Ministry of Railways (India)

{{Redirect|Railway Board|the former British board|British Railways Board}}

{{Infobox government agency

| name = Ministry of Railways

| seal = Government of India logo.svg

| seal_width = 100px

| seal_caption = Branch of Government of India

| native_name =

| native_name_a =

| native_name_r =

| type = Ministry

| logo = Ministry of Railways India.svg

| logo_width = 250px

| logo_caption = Ministry of Railways

| image = Rail Bhavan in New Delhi 05.jpg

| image_size =

| image_caption = Rail Bhavan in New Delhi, the seat of the Ministry of Railways

| formed = {{Start date|1905|03||df=y}}

| preceding1 =

| dissolved =

| superseding1 =

| jurisdiction = Government of India

| headquarters = Rail Bhavan
1, Raisina Road, New Delhi, India

| coordinates =

| motto =

| employees = 1,212,882 (2022){{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}}

| budget = {{INRConvert|264600|c}} (2023–24)

| minister1_name = Ashwini Vaishnaw{{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}}

| minister1_pfo = Minister of Railways

| deputyminister1_name = V. Somanna

| deputyminister1_pfo = Minister of State

| deputyminister2_name = Ravneet Singh Bittu

| deputyminister2_pfo = Minister of State

| chief1_name = Satish Kumar,{{Cite news |last=Bureau |first=The Hindu |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}}IRSME

| chief1_position = Chairman & CEO, Railway Board

| chief2_name =

| chief2_position =

| public_protector =

| deputy =

| parent_department =

| parent_agency =

| parent_agency_type =

| child1_agency = Indian Railways

| child2_agency = DFCCIL

| keydocument1 =

| website = {{URL|www.indianrailways.gov.in}}

| agency_id =

| map =

| map_size =

| map_caption =

| footnotes =

| embed =

}}

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

The first railway track was operational in Madras in 1837 and the first passenger train ran in Bombay in 1853.{{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}}{{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}} 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.{{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}} 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.{{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}} In his report in 1903, Thomas recommended setting up of a three-member Railway Board headed by a chief commissioner. 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.{{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}} 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. 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.

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.{{cite web|url=https://irfca.org/faq/faq-history3.html|title=History of Indian Railways|access-date=1 December 2023|work=IRFCA}} In 1944, all the railway companies were taken over by the Government.{{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}} 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.{{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}} On 22 September 1948, N. Gopalaswamy Ayyangar was appointed as the minister of the newly renamed Ministry of Railways and Transport.{{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}} On 17 April 1957, Jagjivan Ram became the first to head the standalone Minister of Railways.

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.{{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}}{{cite web|url=https://irfca.org/faq/faq-history4.html|title=History of Indian Railways|access-date=1 December 2023|work=IRFCA}} 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.

The board was expanded with an additional member responsible for electrical engineering in 1972 and a further member responsible for health in 1976.{{cite web|url=https://irfca.org/faq/faq-history5.html|title=History of Indian Railways|access-date=1 December 2023|work=IRFCA}}

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.{{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}} However, on 22 October 1986, the Ministry of Railways was again separated into an independent ministry and has been the same since then.{{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}}

In 2004, the board is expanded by the introduction of two new members responsible for signalling & telecom and for stores respectively.{{cite web|url=https://irfca.org/faq/faq-history6.html|title=History of Indian Railways|access-date=1 December 2023|work=IRFCA}} In December 2019, the Union Cabinet decided to reduce the size of the board from eight to five.{{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}}

= Railway Budget =

The first railway budget was presented in 1924. Since then, Railway budget was presented as a standalone budget every year before the union budget by the Railway Minister till 2016.{{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}} 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.{{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}} The railway budget was estimated to be {{INRConvert|264600|c}} for the financial year 2023–24.{{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}}

Organisation

class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin-left:1em" \|+ 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

class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin-left:1em"

|+ 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.{{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}} 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.{{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}} Indian Railways is a statutory body that reports to parliament and is under the ownership of ministry of railways.{{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}} 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. The railway board consists of a chairman, four members responsible for operations, business development, human resources, infrastructure and finance respectively.{{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}} Also part of the board are four director generals responsible for human resources, health, RPF and safety respectively.

