Indian Railways stands as one of the most extensive railway networks globally, demanding leadership with profound knowledge and entrepreneurial acumen. This article explores the lineage of Railway Ministers in India from 1945 to 2024, highlighting the individuals who have overseen the management of this expansive and intricate rail network.
Also Read:- List of Cabinet Ministers in India 2024
List of Railway Ministers in India (1945-2024):-
| S.No. | Name | Terms of Office | Political Group | Prime Minister |
| 1 | Ashraf Ali | Sep 2, 1946, to Aug 14, 1947 | Congress | Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru |
| 2 | John Mathai | 15 August 1947- 22 September 1948 | Congress | Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru |
| 3 | N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar | 22 September 1948 – 13 May 1952 | Congress | Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru |
| 4 | Lal Bahadur Shastri | 13 May 1952 – 7 December 1956 | Congress | Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru |
| 5 | Jagjivan Ram | 7 December 1956 – 10 April 1962 | Congress | Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru |
| 6 | Swaran Singh | 10 April 1962 – 21 September 1963 | Congress | Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru |
| 7 | H. C. Dasappa | 21 September 1963 – 8 June 1964 | Congress | Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru |
| 8 | S. K. Patil | 9 June 1964- 12 March 1967 | Congress | Lal Bahadur Shastri & Indira Gandhi |
| 9 | C. M. Poonacha | 13 March 1967 – 14 February 1969 | Congress | Indira Gandhi |
| 10 | Ram Subhag Singh | 14 February 1969 – 4 November 1969 | Congress | Indira Gandhi |
| 11 | Panampilli Govinda Menon | 4 November 1969 – 18 February 1970 | Congress | Indira Gandhi |
| 12 | Gulzarilal Nanda | 18 February 1970 – 17 March 1971 | Congress | Indira Gandhi |
| 13 | K. Hanumanthaiya | 18 March 1971 – 22 July 1972 | Congress | Indira Gandhi |
| 14 | Lalit Narayan Mishra | 5 February 1973 – 2 January 1975 | Congress | Indira Gandhi |
| 15 | Kamalapati Tripathi | 11 February 1975 – 23 March 1977 | Congress | Indira Gandhi |
| 16 | Madhu Dandavate | 26 March 1977 – 28 July 1979 | Janata Party | Morarji Desai |
| 17 | T. A. Pai | 30 July 1979 – 13 January 1980 & 23 July 1972 – 4 February 1973 | Janta Party (Secular) & Congress | Ch. Charan Singh & Indira Gandhi |
| 18 | Kamalapati Tripathi | 14 January 1980 – 12 November 1980 | Congress | Indira Gandhi |
| 19 | Kedar Pandey | 12 November 1980 – 14 January 1982 | Congress | Indira Gandhi |
| 20 | Prakash Chandra Sethi | 15 January 1982 – 2 September 1982 | Congress | Indira Gandhi |
| 21 | A. B. A. Ghani Khan Choudhury | 2 September 1982 – 31 December 1984 | Congress | Indira Gandhi & Rajeev Gandhi |
| 22 | Bansi Lal | 31 December 1984- 4 June 1986 | Congress | Rajeev Gandhi |
| 23 | Mohsina Kidwai | 24 June 1986 – 21 October 1986 | Congress | Rajeev Gandhi |
| 24 | Madhavrao Scindia | 22 October 1986 – 1 December 1989 | Congress | Rajeev Gandhi |
| 25 | George Fernandez | 5 December 1989 – 10 November 1990 | Janata Dal | V. P. Singh |
| 26 | Janeshwar Mishra | 21 November 1990 to 21 June 1991 | Samajwadi Janta Party | Chandra Shekhar |
| 27 | CK Jaffer Sharief | 21 June 1991 to 16 October 1995 | Congress | PV Narsimha Rao |
| 28 | Ram Vilas Paswan | 1 June 1996 to 19 March 1998 | Janata Dal | HD Deve Gowda and IK Gujral |
| 29 | Nitish Kumar | 19 March 1998 to 5 August 1999 | BJP | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| 30 | Lalu Prasad Yadav | 23 May 2004 to 25 May 2009 | BJP | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| 31 | Mamata Banerjee | 13 October 1999 to 15 March 2001 and 26 May 2009 to 19 May 2011 | Congress and National Democratic Alliance | Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Dr. Manmohan Singh |
| 32 | Dinesh Trivedi | 12 July 2011 to 14 March 2012 | Congress | Dr. Manmohan Singh |
| 33 | Mukul Roy | 20 March 2012 to 21 September 2012 | Congress | Dr. Manmohan Singh |
| 34 | Pawan Kumar Bansal | 28 October 2012 to 10 May 2013 | Congress | Dr. Manmohan Singh |
| 35 | CP Joshi | 22 September 2012 to 28 October 2012 and 11 May 2013 to 16 June 2013 | Congress | Dr. Manmohan Singh |
| 36 | Suresh Prabhu | 10 November 2014 (Incumbent) | BJP | Narendra Modi |
| 37 | D.V. Sadananda Gowda | 26 May 2014 to 9 November 2014 | BJP | Narendra Modi |
| 38 | Suresh Prabhu | 10 November 2014 (Incumbent) | BJP | Narendra Modi |
| 39 | Piyush Goyal | 4 September 2017 to 7 July 2021 | BJP | Narendra Modi |
| 40 | Ashwini Vaishnaw | July 2021 to present | BJP | Narendra Modi |
How is the Indian Railway Minister Selected?
To become the Railway Minister of India, one must qualify to be a Member of Parliament. The Railway Minister can be a Member of Parliament from either the Rajya Sabha or the Lok Sabha. If the chosen individual is not a Member of Parliament when appointed, they must become a member of either house within six months. Failure to do so will result in the office being vacated.
Also Read:- Governors of India 2024
Some interesting facts about the Indian Railways
- Chennai Central railway station, also known as Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central railway station, boasts the world’s second-longest station name.
- Indian Railways’ mascot is a guard elephant named Bholu.
- The inaugural passenger train journey in India took place between Bombay and Thane on 16 April 1853.
- Howrah-Amritsar Express holds the record for the most halts on its route, with 115 stops.
- The smallest station in India is IB (Orissa).
- The slowest train in India is the Mettupalayam-Ooty Nilgiri Passenger, traveling at a leisurely 10 kmph, while the fastest is the Vande Bharat Express (Train 18) at 180 kmph.
- Indian Railways ranks as the world’s 8th largest employer.
- Lord Dalhousie is credited as the father of Indian Railways.
- John Mathai served as India’s first Railway Minister.
- The Bogibeel Bridge in Assam is India’s longest rail-cum-road bridge.
- The Pir Panjal tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir is the longest railway tunnel in India.
- Indian Railways operates 5 luxury trains: Royal Rajasthan on Wheels, Palace on Wheels, The Golden Chariot, The Maharaja Express, and The Deccan Odyssey.
- Indian Railways boasts four UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
- Mathura Junction serves as the origin point for 7 railway lines, the most from any single location.
- Howrah Junction is Indian Railways’ busiest station, boasting the highest number of platforms.