Ashwani Lohani appointed as the new Chairman of Railway Board

DN Bureau

Ashwani Lohani has been appointed as the new Chairman of Railway Board.

Ashwani Lohani
Ashwani Lohani


New Delhi: Air India Chairman and Managing Director Ashwani Lohani was today appointed chairman of the Railway Board after the incumbent A K Mital resigned from the post, officials said.

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The announcement by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet came hours after Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu indicated that he had offered his resignation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi following the recent train accidents.

"Necessary communication in this regard has been sent to the Ministry of Railways," the committee said.

Mital had tendered his resignation to Prabhu last evening and it was accepted today morning, sources said.

Lohani, an officer of the railway mechanical service, had served earlier as the Divisional Regional Manager of Delhi. He was also ITDC chairman as well as the director of the Rail Museum in the capital.

Mital, a 1976-batch officer of the Indian Railway Stores, was reappointed to the same post two days before his retirement in 2016. With the two-year extension, Mital was to remain in office till July 2018.

Rajiv Bansal to be the next Air India CMD after Ashwani Lohani was appointed Chairman of Railway Board.

Know, who is Ashwani Lohani 

Mr. Lohani, an Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineering (IRSME) cadre  had served as DRM, Delhi Division; Director, National Rail Museum; and Chief Administrative Officer, Rail Alternate Fuel. He holds the Guinness Record for successfully running the ‘Fairy Queen Express’, the world’s oldest working steam locomotive.

Mr. Lohani, who holds four engineering degrees, has authored two books (one on steam engines and the other on management) and is credited with the turnaround of the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation and the India Tourism Development Corporation. (With agency inputs)










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