New Delhi: Sunit Sharma has taken over as the new Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Railway Board (Ministry of Railways) and ex-officio Principal Secretary to the Government of India. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Sunit Sharma as Chairman and CEO of the Railway Board. Earlier Sunit Sharma was working as General Manager of Eastern Railway.
Sunit Sharma got appointment in Indian Railways in 1979 as a Special Class Apprentice. At that time, he was studying engineering at IIT Kanpur. Sunit Sharma is a graduate in mechanical and electrical engineering and has over 40 years of experience working in various positions in Indian Railways. He has also done stints in operational working, shed depots and workshops. He was also the Chief Workshop Manager of Parel Workshop in Mumbai, where he played an important role in the construction of nero gauge locomotives for the mountain railways.
He also restored old Nero gauge steam locomotives for the heritage Matheran line near Mumbai. During the Mumbai Suburban Rail blasts in 2006, Mr. Sharma was part of the team that had fixed the suburban network within hours of these terrorist attacks. As the ADRM of Mumbai CST, he is also credited with enhancing service to the suburban network, which is considered the lifeline of Mumbai. Even during the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, he was part of the team that managed to start the service smoothly after the attacks on Mumbai CST, Central Railway.
He was instrumental in expanding the infrastructure as DRM in Pune, leading to increased operational capacity. He led the team that started the production of electric locomotives as the Chief Mechanical Engineer in Diesel Locomotive Varanasi. The work of converting diesel locomotives into electric locomotives was done under his leadership. This work was completed for the first time anywhere in the world under his leadership in record time.
As the General Manager of Modern Coach Factory, Rae Bareli, he had set the record of doubling the production of much needed modern passenger coaches in a year.
As General Manager of Eastern Railway, he started the initiative to increase the speed of goods trains to record levels. They completed infrastructure projects and electrification of new lines, which not only increased operational efficiency, but also led to the development of local areas. He is also known for making work easier and bringing systemic changes for administrative reforms.
During his career he has also won several professional awards. While working as General Manager, (Modern Coach Factory Rae Bareli) and Chief Mechanical Engineer, (Banaras Locomotive Works), he has won awards for the best production units. Sunit Sharma has received professional training in Germany and France and has also attended advanced leadership and management courses at Carnegie Mellon University in the US. He has also visited Iran as a consultant for the construction of locomotives.
Sharma is also an enthusiastic player. He has also played billiards and snooker at the competition level. He is also a well-known golf, badminton and squash player.