The Railway Board Chairman is the highest-ranking executive authority in Indian Railways and plays a crucial role in policy formulation, administration, safety, and infrastructure development. This post provides a complete and updated guide on the railway board chairman, including the current chairman, historical background, full chairman list, career profile, tenure extension, salary, and FAQs.
Table of contents
- 1 Who is the Railway Board Chairman?
- 2 🚆 Indian Railways Organisational Hierarchy
- 3 Railway Board Chairman – History
- 4 Role & Powers of Railway Board Chairman
- 5 Railway Board Chairman Salary
- 6 How to Become Railway Board Chairman?
- 7 Current Railway Board Chairman (2025)
- 8 Profile of Shri Satish Kumar – Railway Board Chairman
- 9 Railway Board Chairman List (1951–Present)
- 10 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- 11 Conclusion
Who is the Railway Board Chairman?
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Indian Railway Board is the administrative head of Indian Railways. The post functions under the overall control of the Parliament of India through the Minister of Railways.
The Railway Board Chairman also serves as:
- Ex-officio Principal Secretary to the Government of India
- Head of policy, planning, operations, safety, and finance of Indian Railways
🚆 Indian Railways Organisational Hierarchy
- Minister of Railways – Top policy maker and political head.
- Ministers of State – Assist the Minister; no direct operational control.
- Chairman & CEO, Railway Board – Highest executive authority; runs Indian Railways.
- Railway Board Members – Domain heads:
- Rolling Stock & Traction
- Infrastructure
- Operations & Business Development
- Finance
- Director Generals & Secretary – Technical support, safety, coordination, administration.
- Zonal Railways, Production Units & CPSUs – Ground-level execution and operations.
In one line:
Policy at the top, execution at the bottom — Chairman & CEO connects both.
Railway Board Chairman – History
During British Rule
The Indian Railway Board was constituted in 1922, headed by the Chief Commissioner of Railways, who advised the government on technical and policy matters.
After Independence
- In April 1951, the post of Chief Commissioner was abolished
- The senior-most functional member was designated as Chairman of the Railway Board
Role & Powers of Railway Board Chairman
The railway board chairman is responsible for:
- Railway policy formulation
- Budget planning and execution
- Safety & modernization
- Infrastructure expansion
- Rolling stock & traction
- Passenger services improvement
The chairman coordinates with Members, Director Generals, Zonal Railways, and the Ministry of Railways.
Railway Board Chairman Salary
The salary of the Railway Board Chairman is as per the Cabinet Secretary level (Pay Level 17).
Pay Structure
- Basic Pay: ₹2,50,000 per month
- Plus official residence, vehicle, staff, and other government allowances
How to Become Railway Board Chairman?
To become the railway board chairman, an officer must:
- Be selected through UPSC
- Belong to a top Group-A railway service like IRSME, IRSE, IRTS, IRSEE
- Serve as General Manager / Member Railway Board
- Be appointed by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC)
Current Railway Board Chairman (2025)
✅ Shri Satish Kumar – Chairman & CEO, Railway Board
- Cadre: Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME)
- Batch: 1986
- Tenure Start: 1 September 2024
- Retirement Date: 1 September 2026 (Tenure extended by 1 year)
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the extension of Shri Satish Kumar’s tenure, making him the serving railway board chairman till September 2026.
Profile of Shri Satish Kumar – Railway Board Chairman
Shri Satish Kumar is a senior IRSME officer with over 34 years of experience in Indian Railways.
Educational Qualification
- B.Tech (Mechanical Engineering) – MNIT Jaipur
- PG Diploma in Operations Management & Cyber Law – IGNOU
Key Career Highlights
- Began railway service in March 1988
- Served in Jhansi Division, DLW Varanasi, NER Gorakhpur, Patiala Locomotive Works
- Trained in Total Quality Management (TQM) under UNDP (1996)
- Key contributor to Fog Safe Device, improving safety during fog conditions
- DRM, Lucknow Division (2017–2019) – successfully managed Kumbh Mela 2019
- General Manager, North Central Railway (Prayagraj) – from Nov 2022
- Member (Traction & Rolling Stock – MTRS) before becoming Chairman
- Played Pivotal role in development of FOG PASS DEVICE
Shri Satish Kumar is also the first Dalit Chairman of the Railway Board, a historic milestone in Indian Railways.
