Asia's first woman railway loco pilot Surekha Yadav operates Vande Bharat Express

Asia's first woman loco pilot Surekha Yadav has now become the first female to operate the semi-high speed Vande Bharat Express train. As per a Central Railway press release, she piloted the semi-high speed train between Solapur station and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in Mumbai.

The train reached CSMT five minutes before the scheduled arrival, a Central Railway release said, adding that on completion of a more than 450-km long journey, Yadav was felicitated at platform number 8 at CSMT.

"Vande Bharat-powered by Nari Shakti. Smt. Surekha Yadav, the first woman loco pilot of Vande Bharat Express," Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw tweeted.



Yadav hails from Satara in the western Maharashtra region. Yadav became India's first female train driver in 1988. She had won several awards at the state and national levels so far for her achievements.

According to railway officials, loco piloting on new routes involves comprehensive learning and the crew has to remain vigilant at every moment during the train journey.

"The crew learning process involves signal observance, hands-on new equipment, coordination with other crew members, observance of all parameters for running of a train," the release stated.