Nagpur: At 3am in September 23, 2023, as Nagpur battled one of its worst flood situation, 28-year-old Metro train pilot Priya Bankar knew the journey to work would be anything but routine. Torrential rain had battered the city through the night, leaving several areas waterlogged, including two Metro stations that were closed. Yet, the pilot train of the day on the Aqua Line still had to run.Bankar, who is among a growing number of women handling key operational roles across Nagpur Metro, left her home on Manewada-Besa road on a two-wheeler by 4am. She navigated flooded streets to reach Prajapati Nagar station in drenched uniform. She was supposed to operate the first service of the day. While the revenue service for passengers begins at 6am, the train has to be ready for operations by 5.15 am.That morning, the anxiety was real, she said. Rain continued to lash the city, and waterlogging was reported in several areas along the corridor. “Of course there was fear. The rain was extremely heavy,” she said. Teams simultaneously inspected the overhead electrification (OHE) and other systems before the first service began. At 6am sharp, Bankar piloted the first train from Prajapati Nagar towards Lokmanya Nagar. More than 50 passengers boarded the service.Two stations on the route — Dharampeth College and Subhash Nagar — were temporarily closed as Ambazari Lake was overflowing and water accumulated nearby. “Despite announcements warning against deboarding at theses stations, some passengers wanted to get down at Dharampeth College and pressed the emergency button. We request them to alight either before Dharampeth or after Subhash Nagar,” she said.After the first service, another female train pilot, Kanhan Thakre, took charge of the next departure from Prajapati Nagar the same morning. Currently, 15 female train pilots and 14 female station controllers are managing critical operational responsibilitiesn across the Metro network. As part of Women’s Day Week, two of the network’s busiest interchange stations — Sitabuldi Metro Station and Jhansi Rani Square Metro Station — are being operated by all-women teams. Over 30 women employees manage operations across three shifts — 6 to 8 in every shift in roles ranging from station controllers and ticket counter staff to housekeeping and security personnel. Male staff are deployed for specific requirements such as frisking of male passengers and maintenance of men’s washrooms.Nagpur Metro network currently has the highest proportion of women employees among Metro systems in Maharashtra. As per the Metro report, 49 female employees are working in various projects in Nagpur Metro, whereas 43 are in the Pune Metro and three in the Navi Mumbai Metro system.
