2009 		19 May
2011 		1 year, 361 days Trinamool Congress Manmohan II
Manmohan Singh
(1932–2024)
Rajya Sabha MP for Assam
(Prime Minister) 		19 May
2011 		12 July
2011 		54 days Indian National Congress
Dinesh Trivedi
(born 1950)
MP for Barrackpore 		12 July
2011 		19 March
2012 		251 days Trinamool Congress
Mukul Roy
(1954–2026)
Rajya Sabha MP for West Bengal 		20 March
2012 		22 September
2012 		186 days
C. P. Joshi
(born 1950)
MP for Bhilwara 		22 September
2012 		28 October
2012 		36 days Indian National Congress
Pawan Kumar Bansal
(born 1948)
MP for Chandigarh 		28 October
2012 		11 May
2013 		195 days
C. P. Joshi
(born 1950)
MP for Bhilwara 		11 May
2013 		15 June
2013 		35 days
Manmohan Singh
(1932–2024)
Rajya Sabha MP for Assam
(Prime Minister) 		15 June
2013 		17 June
2013 		2 days
Mallikarjun Kharge
(born 1942)
MP for Gulbarga 		17 June
2013 		26 May
2014 		343 days
D. V. Sadananda Gowda
(born 1953)
MP for Bangalore North 		27 May
2014 		9 November
2014 		166 days Bharatiya Janata Party Modi I Narendra Modi
Suresh Prabhu
(born 1953)
Rajya Sabha MP for Haryana, till 2016
Rajya Sabha MP for Andhra Pradesh, from 2016 		9 November
2014 		3 September
2017 		2 years, 298 days
Piyush Goyal
(born 1964)
Rajya Sabha MP for Maharashtra 		3 September
2017 		30 May
2019 		3 years, 307 days
31 May
2019 		7 July
2021 		Modi II
Ashwini Vaishnaw
(born 1970)
Rajya Sabha MP for Odisha 		7 July
2021 		9 June
2024 		5 years, 34 days
10 June
2024 		Incumbent Modi III

Ministers of State[edit | edit source]

