After passing with honours on completion of four years Mechanical Engineering training as Special Class Railway Apprentice at the Indian Railways Institute of Mechanical & Electrical Engineering, Jamalpur, Shri Alok Johri joined the Indian Railways Service of Mechanical Engineers in March 1977. During his training, he also passed the examinations of the Council of Engineering Institutions, London to graduate in Mechanical & Production Engineering, and, the examinations of the Institution of Engineers, India to graduate in Electrical Engineering. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers, India and a Chartered Engineer.
In the domain of management, Shri Johri holds a Masters Diploma in Public Administration from the Indian Institute of Public Administration, Delhi, where he stood first and passed with distinction. He studied ‘Transport Management, Planning and Control’ at the University of New South Wales, Sydney. He has attended customised training programmes for higher management at Hote E’tuit Commerciale, Paris, Cranfield University, UK and Stern Business School, New York University. He also holds a Graduate Diploma in Materials Management from the Indian Institute of Materials Management.
Shri Johri has had a chequered career on the Indian Railways with experience in Man & Asset management, Workshop management, Railway operations with emphasis on Reliability & Economy, Materials management, Investments & Budgetary Control, Transfer of technology to other country, and, R&D. His career includes many path breaking contributions on the Indian Railways. He has the rare distinction of being awarded the overall best performance shield in every field assignment held including 3 years’ running as DRM, Jabalpur and his present assignment as General Manager, North Central Railway.
As Deputy Team Leader of IR team in Vietnam, in 1984, Shri Johri was responsible for commissioning of locomotives from “knocked down” condition and ‘Transfer of Technology, by providing technical know-how, know-why and after sales service to Vietnamese Railways. He did original research & design work in successful up gradation of the main line diesel electric locomotive engine.
As DRM, Jabalpur, Shri Johri had a record of completing SRSF works under signalling and complete track renewal (CTR) to his credit. He established refurbishing of Shatabdi and Rajdhani coaches in Jagadhari Workshop and was instrumental in making the workshops of South Central Railway the first on IR to turn out complete rakes of stainless steel bodied BOXNR wagons and all coaches with extended POH periodicity. He has been responsible in vastly improving the reliability and availability of diesel locos on Northern, South Central and South Western Railways.
As CAO of Rail Coach Factory, Raebareli, he could launch production within one year of taking over the dead project in which he had to conceptualise and design the factory, strategise and implement construction including a full fledged township along with simultaneously starting production.
Shri Johri has represented the Indian Railways in the CIMAC, UIC, IMechE & ASME international conferences and has authored 15 papers in international/Indian journals/forums, covering Management and Mechanical Engineering subjects, receiving the Institution of Engineers’ gold medal for his paper titled “Comparison of operations with Main line BG Diesel and Electric locomotives on the Indian Railways”. He has been principal member of the committee of BIS for IC engines. He has also taught management and diesel locomotive technology as Dean of IRIMEE, Jamalpur.
