When the double-decker Coimbatore-Bengaluru Uday Express chugged out on Sunday morning, it was not a routine run for the train.
At the controls were locopilot H. Nimmy and assistant locopilot B.J. Sindhu. S. Mareena was the guard and the five-member ticket checking team, led by Chief Travelling Ticket Inspector P.R. Savithri conducted the core duties of the train. In a first to mark International Women’s Day, the all-women crew from the Salem division of the Southern Railway operated the superfast train.
Station Manager of Salem junction Sapna Soni flagged off the train, saying it was a moment of pride for them. “It is a great day for women in the Division and we feel far more enthusiastic,” she said.
For Ms. Nimmy, the only woman locopilot in the Division, it was a Red Letter day as she was operating a superfast train for the first time in her career.
Ms. Uma Maheswari said it was the first time an all-women crew operated a train under the Division and it was an honour for the entire women staff.
Ms. Savithri, 53, said she had been working in the train ever since the service was launched in June 2018 and said the passengers had been very encouraging.
According to officials, though there has not been any gender restrictions for positions in the organisation, the recruitment of women candidates for technical positions saw an increase after 2010.
There are 1,131 women staff across departments under the Salem Division, including 73 assistant locopilots, four guards, 19 station masters, 294 in the engineering department, 125 in mechanical department,13 in Railway Protection Force, 10 in traction and 37 in Signal and Telecommunications.