<p>Riyadh: Hyderabad's Indira Eegalapati is among the few women loco pilots associated with the Riyadh Metro, currently running trial trains and raring to go as the rapid transit system nears completion.</p>.<p>"It is really a proud moment for me to be a part of this world-class and prestigious project, especially being an expatriate," 33-year-old Eegalapati, who has been employed as a train pilot and station operations master for five years, said.</p>.<p>She was working with the Hyderabad Metro when she came to know about the openings here and applied.</p>.<p>Eegalapati and two others from India joined in 2019 but soon Covid struck and they had to undergo the initial training virtually.</p>.Red gold feat: Inspired by Kashmir, man grows saffron in his Indore house.<p>Currently, trial runs are going on and according to reports, the Riyadh Metro service is likely to become operational from early 2025.</p>.<p>"It has been a really good experience so far. The people of Saudi Arabia are very friendly and have a great culture. I can't imagine that I have already completed five years here," Eegalapati, one of the first women recruits, told PTI.</p>.<p>She also said she has never faced any challenge as a woman.</p>.<p>"We have equal opportunities here and there is no gender bias," she asserted.</p>.<p>Eegalapati hails from Dhullipalla in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh but settled in Hyderabad in 2006.</p>.<p>Her father was a mechanic but never compromised in the education of his three children.</p>.<p>"I come from a lower middle-class family and education was a nightmare. But our father ensured that we get our education. Being a girl, marriage was an important thing to our families but for our father, education came first," she said.</p>.<p>Eegalapati completed her engineering, her elder sister is a teacher and youngest is working with Hyderabad Metro as a train pilot.</p>.<p>Her husband also works here in the maintenance department of the Metro.</p>.<p>Eegalapati was also sent to Doha during the 2022 Football World Cup for crowd management support.</p>.<p>"It was a great experience to witness such a crowd and without a single incident, we made it a success," she said. </p>
<p>Riyadh: Hyderabad's Indira Eegalapati is among the few women loco pilots associated with the Riyadh Metro, currently running trial trains and raring to go as the rapid transit system nears completion.</p>.<p>"It is really a proud moment for me to be a part of this world-class and prestigious project, especially being an expatriate," 33-year-old Eegalapati, who has been employed as a train pilot and station operations master for five years, said.</p>.<p>She was working with the Hyderabad Metro when she came to know about the openings here and applied.</p>.<p>Eegalapati and two others from India joined in 2019 but soon Covid struck and they had to undergo the initial training virtually.</p>.Red gold feat: Inspired by Kashmir, man grows saffron in his Indore house.<p>Currently, trial runs are going on and according to reports, the Riyadh Metro service is likely to become operational from early 2025.</p>.<p>"It has been a really good experience so far. The people of Saudi Arabia are very friendly and have a great culture. I can't imagine that I have already completed five years here," Eegalapati, one of the first women recruits, told PTI.</p>.<p>She also said she has never faced any challenge as a woman.</p>.<p>"We have equal opportunities here and there is no gender bias," she asserted.</p>.<p>Eegalapati hails from Dhullipalla in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh but settled in Hyderabad in 2006.</p>.<p>Her father was a mechanic but never compromised in the education of his three children.</p>.<p>"I come from a lower middle-class family and education was a nightmare. But our father ensured that we get our education. Being a girl, marriage was an important thing to our families but for our father, education came first," she said.</p>.<p>Eegalapati completed her engineering, her elder sister is a teacher and youngest is working with Hyderabad Metro as a train pilot.</p>.<p>Her husband also works here in the maintenance department of the Metro.</p>.<p>Eegalapati was also sent to Doha during the 2022 Football World Cup for crowd management support.</p>.<p>"It was a great experience to witness such a crowd and without a single incident, we made it a success," she said. </p>