Vijay Kumar Takes Charge as New General Manager of Central Railway
Mumbai, 1st October 2025: Vijay Kumar has taken over as the General Manager of Central Railway, effective October 1, 2025. He succeeds Dharam Veer Meena, who superannuated on September 30, 2025.
An officer of the 1988 batch of the Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME), Kumar previously served as the General Manager of Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW). Under his leadership, CLW recorded its highest-ever production of 700 locomotives with advanced features during the financial year 2024–25.
For the ongoing financial year 2025–26, CLW was assigned a higher production target of 777 locomotives. As of September 2025, 417 locomotives have already been dispatched within the first six months.
Over a career spanning more than 35 years, Kumar has held key positions across Indian Railways, including roles in North Western Railway, Northern Railway, the Railway Board, and the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO). He was instrumental in conducting speed trials of Talgo trains during his tenure at the Railway Board and acted as the nodal officer for semi-high-speed corridors, including the Golden Quadrilateral.
At RDSO, he served as Director I&L (Inspection and Liaisoning) for over six years, covering the northern region. Additionally, he contributed to the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) as Executive Director and Director of Rolling Stock for five years.
Kumar holds a B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh. He has undertaken advanced training programs in management and technology in Singapore, Malaysia, New Delhi, and Hyderabad, and has represented Indian Railways in over 20 countries to support technology advancement.
His contributions have been recognized through multiple awards, including the Minister of Railways Award in 1995, 1999, and 2011. He also received the Member Mechanical, Railway Board Award in 1992 and a commendation from the Director General of RDSO in 2006.
Kumar now assumes leadership of Central Railway with an emphasis on enhancing safety, passenger services, sustainability, and infrastructure, in line with the broader modernization goals of Indian Railways.
