(From left to right) Pratiksha Rajgure, Sakshi Sahane, Pragati Birajadar and Shivani Garad – the women pilots of Pune Metro Line 3 between Hinjewadi and Shivajinagar
On Wednesday morning, Prerna Chopade took charge of the controls as Pune Metro Line 3 began carrying passengers for the first time. They are among 90 women who have completed training and secured competency certificates to operate the 23.3-km Hinjewadi-Shivajinagar corridor, making it India’s first Metro line to have an exclusively female team of train operators. The 90 women pilots are deployed across three shifts — 6am to 2pm, 2pm to 10pm and 9pm to 6am — with around 22 women assigned to each shift. For 27-year-old Vidya Bhure, the journey to the driver’s cabin began with scepticism at home. Bhure moved to Pune in 2021-22 after completing her engineering degree and initially took up a back-office job. The women are part of an initiative to have 100 female train operators on the corridor. In addition to the 90 who have completed training and secured competency certificates, nine women supervisors have also joined the operations team. Officials from Pune IT City Metro Rail Ltd (PITCMRL) said all 90 women pilots were selected through campus recruitment drives and trained by Keolis, which has been awarded a 10-year contract to operate Metro Line 3. The training included 90 days of theoretical and onboard instruction under industry experts, followed by competency assessments.
“I was confident and happy to operate the Metro line as soon as it was flagged off,” she told TOI. Chopade, who operated the first passenger service, said she was delighted to see the large number of commuters on the first day. When she told her parents she wanted to become a Metro train pilot, their initial reaction was one of doubt. I told them that I wanted to do it,” recalled the engineering graduate from Pendhari village in Nagpur district. “Seeing the pride on their faces gives me immense happiness,” she said. I understand the responsibility of operating a Metro train and am ready to shoulder it,” she said.
Pune: After months of training and countless hours operating trains on empty tracks, the moment they had prepared for finally arrived. For the two young engineering graduates, both in their 20s, the occasion marked the culmination of months of preparation and a shift from practice runs to passenger service. For Birajdar, the opportunity came through campus placement after she completed her BTech degree. Six months of intensive training, followed by more than a year of dry runs, prepared her for the responsibility of piloting a Metro train. An electrical engineering graduate from Buldhana, Chopade joined the team through a recruitment drive conducted by French mobility operator Keolis. She cleared the aptitude test and selection rounds before undergoing six months of training. The training comprised classroom instruction, practical sessions and extensive experience on the tracks. The women spent several hours operating trains on dry runs to familiarise themselves with train operations, signalling and handling procedures before passenger services began. Wednesday marked the first time their training translated into the responsibility of carrying commuters on a live service. The job now comes with a demanding roster. Each pilot is rostered for four trips, while morning services towards Civil Court witness particularly heavy commuter movement. A dedicated room facility has also been provided for women at the station. “They asked me whether I would be able to do it. She sent her parents photographs of herself in uniform. she came across the recruitment drive for women train pilots While exploring other career opportunities. After clearing the selection process and completing six months of training, she earned her competency certificate. “This profession has given me the confidence to face even the toughest situations in life.
A day earlier, Pragati Birajdar, a Pune resident, had piloted the inaugural train carrying chief minister Devendra Fadnavis .
Keolis is responsible for operating and maintaining the corridor’s 22 Alstom-supplied trains, 23 stations and ticketing system. Nearly 1,000 personnel are expected to be employed for the operations and maintenance of the line. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Pune | Silver Rate in Pune | Bank Holidays in Pune | Public Holidays in Pune | Petrol Price in Pune | Diesel Price in Pune | CNG Price in Pune | LPG Price in Pune Stay updated with the latest Pune news.
Download the TOI App.