  • Key: † Assassinated or died in office
Ministers of State[14][37]
Portrait Minister
(Birth-Death)
Constituency 		Term of office Political party Ministry Prime Minister
From To Period
Minister of State for Transport and Railways
K. Santhanam
(1895–1980)
MP for Madras (Constituent Assembly) 		1 October
1948 		29 May
1952 		3 years, 241 days Indian National Congress Nehru I Jawaharlal Nehru
Minister of State for Railways
Ram Subhag Singh
(1917–1980)
MP for Bikramganj 		13 May
1964 		27 May
1964 		2 years, 304 days Indian National Congress Nehru IV Jawaharlal Nehru
27 May
1964 		9 June
1964 		Nanda I Gulzarilal Nanda
(acting)
9 June
1964 		11 January
1966 		Shastri Lal Bahadur Shastri
11 January
1966 		24 January
1966 		Nanda II Gulzarilal Nanda
(acting)
24 January
1966 		13 March
1967 		Indira I Indira Gandhi
Parimal Ghosh
(1917–1985)
MP for Ghatal 		13 March
1967 		17 October
1969 		2 years, 218 days Indira II
Mohammad Shafi Qureshi
(1928–2016)
MP for Anantnag 		10 October
1974 		23 March
1977 		2 years, 164 days Indian National Congress (R) Indira III Indira Gandhi
Surendra Pal Singh
(1917–2009)
MP for Bulandshahr 		23 December
1976 		24 March
1977 		91 days
Sheo Narain
(1913–1987)
MP for Basti 		14 August
1977 		28 July
1979 		1 year, 348 days Janata Party Desai Morarji Desai
C. K. Jaffer Sharief
(1933–2018)
MP for Bangalore North 		14 January
1980 		31 October
1984 		4 years, 291 days Indian National Congress (I) Indira IV Indira Gandhi
Madhavrao Scindia
(1945–2001)
MP for Gwalior 		31 December
1984 		25 September
1985 		268 days Rajiv II Rajiv Gandhi
Minister of State for Transport – Department of Railways
Madhavrao Scindia
(1945–2001)
MP for Gwalior 		25 September
1985 		22 October
1986 		1 year, 27 days Indian National Congress (I) Rajiv II Rajiv Gandhi
Minister of State for Railways
Bhakta Charan Das
(born 1958)
MP for Kalahandi 		21 November
1990 		21 June
1991 		212 days Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya) Chandra Shekhar Chandra Shekhar
Mallikarjun Goud
(1941–2002)
MP for Mahabubnagar 		21 June
1991 		18 January
1993 		1 year, 211 days Indian National Congress (I) Rao P. V. Narasimha Rao
Kahnu Charan Lenka
(born 1939)
Rajya Sabha MP for Odisha 		18 January
1993 		2 April
1994 		1 year, 74 days
Mallikarjun Goud
(1941–2002)
MP for Mahabubnagar 		21 August
1995 		19 September
1995 		29 days
Suresh Kalmadi
(1944–2026)
Rajya Sabha MP for Maharashtra 		15 September
1995 		16 May
1996 		244 days
Satpal Maharaj
(born 1951)
MP for Garhwal 		6 July
1996 		21 April
1997 		338 days All India Indira Congress (Tiwari) Deve Gowda H. D. Deve Gowda
21 April
1997 		9 June
1997 		Gujral Inder Kumar Gujral
Ram Naik
(born 1934)
MP for Mumbai North 		19 March
1998 		6 August
1999 		1 year, 140 days Bharatiya Janata Party Vajpayee II Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Digvijay Singh
(1955–2010)
MP for Banka 		13 October
1999 		22 July
2001 		1 year, 282 days Samata Party Vajpayee III
Bangaru Laxman
(1939–2014)
Rajya Sabha MP for Gujarat 		22 November
1999 		31 August
2000 		283 days Bharatiya Janata Party
O. Rajagopal
(born 1929)
Rajya Sabha MP for Madhya Pradesh 		31 August
2000 		1 July
2002 		1 year, 304 days
Digvijay Singh
(1955–2010)
MP for Banka 		1 August
2001 		1 July
2002 		334 days Samata Party
A. K. Moorthy
(born 1964)
MP for Chengalpattu 		1 July
2002 		15 January
2004 		1 year, 198 days Pattali Makkal Katchi
Bandaru Dattatreya
(born 1947)
MP for Secunderabad 		1 July
2002 		8 September
2003 		1 year, 69 days Bharatiya Janata Party
Basangouda Patil Yatnal
(born 1963)
MP for Bijapur 		8 September
2003 		22 May
2004 		257 days
Naranbhai Rathwa
(born 1953)
MP for Chhota Udaipur 		23 May
2004 		22 May
2009 		4 years, 364 days Indian National Congress Manmohan I Manmohan Singh
R. Velu
(born 1940)
MP for Arakkonam 		23 May
2004 		29 March
2009 		4 years, 310 days Pattali Makkal Katchi
E. Ahamed
(1938–2017)
MP for Malappuram 		28 May
2009 		19 January
2011 		1 year, 236 days Indian Union Muslim League Manmohan II
K. H. Muniyappa
(born 1948)
MP for Kolar 		28 May
2009 		28 October
2012 		3 years, 153 days Indian National Congress
Bharatsinh Solanki
(born 1953)
MP for Anand 		19 January
2011 		28 October
2012 		1 year, 283 days
Mukul Roy
(1954–2026)
Rajya Sabha MP for West Bengal 		19 May
2011 		12 July
2011 		54 days Trinamool Congress
Kotla Jayasurya Prakasha Reddy
(born 1951)
MP for Kurnool 		28 October
2012 		26 May
2014 		1 year, 210 days Indian National Congress
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury
(born 1956)
MP for Baharampur
Manoj Sinha
(born 1959)
MP for Ghazipur 		27 May
2014 		30 May
2019 		5 years, 3 days Bharatiya Janata Party Modi I Narendra Modi
Rajen Gohain
(born 1950)
MP for Nowgong 		5 July
2016 		30 May
2019 		2 years, 329 days
Suresh Angadi
(1955–2020)
MP for Belgaum 		31 May
2019 		23 September
2020[†] 		1 year, 115 days Modi II
Raosaheb Danve
(born 1955)
MP for Jalna 		7 July
2021 		9 June
2024 		2 years, 338 days
Darshana Jardosh
(born 1961)
MP for Surat
V. Somanna
(born 1950)
MP for Tumkur 		10 June
2024 		Incumbent 2 years, 61 days Modi III
Ravneet Singh Bittu
(born 1975)
Rajya Sabha MP for Rajasthan

