All-women crew runs express train from Bengaluru to Chennai

Bengaluru: Marking the International Women’s Day, an all-women crew from the Indian Railways on Friday ran the Sanghamitra Express train between Bengaluru and Chennai.

“A total of 21 all-women crew, including two loco pilots (drivers), eight travelling ticket examiners and a female guard, operated the express train from Bengaluru to Chennai,” a South Western Railway (SWR) spokesman told IANS here.

While Shiva Parvathi was the loco pilot, Sireesha was the assistant loco pilot and Richa Sharma was the guard for the train.

The daily express train runs between Bengaluru and Danapur in Bihar via Chennai.

Of its 13 lakh workforce, Indian Railways employs about 1 lakh women (7.6 per cent).

The Railways said it was keen to employ more women in its workforce, particularly in the Railway Protection Force (RPF).

IANS