List of Railway Ministers Of India (1946 to 2024)
Last Updated :
27 Feb, 2024
Ashwini Vaishnaw is the current Railway Minister of India. He took the oath as 40th Rail Minister in July 2021. Railway is one of the most crucial departments in the Ministry of India. A Rail Minister took care of all the responsibilities and reformation of the Indian Railway Transport of the Indian Territory.
They are the cabinet head of the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India. Check the Railway Ministers Of India list with the tenure and party name below.
List of Railway Minister of India
Indian Railways carries around 22.7 million passengers daily by operating around 14,300 trains with 7,349 stations and 18 zones. Currently, Indian Railway network has a length of 68,103 kilometers which makes it the fourth-largest national railway in the world.
Below is the list of Railway Ministers of India from 1946 to 2024.
| S.No. | Name | Tenure | Party Name | Prime Minister |
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| 1 | Ashraf Ali | Sep 2, 1946 - Aug 14, 1947 | Congress | Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru |
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| 2 | John Mathai | 15 August 1947- 22 September 1948 | Congress | Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru |
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| 3 | N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar | 22 September 1948 – 13 May 1952 | Congress | Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru |
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| 4 | Lal Bahadur Shastri | 13 May 1952 – 7 December 1956 | Congress | Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru |
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| 5 | Jagjivan Ram | 7 December 1956 – 10 April 1962 | Congress | Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru |
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| 6 | Swaran Singh | 10 April 1962 – 21 September 1963 | Congress | Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru |
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| 7 | H. C. Dasappa | 21 September 1963 – 8 June 1964 | Congress | Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru |
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| 8 | S. K. Patil | 9 June 1964- 12 March 1967 | Congress | Lal Bahadur Shastri & Indira Gandhi |
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| 9 | C. M. Poonacha | 13 March 1967 – 14 February 1969 | Congress | Indira Gandhi |
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| 10 | Ram Subhag Singh | 14 February 1969 – 4 November 1969 | Congress | Indira Gandhi |
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| 11 | Panampilli Govinda Menon | 4 November 1969 – 18 February 1970 | Congress | Indira Gandhi |
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| 12 | Gulzarilal Nanda | 18 February 1970 – 17 March 1971 | Congress | Indira Gandhi |
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| 13 | K. Hanumanthaiya | 18 March 1971 – 22 July 1972 | Congress | Indira Gandhi |
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| 14 | Lalit Narayan Mishra | 5 February 1973 – 2 January 1975 | Congress | Indira Gandhi |
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| 15 | Kamalapati Tripathi | 11 February 1975 – 23 March 1977 | Congress | Indira Gandhi |
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| 16 | Madhu Dandavate | 26 March 1977 – 28 July 1979 | Janata Party | Morarji Desai |
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| 17 | T. A. Pai | 30 July 1979 – 13 January 1980 & 23 July 1972 – 4 February 1973 | Janta Party (Secular) & Congress | Ch. Charan Singh & Indira Gandhi |
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| 18 | Kamalapati Tripathi | 14 January 1980 – 12 November 1980 | Congress | Indira Gandhi |
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| 19 | Kedar Pandey | 12 November 1980 – 14 January 1982 | Congress | Indira Gandhi |
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| 20 | Prakash Chandra Sethi | 15 January 1982 – 2 September 1982 | Congress | Indira Gandhi |
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| 21 | A. B. A. Ghani Khan Choudhury | 2 September 1982 – 31 December 1984 | Congress | Indira Gandhi & Rajeev Gandhi |
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| 22 | Bansi Lal | 31 December 1984 - 4 June 1986 | Congress | Rajeev Gandhi |
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| 23 | Mohsina Kidwai | 24 June 1986 – 21 October 1986 | Congress | Rajeev Gandhi |
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| 24 | Madhavrao Scindia | 22 October 1986 – 1 December 1989 | Congress | Rajeev Gandhi |
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| 25 | George Fernandez | 5 December 1989 – 10 November 1990 | Janata Dal | V. P. Singh |
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| 26 | Janeshwar Mishra | 21 November 1990 - 21 June 1991 | Samajwadi Janta Party | Chandra Shekhar |
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| 27 | CK Jaffer Sharief | 21 June 1991 - 16 October 1995 | Congress | PV Narsimha Rao |
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| 28 | Ram Vilas Paswan | 1 June 1996 - 19 March 1998 | Janata Dal | HD Deve Gowda and IK Gujral |
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| 29 | Nitish Kumar | 19 March 1998 - 5 August 1999 | BJP | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
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| 30 | Lalu Prasad Yadav | 23 May 2004 - 25 May 2009 | BJP | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
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| 31 | Mamata Banerjee | 13 October 1999 - 15 March 2001 and 26 May 2009 - 19 May 2011 | Congress and National Democratic Alliance | Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Dr. Manmohan Singh |
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| 32 | Dinesh Trivedi | 12 July 2011 - 14 March 2012 | Congress | Dr. Manmohan Singh |
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| 33 | Mukul Roy | 20 March 2012 to 21 September 2012 | Congress | Dr. Manmohan Singh |
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| 34 | Pawan Kumar Bansal | 28 October 2012 - 10 May 2013 | Congress | Dr. Manmohan Singh |
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| 35 | CP Joshi | 22 September 2012 - 28 October 2012 and 11 May 2013 - 16 June 2013 | Congress | Dr. Manmohan Singh |
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| 36 | Suresh Prabhu | 10 November 2014 (Incumbent) | BJP | Narendra Modi |
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| 37 | D.V. Sadananda Gowda | 26 May 2014 to 9 November 2014 | BJP | Narendra Modi |
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| 38 | Suresh Prabhu | 10 November 2014 (Incumbent) | BJP | Narendra Modi |
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| 39 | Piyush Goyal | 4 September 2017 - 7 July 2021 | BJP | Narendra Modi |
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| 40 | Ashwini Vaishnaw | July 2021 to present | BJP | Narendra Modi |
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Railway Ministers in India
Railway Ministers in India is one of the crucial ministry in Cabinet minister of India. They are responsible for regulating the functions of Indian Railways. The Indian Railways is the fourth largest railway network in the world. Cabinet and Minister of State of Railways manage the policies, operations, and development of the railway infrastructure. They are the key figures in shaping the country's transportation landscape.