=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
Centre for Railway Information Systems

Railway Budget

The first railway budget was presented in 1924. Since then, Railway budget was presented as a standalone budget every year before the union budget till 2016.{{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}} 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.{{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}} The railway budget is estimated to be {{INRConvert|264600|c}} for the financial year 2023–24.{{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}}

Railway ministers

{{Infobox official post

| post = {{small|India}}
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 = File:Ashwini Vaishnaw cropped.jpg

| alt =

| incumbent = Ashwini Vaishnaw

| incumbentsince = {{start date|2021|7|7|df=y}}

| type =

| status =

| department = Ministry of Railways

| style =

| member_of = Cabinet of India

| reports_to = President of India
Prime Minister of India
Parliament of India

| residence =

| seat =

| nominator =

| appointer = President of India

| appointer_qualified = on the recommendation of the Prime Minister of India

| termlength =

| termlength_qualified =

| constituting_instrument =

| precursor =

| formation = {{start date|1947|df=y}}

| first = John Matthai
{{small|(as Minister of Transport)}}

| last =

| abolished =

| succession =

| unofficial_names =

| deputy = 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 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.{{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}}

John Mathai was the first Minister of Railways.{{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}} 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.{{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}} 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.{{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}} 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. 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,{{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}} while Suresh Angadi is the only minister of state to die in office.{{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}}

C k Jaffer sheriff was the Railway minister from 1991 to 1995 made numerous progress in laying More railway lines he is from Indian national Congress karnataka

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.{{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}}

