New Delhi, Mar 8 (PTI) The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus-Sainagar Shiridi Vande Bharat Express was operated by an all-woman crew to mark International Women's Day on Saturday.

"It was the first time that a Vande Bharat Express was fully operated by an all-woman crew, departing from the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus on this International Women's Day," said Dilip Kumar, the Railway Board's executive director for information and publicity.

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Surekha Yadav, Asia's first woman loco pilot, along with her assistant Sangeeta Kumari, drove the train to its destination with other women members of staff, including train manager, ticket examiners and on-board catering staff, he said.

"It was a proud moment to celebrate the strength, dedication and leadership of women in the Indian Railways," Kumar said.

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Besides Vande Bharat trains, many other express and mail trains were operated by all-women crews at various other rail divisions, he added.

According to the Indian Railways, 1.13 lakh of its total 12.30 lakh employees are women.

"There are about 2,000 women loco pilots and assistant loco pilots along with 1,900 women station managers," Kumar said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)