In past, There was a separate budget specially announced for Indian Railway. It plays an important role in country's development and GDP.
Current Railway Minister Of India - Ashwini Vaishnaw
Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw is the present railway minister of India. He is serving as the 40th Union Minister of Railways of India. He took oath as the Union Minister of Railways of India on July 7, 2021.
He is a former IAS officer and had served as the Communications Minister and Electronics & Information Technology Minister in the Government of India. He is also a member of the Rajya Sabha who represents the Odisha state.
Below is the contact details of current Railway Minister of India.
Current Minister Of Railways - Ashwini Vaishnaw
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Full Name
| Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw
|
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Date of Birth
| 18th July, 1970
|
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Age
| 54
|
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Place of Birth
| Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
|
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Political Party
| Bharatiya Janata Party (since 2019)
|
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Education
| B.E, M.Tech., MBA
|
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Education
| University of Pennsylvania, IIT Kanpur, M.B.M. Engineering College, Jai Narain Vyas University
|
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Email Id
| officeofmr@gov.in,
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Phone No
|
011-23386645, 23381213
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Social Handles
| @AshwiniVaishnaw
|
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Address
| C/601, Swarna Jayanti Sadan, Bishambhar Das Marg, New Delhi110001 Tel. - 23351250
|
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Previous Positions
| - Deputy Secretary, Prime Minister's Office(2003-2004)
- Managing Director - GE Transportation,
- Vice President - Siemens
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Assets
| Rs 17,18,20,153 ~ 17 Crore
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Current Minister Of States Of Railways
Shri Raosaheb Patil Danve and Smt. Darshana Jardosh is jointly serving as the Minister of State for Railways. They both took oath on July 7th, 2021. A Minister of State is a junior designation in the Council of Ministers in the Union Government.
They assist a cabinet minister or can act independently of a particular ministry.
First Railway Minister Of India
Dr. John Mathai was the first Railways Minister Of India. He served as first rail minister of India from 15 August 1947 to 22 September 1948. He was an economist and politician. He representrd the Indian National Congress party. John Mathai also received the Padma Vibhushan award for his research on Persian and Arabian languages.
Here are some details about him as mentioned below.
First Railway Minister Of India
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Name
| Dr. John Mathai
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Position
| Union Minister for Railways
|
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In Office
| 15 August 1947 – 22 September 1948
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Born
| 10th January 1886
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Birthplace
| Calicut, Madras Presidency, British India
|
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Died
| February, 1959 (aged 73)
|
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Nationality
| - British Indian (1886-1947)
- Indian (1947-59)
|
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Political Party
| Indian National Congress
|
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Education
| Madras Christian College, Madras Law College
|
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First Female Railway Minister Of India - Smt. Mamata Banerjee
Smt. Mamata Banerjee was the first female railway minister of India. She is the present Chief Minister of West Bengal. She was the first lady to present the Railways Budget in 2002 in the Parliament. Till date, Smt. Banerjee has served twice as The Railway Minister of India.
Roles And Responsibilities of Railway Minister Of India
Here are the major roles and responsibilities of the Railway Ministers of India as mentioned below.
- The Railway Ministers are responsible for developing and implementing plans related to the railway sector.
- Railway Ministers share the railway budget in Parliament yearly and explain the financial allocations with improvement plans.
- They study the planning and execution of railway infrastructure projects. building new lines and stations are some of them.
- They ensure the passengers' safety and protect the railway assets.
- The Railway Ministers work to include modern technologies to improve the operational efficiency of the railways.
- They work to improve the station facilities to ensure the overall satisfaction of railway passengers.
- He/She also addresses the concerns of the railway employees to enhance the overall welfare.
- The Railway Ministers handle funds, manage costs, and ensure the financial sustainability of the Indian Railways sector.
List of Railway Ministers Of India - FAQs
Who is the current railway minister of India?
Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw is currently serving as the 39th railway minister of India. He took oath as the Union Minister of Railways of India on July 7, 2021.
Who is the first woman Railway Minister in India?
Smt. Mamata Banerjee was the first lady railway minister of India. She is the present Chief Minister of West Bengal.
Who is first Railway Minister?
John Mathai became the first Railway Minister of the country after Independence.
Who is the best railway minister of India?
Lal Bahadur Shastri is considered as the best railway minister of India.
Who is the CEO of Indian Railway?
Jaya Varma Sinha as Chairperson & CEO of Railway Board. She is the first woman to be appointed to this post of Indian Railways.
Who is known as father of Indian Railways?
Lord Dalhousie is known as father of Indian Railways. Lord Dalhousie served as the Governor-General of India from 1848 to 1856.
Who is called train Man of India?
Dr. Elattuvalapil Sreedharan, popularly known as the Railway Man of India.