= 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{{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}}{{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}}{{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}}{{cite report\|url=http://www.irfca.org/docs/railway-ministers.html\|title=IRFCA link of railways ministers\|work=IRFCA\|access-date=1 December 2023}} ! rowspan="2" \| {{abbr\|No.\|Number}} ! rowspan="2" colspan="2"\| Portrait ! rowspan="2" style="width:19em" \|Minister {{small\|(Birth-Death) 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="10"\| Minister of Transport
1 \|bgcolor="{{party color\|Indian National Congress}}"\| \|70px \|John Mathai {{small\|(1886{{ndash}}1959)}} \|{{small\|15 August}} 1947 \|{{small\|22 September}} 1948 !{{ayd\|1947\|8\|15\|1948\|9\|22}} \|Indian National Congress \|bgcolor="#87CEEB"\| Nehru I \|Jawaharlal Nehru
colspan="10"\| Minister of Transport and Railways
2 \|bgcolor="{{party color\|Indian National Congress}}"\| \|70px \|N. Gopalaswamy Ayyangar {{small\|(1882{{ndash}}1953) MP for Madras (Interim)}} \|{{small\|22 September}} 1948 \|{{small\|13 May}} 1952 !{{ayd\|1948\|9\|22\|1952\|5\|13}} \|rowspan="3"\| Indian National Congress \|bgcolor="#87CEEB"\| Nehru I \|rowspan="3"\| Jawaharlal Nehru
3 \|bgcolor="{{party color\|Indian National Congress}}"\| \|70px \|Lal Bahadur Shastri {{small\|(1904{{ndash}}1966) Rajya Sabha MP for Uttar Pradesh}} \|{{small\|13 May}} 1952 \|{{small\|7 December}} 1956 !{{ayd\|1952\|5\|13\|1956\|12\|7}} \|rowspan="2" bgcolor="#87CEEB"\| Nehru II
4 \|bgcolor="{{party color\|Indian National Congress}}"\| \|70px \|Jagjivan Ram {{small\|(1908{{ndash}}1986) MP for Shahabad South}} \|{{small\|7 December}} 1956 \|{{small\|17 April}} 1957 !{{ayd\|1956\|12\|7\|1957\|4\|17}}
colspan="10"\| Minister of Railways
(4) \|bgcolor="{{party color\|Indian National Congress}}"\| \|70px \|Jagjivan Ram {{small\|(1908{{ndash}}1986) MP for Sasaram}} \|{{small\|17 April}} 1957 \|{{small\|10 April}} 1962 !{{ayd\|1957\|4\|17\|1962\|4\|10}} \|rowspan="9"\| Indian National Congress \|bgcolor="#87CEEB"\| Nehru III \|rowspan="3"\| Jawaharlal Nehru
5 \|bgcolor="{{party color\|Indian National Congress}}"\| \| 70px \|Swaran Singh {{small\|(1907{{ndash}}1994) MP for Jullundur}} \|{{small\|10 April}} 1962 \|{{small\|1 September}} 1963 !{{ayd\|1962\|4\|10\|1963\|9\|1}} \|rowspan="2" bgcolor="#87CEEB"\| Nehru IV
rowspan="2"\| 6 \|rowspan="2" bgcolor="{{party color\|Indian National Congress}}"\| \|rowspan="2"\| 70px \|rowspan="2"\| H. C. Dasappa {{small\|(1894{{ndash}}1964) MP for Bangalore}} \|{{small\|1 September}} 1963 \|{{small\|27 May}} 1964 !rowspan="2"\| {{ayd\|1963\|9\|1\|1964\|6\|9}}
{{small\|27 May}} 1964 \|{{small\|9 June}} 1964 \|bgcolor="#87CEEB"\| Nanda I \|Gulzarilal Nanda (acting)
rowspan="3"\| 7 \|rowspan="3" bgcolor="{{party color\|Indian National Congress}}"\| \|rowspan="3"\| 70px \|rowspan="3"\| S. K. Patil {{small\|(1898{{ndash}}1981) MP for Mumbai South}} \|{{small\|9 June}} 1964 \|{{small\|11 January}} 1966 !rowspan="3"\| {{ayd\|1964\|6\|9\|1967\|3\|13}} \|bgcolor="#87CEEB"\| Shastri \|Lal Bahadur Shastri
{{small\|11 January}} 1966 \|{{small\|24 January}} 1966 \|bgcolor="#87CEEB"\| Nanda II \|Gulzarilal Nanda (acting)
{{small\|24 January}} 1966 \|{{small\|13 March}} 1967 \|bgcolor="#87CEEB"\| Indira I \|rowspan="9"\| Indira Gandhi
