International Women’s Day 2024 : Vadodara Division Makes History with All-Women Track Machine Team

Vadodara : The Vadodara Division of Western Railway has made a huge stride towards the empowerment of women by implementing a one-of-a-kind programme to commemorate the International Women’s Day 2024. This effort involves the deployment of an all-women crew to operate a Track Machine (MFI) for the purpose of track maintenance. This is a significant historical achievement, since it breaks the conventional domination of males in this sector.

The track machine operation was virtually launched by Ashok Kumar Mishra, the General Manager of Western Railway. He also praised the women’s team for their commitment and the devotion they had shown throughout the process. In the new endeavour that they were undertaking, he offered his encouragement and support for their achievement.

Western Railway's Vadodara Division Makes History with All-Women Track Machine Team #railways pic.twitter.com/vXa6uwJvYB

— The Blunt Times (TBT) (@BluntTbt) March 7, 2024

The Assistant Regional Manager of the Vadodara Division, Jeetendra Singh, expressed his admiration for the women’s team and emphasised the significant role they play in transforming the Railways environment. He praised their accomplishment as a momentous occasion for Western Railway, which exemplified the organization’s dedication to fostering the confidence and independence of women.

Junior engineers Bhagyashree Savarkar, Hema Chaturvedi, Nikki Kumari, and Madhuri Bhonsle are the members of the seven-person team. They will be responsible for the operation of the system. The duties of machine assistants will be filled by Lakshmi Tanwar, Seema Kumari, and Poonam Thackeray respectively.  Bhagyashree Savarkar will also serve as the Track Machine Incharge, which would allow her to lead the crew.

The crew has been provided with the necessary resources to effectively carry out their duties, as Western Railway has made certain. Every single member has been through extensive training in line with the laws that have been created, which enables them to carry out their responsibilities in an efficient and risk-free manner.

In order to convey their excitement about this chance, Bhagyashree Savarkar, who is in charge of the Track Machine, made the following statement: “We are thankful to Western Railway for entrusting us with this responsibility, and we are committed to giving our best.” We cannot express how thrilled we are about taking on this project.

She went on to emphasise the importance of this endeavour by saying, “Being a team consisting entirely of women leading this operation is a tremendous honour for all of us.” The advancement that Western Railway has made in the direction of empowering women is really astounding. It is a great honour for us to be in charge of a track machine, which is a field that has historically been controlled by males.

In order to guarantee the efficient and risk-free operation of trains, the major purpose of the team is to maintain the track parameters effectively. At the moment, they are making preparations for the potential introduction of train speeds of 160 kilometres per hour. Particularly noteworthy is the fact that the track machine has been altered to include a waterless urinal, which caters to the particular requirements of the women’s squad when they are working their eight-hour shifts.