All-women railway crew runs Agra–Delhi Intercity Express on International Women's Day

AGRA: On the occasion of International Women's Day on Sunday, the Agra division of North Central Railway dedicated the operation of the Agra Cantt–New Delhi Intercity Express (14211) entirely to women employees, highlighting their growing role in operations of the Indian Railways.Officials said the train was managed exclusively by a 12-member team of women staff across key operational and security roles – including loco pilots, train managers, ticket-checking staff and Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel.Assistant loco pilot Varsha Singh, who operated the modern WAP-7 locomotive, said "it was a privilege to safely take the train to its destination." Guarding the last coach, train manager Akanksha Tiwari told TOI, "The job of a train manager is considered very difficult, and it is a matter of great pride to get this opportunity on Women's Day."At the station level, several women employees ensured smooth operations, including deputy chief ticket inspector Munni, senior chief commercial ticket clerk Khushboo Meena, deputy station superintendent Kunti Nagvanshi, and pointsmen Shweta Maurya and Poonam Verma. On-board ticket-checking duties were managed by Deepali Singh and Anjali Shakya.Security arrangements for the train were also handled by RPF women personnel, with sub-inspector Gulshan Chahal and constables Sapna, Vijayalakshmi, and Sangeeta Jat escorting the train.Public relations officer of Agra railway division, Prashasti Srivastava, said the initiative was aimed at promoting women's empowerment and highlighting the capability of women professionals in critical operational roles. Similar initiatives were also carried out in other divisions of the Northern Railway, with Jhansi division deploying an all-women crew to operate the Bundelkhand Express. Srivastava said the initiative reflects the increasing participation of women in key areas of railway operations, including safety, management and technical roles.Passengers appreciated the effort and praised the professionalism and confidence of the women staff, railway authorities said.Notably, according to official data released last year, the number of women employees in the Indian Railways has crossed 1.1 lakh over the last decade. The report revealed that women now constitute 8.2% of the total railway workforce, up from 6.6% in 2014, with over 2,000 women serving as loco pilots and nearly 800 women as train managers (guards).