All-women crews of Central Railway operate Deccan Queen, Mumbai local

The Central Railway operated the prestigious Mumbai-Pune Deccan Queen Express and CSMT-Kalyan ladies special local train with all-women crews to mark International Women's Day on Wednesday. Surekha Yadav, the first woman loco-pilot in Asia, operated the Deccan Queen with Sayali Sawardekar as assistant loco pilot.

Leena Francis discharged the responsibility of train manager (guard) while a team of six women head travelling ticket examiners led by chief ticket inspector Jiji John and Deepa Vaidya guided and assisted the passengers, the CR said in a release.

Mumtaz Kazi, who carries the distinction of being the first suburban motorwoman 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 guard of the train, the release added.