Asia's 1st woman loco pilot Surekha Yadav operates Vande Bharat

Asia's first female locomotive pilot Surekha Yadav added another feather to her cap as she became the first woman to drive the newly introduced Vande Bharat Express semi-high speed train, the Central Railway said.

On Monday, she piloted a semi-high speed train between Solapur station and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) station in Mumbai. The train left Solapur station on time on March 13 and reached CSMT five minutes before its scheduled arrival, a Central Railway report said, adding that Yadav was felicitated at platform number 8 at CSMT after completing a journey of over 450 km. 

“Vande Bharat – powered by Nari Shakti. Smt. Surekha Yadav, Vande Bharat Express first lady pilot,” Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav tweeted. The Central Railway said, "Yadav added another feather to the Central Railway's cap by becoming the first woman pilot of the Vande Bharat Express". Hailing from Satara in the western region of Maharashtra, Yadav became India's first woman train driver in 1988. She has won many awards at the state and national level for her achievements so far.

Central Railway launched two Vande Bharat Express trains on CSMT-Solapur and CSMT-Sainagar Shirdi routes which were flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 10 February 2023.

According to railway officials, piloting locomotives on new routes involves complex learning and the crew must be alert at all times during the train journey. "The crew's learning process includes following signals, practical new equipment, coordinating with other crew members, following all train running parameters," the report said.