Indian Railways: Women staff crosses 1.1 lakh-mark

Women are playing a bigger role in key operational jobs in the railway network

New Delhi: The number of women employees in Indian Railways has been steadily rising over the last 10 years, with the total crossing 1.13 lakh, which constitutes 8.2 per cent of the total workforce, up from 6.6 per cent in 2014, according to official figures.

Women are playing a bigger role in key operational jobs in the railway network. According to an official statement, 2,162 women are currently working as loco pilots, while 794 women have taken up the role of train managers (guards). Additionally, 1,699 female station masters are stationed across India. The number of women loco pilots and station masters in Indian Railways has jumped fivefold over the past 10 years, a senior official said.

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Apart from operational roles, women are making a significant impact in the administrative and maintenance sectors as well. Indian Railways has 12,362 women office staff and 2,360 women supervisors. In track maintenance, a traditionally male-dominated field, 7,756 women are now working to ensure the safe running of trains. Women are also actively involved in passenger services, with 4,446 serving as ticket checkers and 4,430 working as ‘pointsmen’ at railway stations across the country.

Besides, Indian Railways has operationalised several railway stations with all-women teams to enhance confidence in gender inclusivity. These stations include Matunga, New Amravati, Ajni and Gandhinagar railway stations.

Indian Railways, which is one of the world’s largest employers, with over 12.3 lakh employees working on its vast network, is also playing a key role in empowering women, a senior official said.

“Irrespective of gender, all the candidates fulfilling the prescribed eligibility criteria are eligible for recruitment,” Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said in an answer to a question in Parliament recently.

The government has prioritised transforming Indian Railways into a world-class entity, which ferries on an average 2.3 crore Indians every day from one part of the country to the other at an affordable cost, and women are playing an increasing role in this endeavour, a senior official added.