8 \|bgcolor="{{party color\|Indian National Congress}}"\| \|70px \|C. M. Poonacha {{small\|(1910{{ndash}}1990) MP for Mangalore}} \|{{small\|13 March}} 1967 \|{{small\|14 February}} 1969 !{{ayd\|1967\|3\|13\|1969\|2\|14}} \|rowspan="4" bgcolor="#87CEEB"\| Indira II
9 \|bgcolor="{{party color\|Indian National Congress}}"\| \|70px \|Ram Subhag Singh {{small\|(1917{{ndash}}1980) MP for Buxar}} \|{{small\|14 February}} 1969 \|{{small\|4 November}} 1969 !{{ayd\|1969\|2\|14\|1969\|11\|4}}
10 \|bgcolor="{{party color\|Indian National Congress (R)}}"\| \|70px \|Panampilly Govinda Menon {{small\|(1906{{ndash}}1970) MP for Mukundapuram}} \|{{small\|4 November}} 1969 \|{{small\|18 February}} 1970 !{{ayd\|1969\|11\|4\|1970\|2\|18}} \|rowspan="6"\| Indian National Congress (R)
11 \|bgcolor="{{party color\|Indian National Congress (R)}}"\| \|70px \|Gulzarilal Nanda {{small\|(1898{{ndash}}1998) MP for Kurukshetra}} \|{{small\|18 February}} 1970 \|{{small\|18 March}} 1971 !{{ayd\|1970\|2\|18\|1971\|3\|18}}
12 \|bgcolor="{{party color\|Indian National Congress (R)}}"\| \| 70px \|Kengal Hanumanthaiah {{small\|(1908{{ndash}}1980) MP for Bangalore City}} \|{{small\|18 March}} 1971 \|{{small\|22 July}} 1972 !{{ayd\|1971\|3\|18\|1972\|7\|22}} \|rowspan="4" bgcolor="{{party color\|Indian National Congress (R)}}"\| Indira III
13 \|bgcolor="{{party color\|Indian National Congress (R)}}"\| \|70px \|T. A. Pai {{small\|(1922{{ndash}}1981) Rajya Sabha MP for Karnataka}} \|{{small\|22 July}} 1972 \|{{small\|5 February}} 1973 !{{ayd\|1972\|7\|22\|1973\|2\|5}}
14 \|bgcolor="{{party color\|Indian National Congress (R)}}"\| \|70px \|Lalit Narayan Mishra {{small\|(1923{{ndash}}1975) MP for Darbhanga}} \|{{small\|5 February}} 1973 \|{{small\|3 January}} 1975{{ref label\|†\|†\|†}} !{{ayd\|1973\|2\|5\|1975\|1\|3}}
15 \|bgcolor="{{party color\|Indian National Congress (R)}}"\| \|70px \|Kamalapati Tripathi {{small\|(1905{{ndash}}1990) Rajya Sabha MP for Uttar Pradesh}} \|{{small\|10 February}} 1975 \|{{small\|23 March}} 1977 !{{ayd\|1975\|2\|10\|1977\|3\|23}}
16 \|style="background:{{party color\|Janata Party}}; color:white"\| \| 70px \|Madhu Dandavate {{small\|(1924{{ndash}}2005) MP for Rajapur}} \|{{small\|26 March}} 1977 \|{{small\|28 July}} 1979 !{{ayd\|1977\|3\|26\|1979\|7\|28}} \|Janata Party \|bgcolor="#1F75FE"\| Desai \|Morarji Desai
(13) \|style="background:{{party color\|Janata Party (Secular)}}; color:white"\| \|70px \|T. A. Pai {{small\|(1922{{ndash}}1981) MP for Udipi}} \|{{small\|28 July}} 1979 \|{{small\|14 January}} 1980 !{{ayd\|1979\|7\|28\|1980\|1\|14}} \|Janata Party (Secular) \|bgcolor="#6495ED"\| Charan Singh \|Charan Singh
(15) \|bgcolor="{{party color\|Indian National Congress (I)}}"\| \|70px \|Kamalapati Tripathi {{small\|(1905{{ndash}}1990) Rajya Sabha MP for Uttar Pradesh}} \|{{small\|14 January}} 1980 \|{{small\|12 November}} 1980 !{{ayd\|1980\|1\|14\|1980\|11\|12}} \|rowspan="6"\| Indian National Congress (I) \|rowspan="4" bgcolor="{{party color\|Indian National Congress (I)}}"\| Indira IV \|rowspan="4"\| Indira Gandhi
17 \|bgcolor="{{party color\|Indian National Congress (I)}}"\| \|70px \|Kedar Pandey {{small\|(1920{{ndash}}1982) MP for Bettiah}} \|{{small\|12 November}} 1980 \|{{small\|15 January}} 1982 !{{ayd\|1980\|11\|12\|1982\|1\|15}}
18 \|bgcolor="{{party color\|Indian National Congress (I)}}"\| \|70px \|Prakash Chandra Sethi {{small\|(1919{{ndash}}1996) MP for Indore}} \|{{small\|15 January}} 1982 \|{{small\|2 September}} 1982 !{{ayd\|1982\|1\|15\|1982\|9\|2}}
