Asia’s first woman loco pilot Surekha Yadav has added another feather to her cap as she became the first woman to operate the recently launched semi-high speed ‘Vande Bharat Express’ train. Central Railway gave this information.
He piloted this semi-high speed train between Solapur station and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in Mumbai on Monday.
According to a release issued by the Central Railway, the train left Solapur station on March 13 at the scheduled time and reached CSMT station five minutes before the scheduled time of arrival. Yadav was felicitated at platform number eight of CSMT station for completing the 450-km journey, the release said.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav tweeted ‘Vande Bharat’ powered by Nari Shakti. The first woman loco pilot Smt. Surekha Yadav piloted the ‘Vande Bharat Express’.
Central Railway said, “By becoming the first woman loco pilot of Vande Bharat Express, Yadav has added another milestone to the history of Central Railway.”
Yadav, a resident of Satara in the western Maharashtra region, became India’s first woman train driver in 1988. He has won many awards at the state and national level for his achievements so far.
Central Railway has introduced two Vande Bharat Express trains on CSMT-Solapur and CSMT-Sainagar Shirdi routes, which were flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 10, 2023.
According to railway officials, extensive study has to be done in loco piloting on new routes and the crew has to be alert every moment during the train journey.
“The learning process of the crew includes following signals, getting hands on with new equipment, co-ordination with other crew members, following all norms for train running,” the release said.