Deputy Ministers[edit | edit source]

No. Portrait Minister
(Birth-Death)
Constituency 		Term of office Political party Ministry Prime Minister
From To Period
Deputy Minister for Transport and Railways
1 B. V. Keskar
(1903–1984)
MP for Madras (Constituent Assembly) 		10 March
1952 		13 May
1952 		64 days Indian National Congress Nehru I Jawaharlal Nehru
2 O. V. Alagesan
(1911–1992)
MP for Chengalpattu 		12 August
1952 		16 April
1957 		4 years, 247 days Nehru II
3 Shah Nawaz Khan
(1914–1993)
MP for Meerut 		20 September
1956 		17 April
1957 		209 days
Deputy Minister for Railways
(3) Shah Nawaz Khan
(1914–1993)
MP for Meerut 		17 April
1957 		10 April
1962 		4 years, 358 days Indian National Congress Nehru III Jawaharlal Nehru
4 S. V. Ramaswamy
MP for Salem 		2 April
1958 		4 years, 8 days
(3) Shah Nawaz Khan
(1914–1993)
MP for Meerut 		16 April
1962 		27 May
1964 		2 years, 41 days Nehru III
(4) S. V. Ramaswamy
MP for Salem
(3) Shah Nawaz Khan
(1914–1993)
MP for Meerut 		27 May
1964 		9 June
1964 		13 days Nanda I Gulzarilal Nanda
(acting)
(4) S. V. Ramaswamy
MP for Salem
5 Sham Nath
MP for Chandni Chowk 		15 June
1964 		11 January
1966 		2 years, 271 days Shastri Lal Bahadur Shastri
11 January
1966 		24 January
1966 		Nanda II Gulzarilal Nanda
(acting)
24 January
1966 		13 March
1967 		Indira I Indira Gandhi
6 S. C. Jamir
(born 1931)
MP for Nagaland 		13 March
1967 		14 November
1967 		246 days Indira II
7 Rohanlal Chaturvedi
(1919–?)
MP for Etah 		14 November
1967 		18 March
1971 		3 years, 124 days
8 Mohammad Yunus Saleem
(1912–2004)
MP for Nalgonda 		27 June
1970 		18 March
1971 		264 days Indian National Congress (R)
9 Mohammad Shafi Qureshi
(1928–2016)
Anantnag 		2 May
1971 		10 October
1974 		3 years, 161 days Indira III
10 Buta Singh
(1934–2021)
MP for Ropar 		10 October
1974 		23 December
1976 		2 years, 74 days
Deputy Minister for Railways
11 Mahaveer Prasad
(1939–2010)
MP for Bansgaon 		14 February
1988 		4 July
1989 		1 year, 140 days Indian National Congress (I) Rajiv II Rajiv Gandhi
12 Ajay Singh
(1950–2020)
MP for Agra 		23 April
1990 		10 November
1990 		201 days Janata Dal Vishwanath V. P. Singh
Position not in use since 10 November 1990

Criticism and controversies[edit | edit source]

On 14 February 2008, Westinghouse Air Brake, admitted to a US federal court of violating Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) regulations by making improper payments from its subsidiary Pioneer Friction based in Kolkata, to government officials of the Indian railway board to obtain and retain business with the Railway Board and curb taxes.[41]

