NEW DELHI: Come 30 September, Surekha Shankar Yadav, Asia’s first woman locomotive pilot, will retire after 36 years of dedicated service. Currently working in the Central Railway’s Mumbai division, Yadav holds the distinction of being the continent’s first woman to operate a locomotive.
Hailing from Satara, a village in Maharashtra, she joined the railways on 13 February 1989 as the first woman loco pilot. At present, she serves as a loco pilot (mail) under Central Railways.
Throughout her remarkable career, Yadav has worked in various capacities - shunting, goods, motorwoman, and recently, mail and express trains. She is not only credited with being Asia’s first woman loco pilot but also the first woman to operate goods trains, EMUs, and iconic services such as the Deccan Queen, the Pushpak Express, and, most recently, the Vande Bharat Express (Solapur–CSMT on 13 March 2024).
Yadav’s pioneering work and dedicated service have been recognised at both national and institutional levels. In 1998, she received the Jijau Puraskar, followed by the Women Achiever Award in 2001, the Rashtriya Mahila Aayog Award in 2002, the Lokmat Sakhi Manch Award in 2003–04, the Sahyadri Hirkani Award in 2004, the Prerna Puraskar in 2005, the Central Railway Woman Achiever Award in 2011, and the Railway GM Award in both 2011 and 2017.
ED (I&P) Dileep Kumar said, “Over 36 years of service, Surekha Yadav has shattered stereotypes and paved the way for women in railway operations. From being the first woman Assistant Loco Pilot to commanding India’s prestigious trains like the Deccan Queen, Rajdhani Express, and Vande Bharat Express, she has consistently exemplified professionalism, precision, and safety.”
He described Yadav’s journey as “a beacon of empowerment and inspiration for more than 1,600 Loco Pilots across Indian Railways, motivating future generations of women to pursue careers in Indian Railways and beyond.”
Kumar added, “Surekha Yadav’s story is not just about driving trains, it’s about driving change, breaking barriers, and proving that no dream is too distant.”
The entire railway fraternity regards her as a trailblazer who broke barriers and inspired countless women by becoming Asia’s first woman loco pilot. “Her journey will forever remain a symbol of women’s empowerment in Indian Railways,” Central Railway — her employer zone — remarked in a post.