rowspan="2"\| 19 \|rowspan="2" bgcolor="{{party color\|Indian National Congress (I)}}"\| \|rowspan="2"\| 70px \|rowspan="2"\| A. B. A. Ghani Khan Choudhury {{small\|(1927{{ndash}}2006) MP for Malda}} \|{{small\|2 September}} 1982 \|{{small\|31 October}} 1984 !{{ayd\|1982\|9\|2\|1984\|10\|31}}
{{small\|4 November}} 1984 \|{{small\|31 December}} 1984 !{{ayd\|1984\|11\|4\|1984\|12\|31}} \|bgcolor="{{party color\|Indian National Congress (I)}}"\| Rajiv I \|rowspan="2"\| Rajiv Gandhi
20 \|bgcolor="{{party color\|Indian National Congress (I)}}"\| \| \|Bansi Lal {{small\|(1927{{ndash}}2006) MP for Bhiwani}} \|{{small\|31 December}} 1984 \|{{small\|25 September}} 1985 !{{ayd\|1984\|12\|31\|1985\|9\|25}} \|bgcolor="{{party color\|Indian National Congress (I)}}"\| Rajiv II
colspan="10"\| Minister of Transport
(20) \|bgcolor="{{party color\|Indian National Congress (I)}}"\| \| \|Bansi Lal {{small\|(1927{{ndash}}2006) MP for Bhiwani}} \|{{small\|25 September}} 1985 \|{{small\|4 June}} 1986 !{{ayd\|1985\|9\|25\|1986\|6\|4}} \|rowspan="3"\| Indian National Congress (I) \|rowspan="3" bgcolor="{{party color\|Indian National Congress (I)}}"\| Rajiv II \|rowspan="3"\| Rajiv Gandhi
{{ndash}} \|bgcolor="{{party color\|Indian National Congress (I)}}"\| \|70px \|Rajiv Gandhi {{small\|(1944{{ndash}}1991) MP for Amethi}} (Prime Minister) \|{{small\|4 June}} 1986 \|{{small\|24 June}} 1986 !{{ayd\|1986\|6\|4\|1986\|6\|24}}
21 \|bgcolor="{{party color\|Indian National Congress (I)}}"\| \|70px \|Mohsina Kidwai {{small\|(born 1932) MP for Meerut}} \|{{small\|24 June}} 1986 \|{{small\|22 October}} 1986 !{{ayd\|1986\|6\|24\|1986\|10\|22}}
colspan="10"\| Minister of Railways
22 \|bgcolor="{{party color\|Indian National Congress (I)}}"\| \|70px \|Madhavrao Scindia {{small\|(1945{{ndash}}2001) MP for Gwalior}} (MoS, I/C) \|{{small\|22 October}} 1986 \|{{small\|2 December}} 1989 !{{ayd\|1986\|10\|22\|1989\|12\|2}} \|Indian National Congress (I) \|bgcolor="{{party color\|Indian National Congress (I)}}"\| Rajiv II \|Rajiv Gandhi
23 \|style="background:{{party color\|Janata Dal}}; color:white"\| \|70px \|George Fernandes {{small\|(1930{{ndash}}2019) MP for Muzaffarpur}} \|{{small\|6 December}} 1989 \|{{small\|10 November}} 1990 !{{ayd\|1989\|12\|6\|1990\|11\|10}} \|Janata Dal \|style="background:#4C915F"\| V. P. Singh \|V. P. Singh
24 \|bgcolor="{{party color\|Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya)}}"\| \| \|Janeshwar Mishra {{small\|(1933{{ndash}}2010) MP for Allahabad}} \|{{small\|21 November}} 1990 \|{{small\|21 June}} 1991 !{{ayd\|1990\|11\|21\|1991\|6\|21}} \|Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya) \|style="background:#74C365"\| Chandra Shekhar \|Chandra Shekhar
25 \|bgcolor="{{party color\|Indian National Congress (I)}}"\| \|70px \|C. K. Jaffer Sharief {{small\|(1933{{ndash}}2018) MP for Bangalore North}} \|{{small\|21 June}} 1991 \|{{small\|17 August}} 1995 !{{ayd\|1991\|6\|21\|1995\|8\|17}} \|rowspan="2"\| Indian National Congress (I) \|rowspan="2" bgcolor="{{party color\|Indian National Congress (I)}}"\| Rao \|rowspan="2"\| P. V. Narasimha Rao
{{ndash}} \|bgcolor="{{party color\|Indian National Congress (I)}}"\| \|70px \|P. V. Narasimha Rao {{small\|(1921{{ndash}}2004) MP for Nandyal}} (Prime Minister) \|{{small\|18 August}} 1995 \|{{small\|16 May}} 1996 !{{ayd\|1995\|8\|18\|1996\|5\|16}}