Railway Board Chairman List (1951–Present)
Below is the complete railway board chairman list, highlighting their service cadre and tenure duration:
| Sl. No. | Chairman of Railway Board | Service Cadre | Term Start | Term End | Tenure Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FC Badhwar | IRSE | Apr 1951 | Sep 1954 | 3 yrs 6 m |
| 2 | G Pande | IRSE | Oct 1954 | Dec 1956 | 2 yrs 2 m |
| 3 | PC Mukherjee | IRSE | Jan 1957 | Jun 1959 | 2 yrs 6 m |
| 4 | KB Mathur | IRTS | Jun 1959 | Apr 1960 | 10 m |
| 5 | Karnail Singh | IRSE | Apr 1960 | Aug 1962 | 2 yrs 11 m |
| 6 | DC Baijal | IRSE | Aug 1962 | Aug 1965 | 2 yrs 2 m |
| 7 | Kripal Singh | IRSE | Aug 1965 | Jan 1967 | 1 yr 5 m |
| 8 | GD Khandelwal | IRTS | Jan 1967 | Jan 1970 | 3 yrs |
| 9 | BC Ganguli | IRSE | Jan 1970 | Oct 1971 | 1 yr 9 m |
| 10 | BSD Baliga | IRSE | Oct 1971 | Oct 1973 | 2 yrs |
| 11 | MN Bery | IRSE | Oct 1973 | Apr 1976 | 2 yrs 7 m |
| 12 | GP Warrier | IRSE | May 1975 | Aug 1977 | 1 yr 4 m |
| 13 | KS Rajan | IRSME | Sep 1977 | Jun 1979 | 1 yr 9 m |
| 14 | M Menezes | IRSE | Jun 1979 | Nov 1980 | 1 yr 4 m |
| 15 | MS Gujral | IRTS | Nov 1980 | Feb 1983 | 2 yrs 3 m |
| 16 | KTV Raghvan | IRSME | Apr 1983 | Jan 1985 | 1 yr 11 m |
| 17 | JP Gupta | IRSME | Feb 1985 | Jun 1985 | 5 m |
| 18 | Prakash Narain | IRTS | Jul 1985 | Jun 1987 | 2 yrs |
| 19 | RK Jain | IRSE | Jul 1987 | Jul 1989 | 2 yrs 1 m |
| 20 | MN Prasad | IRSE | Aug 1989 | Jul 1990 | 1 yr |
| 21 | RD Kitson | IRSME | Aug 1990 | Mar 1992 | 1 yr 8 m |
| 22 | YP Anand | IRSE | Apr 1992 | Dec 1992 | 9 m |
| 23 | AN Shukla | IRSME | Jan 1993 | Mar 1994 | 1 yr 3 m |
| 24 | MK Rao | IRSME | Mar 1994 | Jun 1994 | 3 m |
| 25 | Ashok Bhatnagar | IRTS | Jul 1994 | May 1995 | 11 m |
| 26 | GK Khare | IRSME | Jun 1995 | Jun 1996 | 1 yr 1 m |
| 27 | CL Kaw | IRTS | Jul 1996 | Apr 1997 | 10 m |
| 28 | M Ravindra | IRSE | Apr 1997 | Dec 1997 | 9 m |
| 29 | VK Agrawal | IRSE | Dec 1997 | Aug 2000 | 2 yrs 8 m |
| 30 | Ashok Kumar | IRSME | Sep 2000 | Aug 2001 | 1 yr |
| 31 | RN Malhotra | IRSE | Aug 2001 | Mar 2002 | 7 m |
| 32 | IIMS Rana | IRSE | Apr 2002 | Jun 2003 | 1 yr 3 m |
| 33 | RK Singh | IRSE | Jun 2003 | Jul 2005 | 2 yrs |
| 34 | JP Batra | IRTS | Aug 2005 | Jul 2007 | 2 yrs |
| 35 | KC Jena | IRTS | Aug 2007 | Jan 2009 | 1 yr 5 m |
| 36 | S S Khurana | IRSEE | Feb 2009 | May 2010 | 1 yr 4 m |
| 37 | Vivek Sahai | IRTS | Jun 2010 | Jun 2011 | 1 yr 1 m |
| 38 | Vinay Mittal | IRTS | Jul 2011 | Jun 2013 | 2 yrs |
| 39 | Arunendra Kumar | IRSME | Jun 2013 | Dec 2014 | 1 yr 6 m |
| 40 | A. K. Mittal | IRSS | Dec 2014 | Aug 2017 | 2 yrs 7 m |
| 41 | Ashwani Lohani | IRSME | Aug 2017 | Dec 2018 | 1 yr 4 m |
| 42 | Vinod Kumar Yadav | IRSEE | Dec 2018 | Dec 2020 | 2 yrs |
| 43 | Suneet Sharma | IRSME | Dec 2020 | Dec 2021 | 1 yr |
| 44 | Vinay Kumar Tripathi | IRSEE | Jan 2022 | Dec 2022 | 1 yr |
| 45 | Anil Kumar Lahoti | IRSE | Jan 2023 | Aug 2023 | 8 m |
| 46 | Jaya Varma Sinha (First Woman Chairperson) | IRTS | Sep 2023 | Aug 2024 | 1 yr |
| 47 | Satish Kumar (First Dalit Chairperson) | IRSME | Sep 2024 | Incumbent | Ongoing |
➡️ This railway board chairman list includes all former and current chairmen of Indian Railways since 1951.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1. Who is the current railway board chairman?
Answer: Shri Satish Kumar is the current Chairman & CEO of the Railway Board.
Q2. What is the retirement date of Railway Board Chairman Satish Kumar?
Answer: His retirement date is 1 September 2026, after a one-year tenure extension.
Q3. Where can I find the complete railway board chairman list?
Answer: The complete railway board chairman list from 1951 to present is provided above.
Q4. What is the salary of the railway board chairman?
Answer: The chairman draws a salary of ₹2.5 lakh per month (Pay Level-17).
Q5. Which service does the current railway board chairman belong to?
Answer: Shri Satish Kumar belongs to the Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME).
Conclusion
The railway board chairman holds one of the most powerful and influential positions in India’s transport system. With Shri Satish Kumar at the helm till 2026, Indian Railways is expected to witness continued progress in safety, modernization, passenger experience, and infrastructure growth.