In blue & black, ladies steal the show on Gatimaan Express

AGRA: Dressed smartly in a crisp blue jacket and black trousers, she smiles while handing a rose to an elderly man boarding Gatimaan, before ushering him to his seat. The gentleman is visibly pleased as he murmurs a `thank you'.

Meet Neelam, one of the 15 women who are India's first train hostesses. India's fastest train, which completed its debut run from Delhi to Agra on Tuesday , will depend heavily on its 15 male hosts and 15 women hostesses to fulfil its aim of providing :a world-class service experience at par with that in in-flight services.:

Indeed, when passengers on Gatimaan's inaugural journey deboarded at Agra Cantt station, it wasn't just the sparkling green interiors of the vehicle that most were talking about. The `ladies on wheels' seemed to have made quite an impression. Sandhya James, a passenger, said: The concept of train hostesses is amazing and I'm very impressed with their service.

One of the hostesses, Reena, said she was happy that the first ride was completed without a hitch. Passengers were very polite and each of their demands was met with ease.

Many of the hostesses, 22 to 28 years old, are from small towns and belong to middle class families. All have a minimum experience of three years, mostly working at airport lounges and catering services. Gaurav Dewan, CEO of Travel Food Services, a private catering agency that has trained the team, said: We have appointed only the finest of our employees for the job. They have received special training as serving on a train is different from serving on an aircraft.

While for most of the women employees, the glory of being among the country's first train hostesses is an accomplishment in itself, some said it was a stepping stone and would help throw open more opportunities in the near future. Sonam Kumari, one of them, said, :I hope in future I get the opportunity to host passengers on a bullet train.:

They also admitted that their new workplace comes with its fair share of challenges. Neelam said, :Serving passengers on a train is different from serving them on a flight or at an airport lounge. Cruising on iron tracks at the speed of 160 kmph gives me goosebumps. It is a wonderful experience to be on Gatimaan.: