List of Railway Ministers of India (1947-2023)

The Indian Railways, established on 6^th May 1836, has grown into one of the largest and busiest railway networks globally. Indian Railway, under the Ministry of Railways, operates the world’s fourth-largest railway system. The railway system is a crucial lifeline for the nation, connecting distant corners and facilitating the movement of millions of passengers and tons of freight every day. At the helm of this vast network, the Railway Minister of India plays a pivotal role in shaping policies, modernizing infrastructure and ensuring efficient transportation. This article delves into the history of Indian Railways through the lens of the various Railway Ministers who have led the charge from 1947 to 2023.

Railway Minister of India Before Independence

Before Independence, Asaf Ali served as the first Railway Minister of India from September 1946 to August 1947. Although India was still under British rule, Asaf Ali laid the groundbreaking for subsequent leaders in shaping the nation’ railway system.

First Railway Minister of India

John Mathai, born on January 10, 1886, was appointed as the first Railway Minister of India in 1947 and later served as Finance Minister. An economist and CIE, he resigned in 1950, protesting against the growing influence of the Planning Commission. Mathai was the first Chairman of the State Bank of India and played key roles in education and economic research. The Dr. John Mathai Centre in Thrissur, Kerala, honors his legacy. Posthumously awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 1959, his contributions endure in India’s economic landscape.

Current Railway Minister of India

Ashwini Vaishnaw, born on 18^th July 1970, is an Indian politician and former IAS officer. Currently serving as the 39^th Minister of Railways, 55^th Communications Minister and 2^nd Electronics & Information Technology Minister in the Government of India since 2021, he is also a Bhartiya Janata Party member and represents Odisha in the Rajya Sabha since 2019. Vaishnaw, with a background in the Indian Administrative Service, commenced his political journey after joining the BJP.

List of Railway Ministers of India (1947-2023)

The first Railway Minister was John Mathai who assumed the position on 15^th August 1947 and the current Railway Minister of India is Ashwini Vaishnaw, serving the position since 2021.

Here is the complete list of Railway Ministers of India (1947-2023):

S. No.	Name	Tenure	Time Period	Party
1.	John Mathai	15 August 1947 – 22 September 1948	1 Year 38 Days	INC
2.	N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar	22 September 1947 – 13 May 1952	3 Years 234 Days	INC
3.	Lal Bahadur Shastri	13 May 1952 – 07 December 1956	4 Years 208 Days	INC
4.	Jagjivan Ram	07 December 1956 – 10 April 1962	5 Years 124 Days	INC
5.	Swaran Singh	10 April 1962 – 21 September 1963	1 Year 164 Days	INC
6.	H.C. Dasappa	21 September 1963 – 08 June 1964	261 Days	INC
7.	S.K. Patil	09 June 1964 – 12 March 1967	2 Years 276 Days	INC
8.	C.M. Poonacha	13 March 1967 – 14 February 1969	1 Year 338 Days	INC
9.	Ram Subhag Singh	14 February 1969- 04 November 1969	263 Days	INC
10.	Panampilly Govinda Menon	04 November 1969 – 18 February 1970	106 Days	INC
11.	Gulzarilal Nanda	18 February 1970 – 17 March 1971	1 Year 27 Days	INC
12.	K. Hanumanthaiah	18 March 1971 – 22 July 1972	1 Year 126 Days	INC
13.	T.A. Pai	23 July 1972 – 04 Feb. 1973	196 Days	INC
14.	Lalit Narayan Tripathi	05 Feb. 1973 – 02 Jan. 1975	1 Year 331 Days	INC
15.	Kamalapati Tripathi	11 Feb. 1975 – 23 March 1977	2 Years 40 Days	INC
16.	Madhu Dandavate	26 March 1977 – 28 July 1979	2 Year 124 Days	JP
17.	T.A. Pai	30 July 1979 – 14 Jan. 1980	168 Days	INC
18.	Kamalapati Tripathi	14 Jan. 1980 – 12 Nov. 1980	303 Days	INC
19.	Kedar Pandey	12 Nov. 1980 – 14 Jan. 1982	1 Year 63 Days	INC
20.	Prakash Chandra Sethi	15 Jan. 1982 – 02 Sep. 1982	230 Days	INC
21.	A.B.A. Ghani Khan Choudhary	02 Sep. 1982 – 31 Dec. 1984	2 Years 120 Days	INC
22.	Bansi Lal	31 Dec. 1984 – 24 June 1986	1 Year 175 Days	INC
23.	Mohsina Kidwai	24 June 1986 – 21 Oct. 1986	119 Days	INC
24.	Madhavrao Scindia	22 Oct. 1986 – 02 Dec. 1989	3 Years 41 Days	INC
25.	George Fernandes	02 Dec. 1989 – 10 Nov. 1990	343 Days	JD (NF)
26.	Janeshwar Mishra	21 Nov. 1990 – 21 June 1991	212 Days	SJP (R)
27.	C.K. Jaffer Sharief	21 June 1991 – 17 Oct. 1995	4 Years 118 Days	INC
28.	Ram Vilas Paswan	01 June 1996 – 19 March 1998	1 Year 291 Days	JD (UF)
29.	Nitish Kumar	19 March 1998 – 05 August 1999	1 Year 139 Days	SP
30.	Ram Naik	06 Aug. 1999 – 13 Oct. 1999	69 Days	BJP
31.	Mamata Banerjee	13 Oct. 1999 – 15 March 2001	1 Year 153 Days	AITC
32.	Nitish Kumar	20 March 2001 – 22 May 2004	3 Years 63 Days	JD (U)
33.	Lalu Prasad Yadav	22 May 2004 – 22 May 2009	5 Years	RJD
34.	Mamata Banerjee	22 May 2009 – 19 May 2011	1 Year 362 Days	AITC
35.	Dinesh Trivedi	12 July 2011 – 19 March 2012	251 Days	AITC
36.	Mukul Roy	20 March 2012 – 22 Sep. 2012	186 Days	AITC
37.	C.P. Joshi	22 Sep. 2012 – 28 Sep. 2012	36 Days	INC
38.	Mallikarjun Kharge	17 June 2013 – 26 May 2014	343 Days	INC
39.	D.V. Sadananda Gowda	26 May 2014 – 09 Nov. 2014	167 Days	BJP
40.	Suresh Prabhu	09 Nov. 2014 – 03 Sep. 2017	2 Years 298 Days	BJP
41.	Piyush Goyal	03 Sep. 2017 – 07 July 2021	3 Years 307 Days	BJP
42.	Ashwini Vaishnaw	07 July 2021 – Incumbent	–	BJP