As part of International Womens Day celebrations, the Coimbatore KSR Bengaluru UDAY Express was operated by a women crew from the Salem Division on Sunday. All operations including that of loco pilot, guard, ticket examiners were handled by women in the train, which left the Coimbatore station at 5.40 am.
The crew received overwhelming appreciations from all the passengers, rail fans, press and railway officials.
Salem division Southern Railway is committed to women's care and every endeavour is made to provide a safer and comfortable ambience for women passengers and staff, a press release said.
In tune with the robust policies of Indian Railways, Salem division has taken several steps towards women empowerment at workplace and strengthened security measures and facilities for women passengers in railway stations and trains.
Salem division has 1,131 women employees on its rolls, the release said. On Saturday on the eve of the Internation Women's Day, the inaugural run of the Yeshwanthpur-Karwar-Vasco-Da- Gama express train service connecting Bengaluru with Goa was flagged off by Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa in Bengaluru. Similarly, women crew operated a train between Secunderabad-Vikarabad, a distance of 75 km, in Hyderabad.