Watch: All-woman crew steer Rajya Rani Express from Bengaluru to Mysuru

Loco pilot Bala Shivaparvathy, who is a mother of a six-year-old daughter, told Indianexpress.com: “We are intensely proud and humbled of the fact that the minister himself shared the video online. This encourages more women like us to come forward to serve our co-citizens.”

Shivaparvathy joined SWR in 2011 as an assistant loco pilot after completing a Diploma in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh. Originally hailing from Pithapuram in Andhra Pradesh, she was later promoted as a shunter (a person who drives engines/trains to platform and back to yards) in 2017 before being made a loco pilot in 2019.

She joined railways on the advice of her father Babu Rao, an electronics service centre. She also credits her husband C Thulasirajan for the success in her career for his encouragement and support.

“Juggling the responsibilities of a mother and a loco pilot has been challenging but my family has been my pillar of strength. While working for 8 to 10 hours is physically tiring, words of motivation and encouragement from passengers and colleagues always keep us high-spirited,” she said.

She added that some passengers approach her requesting for selfies as well. “For most women, seeing a lady controlling the engine is something fascinating. While the most common friendly query is on how I qualified to become a loco-pilot, some offer blessings and more power to me to complete all trips safely,” the 32-year-old added.

At the same time, assistant loco pilot Rangoli Patel said that she had no idea that she would be picked for the annual exercise. “Even though I take care of other duties apart from driving, it is fascinating to be inside a locomotive. My responsibilities include monitoring signals, checking if passengers have boarded or alighted and take over the steering only in case of emergencies,” she explained.

A diploma holder in mechanical engineering, 22-year-old Patel originally hails from Bandar district in Uttar Pradesh. She joined SWR just half a year back in August 2019.

“Passenger safety is our top priority. While delays result in problems for many, the fact that each trip is concluded happily and peacefully is something that we keep looking forward to. Each trip is a lesson,” she said.