Badhwar began his career as a marine engineer, working in several European countries on marine civil engineering projects after completing his engineering degree at Cambridge. In June 1925, he joined the
East Indian Railway In his early years in the railways he was assigned to several civil works including the laying of new lines and bridges and he had a stint at
Liluah's Carriage and Wagons workshop. He rejoined civil administration the following year and served variously as Secretary to the Railway Board, General Manager of the
Oudh and Tirhut Railway and from 1949 on the Railway Board as Member Staff and then as Member Engineering. For his services, he was made an
Order of the British Empire OBE (Civil) in 1946. In 1951 he was appointed Chairman of the Railway Board — the first Indian to occupy that office which he held until his retirement in October 1954. As Chairman of the Railway Board, Badhwar oversaw the amalgamation of the various privately owned railways, government owned lines and those of the
princely states into the single organisation of the
Indian Railways. He was also a proponent of
indigenisation of railway technology and used his technical skills and training to reduce India's railway imports from
Britain and to modernise the railways'
rolling stock. This he achieved through the
Research Design and Standards Organisation,
Lucknow which was established during his term as Chairman of the Railway Board. As the Chairman of the Indian Railways, he was also part of high-powered committees to industrialise the newly independent India. == Later life ==