The government named Jaya Verma Sinha as the first woman CEO and Chairperson of the Railway Board, the national transporter's governing body, on Aug 31.

She was at the centre of the railways' recent media interactions when, as Member (Operations and Business Development), she explained the complex signaling system following the tragic Balasore accident that killed nearly 300 people.

"The Cabinet Appointments Committee (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," PTI reported, citing an order.

Sinha will take over on or after September 1 and will serve until August 31, 2024. She is scheduled to retire on October 1 but will be re-hired on the same day until her contract expires. She takes over for Anil Kumar Lahoti.

Sinha, an Allahabad University graduate, joined the Indian Railway Traffic Service in 1988 and has worked for the Northern Railway, S E Railway, and Eastern Railway.

She also spent four years as a Railway Advisor at the Indian High Commission in Dhaka, Bangladesh. During her time in Bangladesh, the Maitree Express from Kolkata to Dhaka was inaugurated. She was also the Divisional Railway Manager for the Eastern Railway's Sealdah Division.