In a fantastic step towards women empowerment and gender equality, the Mumbai Central Division of the Western Railways of the Indian Railways created history by running a freight train with an all-women guard and crew recently. The goods train ran from Vasai Road in the state of Maharashtra to Vadodara in Gujarat.
This was the first time in the history of the Indian Railways that an all-female crew ran a freight train.
Loco Pilot Kumkum Nagendra, Assistant Loco Pilot Udita Verma, and Goods Guard Aakanksha Ray were in charge of the train that ran on 5th January 2021.
One more step towards gender equality and women empowerment:
Today Mumbai Central Div of Western Railway created history by running a freight train (TVSG/MB 28764) with all-female guard and crew from Vasai Rd. till Vadodara.@drmbct @WesternRly @RailMinIndia @PiyushGoyalOffc pic.twitter.com/4UW4eHXG42
— Vineet Abhishek, IRTS (@vabhis) January 5, 2021
The exhausting nature of the job of loco pilots and guards coupled with the requirement to travel long distances deters many women from joining such posts. However, this event is certainly a landmark that breaks the glass ceiling.
“This will be a game-changer and an inspiration for other women to take up such challenging jobs in Indian Railways,” Sumit Thakur, Chief Public Relations Officer of Western Railway, said.
The Indian Railways is one of the world’s largest employers and is looking to consistently add more women to its otherwise male-dominated workforce.
Isn’t this a landmark event that breaks stereotypes and promotes the idea of gender-neutral jobs? A big salute to these women!
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