Shri U. Subba Rao assumed charge as the General Manager of Southern Railway on 1st August 2026. Prior to this assignment, Shri Subba Rao served as the General Manager of the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai.

An officer belonging to the 1987 batch of the Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineering (IRSME), Shri Subba Rao has held key leadership positions across various Zonal Railways and Production Units. Prior to his tenure as General Manager of the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai, he served as Additional General Manager and Principal Chief Mechanical Engineer of South Western Railway at Hubballi, Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) of Salem Division in Southern Railway, Chief Mechanical Engineer (Planning) of South Central Railway at Secunderabad, Chief Workshop Manager at the Coaching Workshop in Mysuru (SWR), and Chief Workshop Engineer at the Rail Wheel Factory, Bengaluru.

Known for his innovative approach at work and operational excellence, Shri Subba Rao, as Chief Workshop Engineer, played a pivotal role in achieving a record production of 2 lakh wheels in a single year (FY 2011-12) at Rail Wheel Factory, Bengaluru. Further, under his dynamic leadership as General Manager of ICF, the premier workshop received several prestigious national accolades such as the Best Production Unit Shield of Indian Railways, the Change Maker Award, the CII National Award, the Star Performer Award, and the National Energy Conservation Award for Innovation.

Shri Subba Rao holds a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Postgraduate Degree in Public Policy & Management from the Indian Institute of Management, Bengaluru. He has also undergone advanced executive training, including the Senior Managers' Programme in Paris and Johannesburg, and was actively involved in the validation of the EMU Cast Wheels Design at the Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI) in the USA.

Carrying forward a proud family legacy of exemplary public service, he is a second-generation Railway officer, succeeding his father, Shri U.Narasimha Rao, who retired as Chief Planning and Design Engineer from South Central Railway.

Source – RSB