Meet Surekha Yadav, Asia's 1st woman loco pilot who now operates Vande Bharat
1 min read 14 Mar 2023, 07:00 AM ISTHailing from Satara, Maharashtra, Surekha Yadav became the country's first female train driver in 1988
PremiumSurekha Yadav, Asia's first female locomotive pilot is now operating the Vande Bharat Express. Union Minister of railway Ashwini Vaishnaw praised Yadav and wrote a tweet saying, "Vande Bharat - powered by Nari Shakti. Smt. Surekha Yadav, the first woman loco pilot of Vande Bharat Express".
Yadav operated Vande Bharat Express from Solapur to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminal (CSMT) in Maharashtra on Monday.
Yadav expressed her gratitude for being given the chance to operate the high-speed Vande Bharat Train.
"She was thankful for giving her the opportunity to pilot the new age, state-of-the-art technology Vande Bharat Train. The train departed Solapur at right time and reached CSMT 5 minutes before time. The crew learning process involves signal observance, hands-on new equipment, co-ordination with other crew members, observance of all parameters for running of a train," the Central Railway wrote.
Hailing from Satara, Maharashtra, Surekha Yadav became the country's first female train driver in 1988.
Earlier on the occasion of International Women's Day (8 March), the Central Railway operated the prestigious Mumbai-Pune Deccan Queen Express and CSMT-Kalyan ladies' special local train with all-women crews. On that day, Yadav operated the Deccan Queen with Sayali Sawardekar as an assistant loco pilot. Leena Francis discharged the responsibility of train manager (guard) while a team of six women heads travelling ticket examiners led by chief ticket inspector Jiji John and Deepa Vaidya guided and assisted the passengers.
Mumtaz Kazi, who carries the distinction of being the first suburban motor woman of Asia, operated the K99 local, a ladies' special train running between the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in Mumbai and Kalyan. Mayuri Kamble worked as a guard on the train.