On 3 May 2013, the CBI arrested then minister of railways Pawan Kumar Bansal's nephew, Vijay Singla for accepting an alleged bribe of ₹9 million (US$130,000) from a middleman for the appointment of a particular person to the railway board.[42] The railway board clarified that no rules had been broken during the appointment and suspended Mahesh, the person concerned.[43]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Indian Railways Year Book 2021–22 (PDF) (Report). Indian Railways. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  2. ↑ "Modi Cabinet 3.0: Ashwini Vaishnaw retains Railways and IT, gets I&B Ministry". Business Today. 10 June 2024. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  3. ↑ "Satish Kumar named new Chairman and CEO of Railway Board". The Hindu. 27 August 2024. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  4. ↑ "When India's first train blew steam". The Times of India. 25 April 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  5. ↑ "Chennai: The track record". New Indian Express. 16 April 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Understanding Indian Railway Heritage (PDF) (Report). Indian Railways. p. 6. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 IRFC (PDF) (Report). Indian Railways. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  8. ↑ "The Indian Railway Board Act, 1905". Act of 1905 (PDF). Parliament of India.
  9. ↑ "History of Indian Railways". IRFCA. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  10. ↑ Evolution of Indian Railways-Historical Background (Report). Indian Railways. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  11. ↑ Council of Ministers, 1947 (PDF) (Report). Government of India. 15 August 1947. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 November 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Budget 2024: How India's Railway Budget has changed over the years". Business Standard. 20 December 2023. Archived from the original on 18 May 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  13. ↑ "N. Gopalaswamy Ayyangar". Government of India. 15 August 1947. Archived from the original on 22 September 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 List of Ministers of Railways (PDF) (Report). Indian Railways. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  15. ↑ Overview of Indian Railways (PDF) (Report). National Academy of Indian Railways. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 "History of Indian Railways". IRFCA. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  17. ↑ "History of Indian Railways". IRFCA. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  18. ↑ "Council of Ministers, 1985" (PDF). Government of India. 25 September 1985. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 "List of Railway Ministers of India". Jagran Josh. 26 November 2021. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  20. ↑ "History of Indian Railways". IRFCA. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  21. ↑ "Cabinet approves restructuring of Railway Board". Livemint. 24 December 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  22. ↑ "After 92 years, Rail Budget is history". Business Standard. 22 September 2016. Archived from the original on 25 March 2017. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
  23. ↑ "Railway budget to be merged with General budget from 2017". The Hindu. 14 August 2016. Archived from the original on 13 June 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  24. ↑ Railway Receipts and Expenditure (PDF) (Report). Indian Railways. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 July 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  25. ↑ Organization Chart (PDF) (Report). Indian Railways. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Organization Chart (PDF) (Report). Indian Railways. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  27. ↑ Roy, Debasish (27 February 2019). "Why isn't the Railways a PSU?". The Economic Times. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 Railway Board (Report). Indian Railways. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  29. ↑ "After 92 years, Rail Budget is history". Business Standard. 22 September 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
  30. ↑ "Railway budget to be merged with General budget from 2017". The Hindu. 14 August 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  31. ↑ Railway Receipts and Expenditure (PDF) (Report). Indian Railways. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  32. ↑ Organization Chart (PDF) (Report). Indian Railways. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 December 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  33. ↑ "Lal Bahadur Shastri". Government of India. Archived from the original on 17 June 2019. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  34. ↑ "Family wants Union Minister's assassination to be reinvestigated". The Sunday Guardian. 31 December 2023. Archived from the original on 12 January 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  35. ↑ "India Mos Railways Suresh Angadi dies of Covid-19". Guwahati Plus. 23 September 2020. Archived from the original on 22 September 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  36. ↑ "Portfolios of the Union Council of Ministers" (PDF). Government of India. 10 June 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 June 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 IRFCA link of railways ministers. IRFCA (Report). Archived from the original on 9 August 2011. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  38. ↑ "Full List of Railway Ministers of India". Notes Press. 25 August 2023. Archived from the original on 1 November 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  39. ↑ "Full List of Railway Ministers of India". Notes Press. 25 August 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  40. ↑ IRFCA link of railways ministers. IRFCA (Report). Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  41. ↑ Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation Agrees to Pay $300,000 Penalty to Resolve Foreign Bribery Violations in India (Report). Department of Justice, Government of United States. 14 February 2008. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  42. ↑ "Railway Minister Pawan Bansal's nephew arrested by CBI for allegedly accepting bribe". NDTV. 3 May 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  43. ↑ "Mahesh suspended, nephew arrested; What about Pawan Kumar Bansal?". Dainik Bhaskar. 4 May 2013. Archived from the original on 9 May 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2013.

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