34-yr-old from Bihar set to become first WR motorwoman

MUMBAI: Western Railway (WR) is gearing up to welcome its first motorwoman.

As you read this on Tuesday morning, one very excited woman will be preparing for her first solos train ride on the Western Line. But this is no ordinary ride Priti Kumari, 34, will grab headlines for being the first motorman on Western Railway (WR). She will pilot the 2:29 slow local (train number 593) between Churchgate and Borivli. She will be guided by a chief loco inspector.

“I am very happy,” said Kumari on Monday. After undergoing on-field training for six months, Kumari will be one of three to join WR on Tuesday. “I will start the day by going to the temple,” she told TOI.

Sixty-nine candidates started training for the post in August 2009 and the trio will be the first batch to be inducted. “The rest of the to-be-motormen will all be inducted in the last 45 days whenever they clear the required practical and competency tests,” said a WR official.

What makes Kumari’s feat even more noteworthy is the fact that she would also be the first woman in Indian Railways to gain direct entry to the post.

On CR, motorwomen like Surekha Yadav who incidentally was the first motorwoman in Asia, worked her way up from the post of assistant driver.

Kumari has a diploma in electronics and a BA (honours) in history. A native of Banka District in Bihar, she joined WR’s Electrical Training College, Mahalaxmi in August last year.

Read more: 34-yr-old set to become first WR motorwoman – The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/34-yr-old-set-to-become-first-WR-motorwoman/articleshow/6732284.cms#ixzz12B4DeKWR