New Chairman Railway Board

Who is Ashwani Lohani: Meet new Railway Board Chairman; things you may not know about him

The Narendra Modi government on Wednesday appointed Ashwani Lohani as the new Chairman of Railway Board. The big development comes on the day when Suresh Prabhu offered to quit from the post of Railways Minister.

By: FE Online | Published: August 23, 2017 

He has done his primary education in Kanpur. (Photo from http://www.facebook.com/ashwani.lohani)

The Narendra Modi government on Wednesday appointed Ashwani Lohani as the new Chairman of Railway Board. The big development comes on the day when Suresh Prabhu offered to quit from the post of Railways Minister in the wake of past few train accidents and derailments leading to several deaths and injury which in turn made the minister a centre point of criticism. The Railway Ministry on Wednesday appointed Ashwani Lohani as the new Chairman of Railway Board after AK Mittal tendered his resignation following the derailment of Kaifiyat Express near Auraiya in Uttar Pradesh. Here are things you may not know about the new Railway Board Chairman Ashwani Lohani:-

– Currently, Ashwani Lohani is the Chairman and Managing Director of Air India Limited since September 3, 2015.

– He has done his primary education in Kanpur. Lohani studied engineering at Indian Railways Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Jamalpur. He is an officer with the Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME).

– Lohani has served as the Managing Director & Commissioner Tourism, Government of Madhya Pradesh, CAO/IROAF, CME Northern Railway, DRM Delhi, Director of National Rail Museum, New Delhi, Director in the Ministry of Tourism Government of India, Chairman & Managing Director of India Tourism Development Corporation and other important assignments in railways.

– Lohani featured in Limca Record in 2007 for having four “engineering degree equivalents” in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering and Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering from Institution of Engineers, India, as per a report in The Indian Express.

– Moreover, he has been a Non-Executive Director of Air Mauritius Limited since October 30, 2015.

– He served as the Chairman of Air India Express Ltd

– Also, Lohani is a life member of the Institute of Rolling Stock Engineers and the Museums Association of India and the Founder cum Working President of the Indian Steam Railway Society

– Lohani enjoys registration in Guinness Book of World Records for successfully running the ‘Fairy Queen Express’, the world’s oldest working steam locomotive.

(All details about Lohani as cited in Bloomberg profile page and The Indian Express story)