Jaya Verma Sinha, Public Face Of Railways Post Balasore Accident, Is Board’s 1st Female CEO

New Delhi: The Central government on Thursday appointed Jaya Verma Sinha as CEO and Chairperson of the Railway Board.

She will be the first woman in that post in the 105-year-old history of Indian Railways.

“The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of Jaya Verma Sinha, Indian Railway Management Services (IRMS), Member (Operations & Business Development), Railway Board to the post of Chairman & Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Railway Board,” a government statement read.

Sinha, who will succeed Anil Kumar Lahoti, will assume charge on September 1.

Sinha is scheduled to retire on October 1 this year, but will be re-employed the same day for the remainder of her tenure, which will end on August 31, 2024.

She was the Railways’ public face in the media interactions after the horrific triple-train Balasore accident at Bahanaga Bazar in June.

As Member (Operations and Business Development), Sinha explained the complex signalling system after the tragedy which killed nearly 300 people.

An alumnus of Allahabad University, Sinha joined Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS) in 1988 and worked in three railway zones — Northern Railway, South Eastern Railway and Eastern Railway.

During her four-year tenure as Railway Advisor in the High Commission of India in Bangladesh, Sinha played a key role in the inauguration of Maitree Express, which connects Kolkata and Dhaka.