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List of Railway Ministers in India from 1947 to 2025

Railway Ministers in India: The Railway Ministry is one of the most powerful and growing ministries in India. The List of Railway Ministers in India from 1947 to 2025 is mentioned below.
authorImageParul Rishi17 Sept, 2025
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Railway Ministers in India

Railway Ministers in India: The Rail Minister of India list in India is highly relevant for competitive government exams such as SSC, Railway, and others. This article offers a detailed list of individuals who have served as Railway Ministers, providing a valuable resource for exam preparation. Explore this article to boost your general awareness about Indian all rail minister list and learn about the key figures who have significantly influenced the nation's railway sector.

Railway Ministers in India

Understanding the List of Railway Ministers in India is important for general awareness. Candidates must be well-versed with the names of these ministers and the duration for which they held their positions. Familiarity with the leaders who headed the Ministry of Railways and their tenures becomes crucial to excel in the general awareness segment of various competitive examinations.

Railway Minister of India List from 1947 to 2025

The Ministry of Railways holds a vital position in the Indian government, overseeing one of the largest railway networks in the world. Here is a comprehensive Indian Railway Minister List who have served the nation during different periods, each contributing their efforts to advancing the Indian Railways.
List of Railway Minister of India from 1947 to 2025
Name Terms of Office
John Mathai 1947- 1948
N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar 1948 – 1952
Lal Bahadur Shastri 1952 – 1956
Jagjivan Ram 1956 – 1962
Swaran Singh 1962 – 1963
H. C. Dasappa 1963 – 1964
S. K. Patil 1964- 1967
C. M. Poonacha 1967 – 1969
Ram Subhag Singh 1969 – 1969
Panampilli Govinda Menon 1969 – 1970
Gulzarilal Nanda 1970 – 1971
K. Hanumanthaiya 1971 – 1972
Lalit Narayan Mishra 1973 – 1975
Kamalapati Tripathi 1975 – 1977
Madhu Dandavate 1977 – 1979
T. A. Pai 1979 – 1980 & 1972 – 1973
Kamalapati Tripathi 1980 – 1980
Kedar Pandey 1980 – 1982
Prakash Chandra Sethi 1982 – 1982
A. B. A. Ghani Khan Choudhury 1982 – 1984
Bansi Lal 1984- 1986
Mohsina Kidwai 1986 –1986
Madhavrao Scindia 1986 – 1989
George Fernandez 1989 – 1990
Janeshwar Mishra 1990 to 1991
CK Jaffer Sharief 1991 to 1995
 P. V. Narasimha Rao 1995 to 1996
Ram Vilas Paswan 1996 to 1998
Nitish Kumar 1998 to 1999
 Ram Naik 1999 (161 Days) 
 Atal Bihari Vajpayee  2001 (16 Days)
 Nitish Kumar 2001-2004 
Lalu Prasad Yadav 2004 to 2009
Mamata Banerjee 1999 to 2001 and 2009 to 2011
 Manmohan Singh  2011 (54 Days)
Dinesh Trivedi 2011 to  2012
Mukul Roy 2012 to 2012 (186 days)
Pawan Kumar Bansal 2012 to 2013
CP Joshi 2012 to  2012 and 2013 to 2013
 Mallikarjun Kharge 2013-2014 
D.V. Sadananda Gowda 2014 to 2014
Suresh Prabhu 2014 -2017
Piyush Goyal 2017 to 2021
Ashwini Vaishnaw July 2021 to present

Railway Mantri 

Rail Mantri is responsible for overseeing the nation's rail transportation. It supervises, manages, and controls Indian Railways, operating as a statutory corporation with a monopoly on rail transport. The ministry is headed by the Chairman and CEO of the Railway Board. Both the Ministry and the Railway Board are headquartered in Rail Bhawan, New Delhi. The ministry of railways founded in March 1905.

First Railway Minister of India

John Mathai was the first Railway Minister of independent India. An eminent economist and member of the Indian National Congress Party, he presented the first railway budget of independent India in 1948 and served as Finance Minister for two years. Mathai was also the first Chairman of the State Bank of India, established in 1955. Additionally, he served as the first President of the Governing Body of the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) in New Delhi, founded in 1956. He was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Mumbai from 1955 to 1957, and the first Vice-Chancellor of the University of Kerala from 1957 to 1959.

First Railway Minister of Independent India

The first Railway Minister of Independent India was John Mathai, who served from 15 August 1947 to 22 September 1948. He played a crucial role in reorganizing the Indian Railways post-independence. Later, he became the Finance Minister and contributed significantly to India's economic policies and planning in its early years.

First Woman Railway Minister of India

Mamata Banerjee was the first female Minister of Railways in India, serving from 1999 to 2001, and again from 2009 to 2011. Additionally, Surekha Yadav made history as the first female train driver in India, breaking barriers in a traditionally male-dominated field.

Current Railway Minister of India 2025

The current Railway Minister of India is Ashwini Vaishnaw. Born in 1972 in Chennai, India, Vaishnaw studied engineering at IIT Kharagpur and earned an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to his political career, he worked as an investment banker at Morgan Stanley and McKinsey & Company.
PW provides Railway exam content, including sample papers, mock tests, guidance sessions, and more. Also, enroll today on Railway Online Coaching for preparation.

Railway Ministers in India FAQs

Who is the current Railway Minister of India as of 2025?

As of 2025, Ashwini Vaishnaw is the current Railway Minister of India, representing the BJP under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Who was the first Railways Minister of India?

The first Indian Minister of Railways was John Mathai, after independence.

Who was the Minister of Railways after independence?

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.

Which is the first railway station in India?

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in Mumbai is India's first railway station.
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