Indian Railways' New Helmswoman: Jaya Verma Sinha Becomes First Woman Chairperson And CEO Of Railway Board

The government on Thursday (31 August) appointed Jaya Verma Sinha as the first woman chairperson and chief executive officer of the Railway Board, the highest decision-making body for the Indian Railways.

Sinha was member of operations and business development (MOBD) in the Railway Board and handling passenger and freight traffic in the Railways.

As MOBD also Sinha was the first woman to hold that crucial top most traffic post in the Railway Board.

"The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Jaya Verma Sinha, Indian Railway Management Services (IRMS), Member (Operations & Business Development), Railway Board to the post of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Railway Board," the government order said.

She succeeds Anil Kumar Lahoti. She will assume charge on or after 1 September and her tenure will be till 31 August 2024.

Sinha is slated to retire on 1 October, but will be re-employed the same day till her tenure gets over.

An alumna of the Allahabad University, Sinha joined the Indian Railway Traffic Service in 1988 and worked in Northern Railway, South-Eastern Railway and Eastern Railway.

She also worked as Railway Advisor in the High Commission of India, Dhaka, Bangladesh for four years. The Maitree Express from Kolkata to Dhaka was inaugurated during her tenure in Bangladesh. She also worked as the divisional railway manager, Eastern Railway, Sealdah Division.

She was at the centre stage of the Railways' media interactions recently when, as the member (operations and business development), she explained the complex signalling system after the tragic Balasore accident which killed nearly 300 people.