{{ndash}} \|bgcolor="{{party color\|Bharatiya Janata Party}}"\| \|70px \|Atal Bihari Vajpayee {{small\|(1924{{ndash}}2018) MP for Lucknow}} (Prime Minister) \|{{small\|16 May}} 1996 \|{{small\|1 June}} 1996 !{{ayd\|1996\|5\|16\|1996\|6\|1}} \|Bharatiya Janata Party \|style="background:#FFA551;"\| Vajpayee I \|Self
rowspan="2"\| 26 \|rowspan="2" bgcolor="{{party color\|Janata Dal}}"\| \|rowspan="2"\| 70px \|rowspan="2"\| Ram Vilas Paswan {{small\|(1946{{ndash}}2020) MP for Hajipur}} \|{{small\|1 June}} 1996 \|{{small\|21 April}} 1997 !rowspan="2"\| {{ayd\|1996\|6\|1\|1998\|3\|19}} \|rowspan="2"\| Janata Dal \|style="background:#4C915F"\| Deve Gowda \|H. D. Deve Gowda
{{small\|21 April}} 1997 \|{{small\|19 March}} 1998 \|style="background:#4C915F"\| Gujral \|Inder Kumar Gujral
27 \|bgcolor="{{party color\|Samata Party}}"\| \|70px \|Nitish Kumar {{small\|(born 1951) MP for Barh}} \|{{small\|19 March}} 1998 \|{{small\|5 August}} 1999 !{{ayd\|1998\|3\|19\|1999\|8\|5}} \|Samata Party \|rowspan="2" style="background:#FFA551;"\| Vajpayee II \|rowspan="5"\| Atal Bihari Vajpayee
28 \|bgcolor="{{party color\|Bharatiya Janata Party}}"\| \|70px \|Ram Naik {{small\|(born 1934) MP for Mumbai North}} (MoS, I/C) \|{{small\|6 August}} 1999 \|{{small\|13 October}} 1999 !{{ayd\|1999\|5\|5\|1999\|10\|13}} \|Bharatiya Janata Party
29 \|bgcolor="{{party color\|Trinamool Congress}}"\| \|70px \|Mamata Banerjee {{small\|(born 1955) MP for Calcutta South}} \|{{small\|13 October}} 1999 \|{{small\|16 March}} 2001 !{{ayd\|1999\|10\|13\|2001\|3\|16}} \|Trinamool Congress \|rowspan="3" style="background:#FFA551;"\| Vajpayee III
{{ndash}} \|bgcolor="{{party color\|Bharatiya Janata Party}}"\| \|70px \|Atal Bihari Vajpayee {{small\|(1924{{ndash}}2018) MP for Lucknow}} (Prime Minister) \|{{small\|16 March}} 2001 \|{{small\|20 March}} 2001 !{{ayd\|1996\|5\|16\|1996\|6\|1}} \|Bharatiya Janata Party
(27) \|style="background:{{party color\|Janata Dal (United)}}; color:white"\| \|70px \|Nitish Kumar {{small\|(born 1951) MP for Barh}} \|{{small\|20 March}} 2001 \|{{small\|22 May}} 2004 !{{ayd\|2001\|3\|20\|2004\|5\|22}} \|Janata Dal (United)
30 \|style="background:{{party color\|Rashtriya Janata Dal}}; color:white"\| \|70px \|Lalu Prasad Yadav {{small\|(born 1948) MP for Chapra}} \|{{small\|23 May}} 2004 \|{{small\|22 May}} 2009 !{{ayd\|2004\|5\|23\|2009\|5\|22}} \|Rashtriya Janata Dal \|bgcolor="#87CEEB"\| Manmohan I \|rowspan="10"\| Manmohan Singh
(29) \|bgcolor="{{party color\|Trinamool Congress}}"\| \|70px \|Mamata Banerjee {{small\|(born 1955) MP for Kolkata Dakshin}} \|{{small\|23 May}} 2009 \|{{small\|19 May}} 2011 !{{ayd\|2009\|5\|23\|2011\|5\|19}} \|Trinamool Congress \|rowspan="9" bgcolor="#87CEEB"\| Manmohan II
{{ndash}} \|bgcolor="{{party color\|Indian National Congress}}"\| \|70px \|Manmohan Singh {{small\|(1932{{ndash}}2024) Rajya Sabha MP for Assam}} (Prime Minister) \|{{small\|19 May}} 2011 \|{{small\|12 July}} 2011 !{{ayd\|2011\|5\|19\|2011\|7\|12}} \|Indian National Congress
31 \|bgcolor="{{party color\|Trinamool Congress}}"\| \|70px \|Dinesh Trivedi {{small\|(born 1950) MP for Barrackpore}} \|{{small\|12 July}} 2011 \|{{small\|19 March}} 2012 !{{ayd\|2011\|7\|12\|2012\|3\|19}} \|rowspan="2"\| Trinamool Congress
32 \|bgcolor="{{party color\|Trinamool Congress}}"\| \|70px \|Mukul Roy {{small\|(born 1954) Rajya Sabha MP for West Bengal}} \|{{small\|20 March}} 2012 \|{{small\|22 September}} 2012 !{{ayd\|2012\|3\|20\|2012\|9\|22}}
