Jaya Verma Sinha becomes first woman appointed as Chairperson, CEO of Indian Railways

In a historic move, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has granted approval for the appointment of Jaya Verma Sinha, a seasoned member of the Indian Railway Management Services (IRMS), as the new Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Railway Board.

This is a historic move on the part of the 166-year old Indian Railways, as Jaya Verma Sinha becomes the first woman to hold the top position.

Sinha joined the Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS) in 1988. She is currently serving as a Member, of Operations and Business Development, Railway Board, Ministry of Railways. Sinha is responsible for the overall transportation of freight and passenger services on Indian Railways.

Prior to the current assignment, she was an Additional Member, of the Traffic Transportation, Railway Board. In the last 2 years, Indian Railways has registered an all-time high growth of over 20 per cent in the freight segment and has broken the mark of 1.5 billion tonnes annually in freight.

In her career of more than 35 years in Indian Railways, she has worked on diverse verticals spanning operations, commercial, IT and vigilance. She was also the first woman to be appointed as the Principal Chief Operations Manager of South Eastern Railway. She has also been Principal Chief Commercial Manager of Northern Railway and Divisional Railway Manager of Sealdah Division.

She had worked as the Railway Advisor in the High Commission of India in Dhaka, Bangladesh during which the famous Maitri Express from Kolkata to Dhaka was inaugurated.

Sinha’s appointment will be effective from the date of her assumption of charge on or after September 1, 2023. She will hold this position until her superannuation, with an additional re-employment period from October 1, 2023, to August 31, 2024.

Established in 1905, the Railway Board, a key institution within the Indian Railways, has been functioning for over 118 years.