Vivek Sahai takes over as chairman, Railway Board

VIVEK Sahai has taken over as the new chairman, Railway Board and ex-officio Principal Secretary to the Government of India, Ministry of Railways, in New Delhi on Monday. He replaces SS Khurana who retired on May 31, 2010. For the last five months, Mr Sahai has been holding the post of Member (Traffic), Railway Board.

Mr Sahai who had served as General Manager, Northern Railway took over as Member Traffic in Railway Board in December 2009. He has now been serving as an ex-officio secretary to the government of India.

Mr Sahai, an IRTS officer of 1973 batch, has held several key posts including General Manager, Northern Railway, General Manager North Central Railway, Additional Member Traffic, Railway Board, Chief Operations Manager, Western Railway, Divisional Railway Manager, Mumbai, Central Railway, Chief Freight Transportation Manager, Western Railway, Executive Director, Railway Board, New Delhi, Chief Operations Manager, Konkan Railway Corporation Limited. He also has extensive experience in suburban train operations in Mumbai where he had worked as Divisional Railway Manager in Mumbai Division of Central Railway. During his stint as additional General Manager in Western Railway, he also handled the aftermath of serial bomb blasts.

A post graduate degree in physics from Allahabad University, Mr Sahai was trained in US Rail Roads and SNCF (French Railways) under UNDP Project in 1989. He was also part of an Indian delegation which was sent to study the privatization of British Railways in 1996. He also participated in advanced leadership programme held at Stern Business School, New York, USA in 2007.