33 \|bgcolor="{{party color\|Indian National Congress}}"\| \|70px \|C. P. Joshi {{small\|(born 1950) MP for Bhilwara}} \|{{small\|22 September}} 2012 \|{{small\|28 October}} 2012 !{{ayd\|2012\|9\|22\|2012\|10\|28}} \|rowspan="5"\| Indian National Congress
34 \|bgcolor="{{party color\|Indian National Congress}}"\| \|70px \|Pawan Kumar Bansal {{small\|(born 1948) MP for Chandigarh}} \|{{small\|28 October}} 2012 \|{{small\|11 May}} 2013 !{{ayd\|2012\|10\|28\|2013\|5\|11}}
(33) \|bgcolor="{{party color\|Indian National Congress}}"\| \|70px \|C. P. Joshi {{small\|(born 1950) MP for Bhilwara}} \|{{small\|11 May}} 2013 \|{{small\|15 June}} 2013 !{{ayd\|2013\|5\|11\|2013\|6\|15}}
{{ndash}} \|bgcolor="{{party color\|Indian National Congress}}"\| \|70px \|Manmohan Singh {{small\|(1932{{ndash}}2024) Rajya Sabha MP for Assam}} (Prime Minister) \|{{small\|15 June}} 2013 \|{{small\|17 June}} 2013 !{{ayd\|2013\|6\|15\|2013\|6\|17}}
35 \|bgcolor="{{party color\|Indian National Congress}}"\| \|70px \|Mallikarjun Kharge {{small\|(born 1942) MP for Gulbarga}} \|{{small\|17 June}} 2013 \|{{small\|26 May}} 2014 !{{ayd\|2013\|6\|17\|2014\|5\|26}}
36 \|bgcolor="{{party color\|Bharatiya Janata Party}}"\| \|70px \|D. V. Sadananda Gowda {{small\|(born 1953) MP for Bangalore North}} \|{{small\|27 May}} 2014 \|{{small\|9 November}} 2014 !{{ayd\|2014\|5\|27\|2014\|11\|9}} \|rowspan="6"\| Bharatiya Janata Party \|rowspan="3" style="background:#FFA551;"\| Modi I \|rowspan="6"\| Narendra Modi
37 \|bgcolor="{{party color\|Bharatiya Janata Party}}"\| \|70px \|Suresh Prabhu {{small\|(born 1953) Rajya Sabha MP for Haryana, till 2016 Rajya Sabha MP for Andhra Pradesh, from 2016}} \|{{small\|9 November}} 2014 \|{{small\|3 September}} 2017 !{{ayd\|2014\|11\|9\|2017\|11\|3}}
rowspan="2"\| 38 \|rowspan="2" bgcolor="{{party color\|Bharatiya Janata Party}}"\| \|rowspan="2"\| 70px \|rowspan="2"\| Piyush Goyal {{small\|(born 1964) Rajya Sabha MP for Maharashtra}} \|{{small\|3 September}} 2017 \|{{small\|30 May}} 2019 !rowspan="2"\| {{ayd\|2017\|9\|3\|2021\|7\|7}}
{{small\|31 May}} 2019 \|{{small\|7 July}} 2021 \|rowspan="2" style="background:#FFA551;"\| Modi II
rowspan =2\|39 \|rowspan="2"bgcolor="{{party color\|Bharatiya Janata Party}}"\| \| rowspan=2\|70px \| rowspan=2\|Ashwini Vaishnaw {{small\|(born 1970) Rajya Sabha MP for Odisha}} \| 7 July 2021 \| 9 June 2024 \| rowspan=2\|{{ayd\|2021\|7\|7}}
10 June 2024 \|Incumbent \| style="background:#FFA551;\|Modi III

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

|+ Indian Railway Ministers{{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}}{{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}}{{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}}{{cite report|url=http://www.irfca.org/docs/railway-ministers.html|title=IRFCA link of railways ministers|work=IRFCA|access-date=1 December 2023}}

! rowspan="2" | {{abbr|No.|Number}}

! rowspan="2" colspan="2"| Portrait

! rowspan="2" style="width:19em" |Minister
{{small|(Birth-Death)
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="10"| Minister of Transport

|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress}}"|

Ministry of Railways (India)

History

= Railway Budget =

Organisation

=Statutory Bodies/Public Sector Undertakings=

Railway Budget

Railway ministers

= Cabinet Ministers =

=Ministers of State=

=Deputy Ministers=

Criticism and controversies

References

External links