Ritika Tirkey, 27 years old, from a tribal community in Jharkhand, has become a source of inspiration and pride after being appointed as the Loco Pilot for Vande Bharat Express. She is now steering the Tatanagar-Patna Vande Bharat Express, which was recently launched on Sunday by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This achievement marks a significant milestone in Ritika’s career, showcasing her dedication and hard work. It's truly motivating to see such progress, especially as she becomes a role model for many! Keep aiming high!

A mechanical engineering graduate of BIT Mesra, Ritika began her career with the Indian Railways. She started her railway journey in the year 2019 as ‘a'shunter’ at Chakradharpur Division of South Eastern Railway (SER) and also operated goods and passenger trains.

Loco Pilot for Vande Bharat Express
Image Source: YouTube

She went up the ranks in her career to Senior Assistant Loco Pilot, prior to getting a chance to help operate the admirable Vande Bharat Express. Such things are still relatively rare nowadays, especially concerning railways, more or less a male-dominated field, so one can only imagine that Ritika’s victory is a major win in breaking barriers for young girls all around the country.

She became the first woman to drive the Vande Bharat on the trial run; she formally launched the first Tatanagar-Patna Vande Bharat Express on September 15, 2024, with loco pilot S. S. Munda.

Ritika Tirkey, who belongs to the lower middle-class family of Jharkhand, did not let the hardship of training and stringent process stop her from becoming a loco-pilot. From childhood in a village that is predominantly tribal to being at the forefront of one of the most prestigious trains in India, she worked hard.

As a technical professional working in the field that deals with the infrastructural development of the country, Ritika is not only establishing herself as a role model for millions of girls and proving a point that women can excel in every given sector of their choice. Ritika, a member of a tribal community, occupying a decent-paid position, contributes to the dismantling of socio-economic and cultural discrimination and the demand for the diversity of the Indian workforce.

The Rise of Ritika Tirkey is a testimony that women should be encouraged to aim high, especially from the background of a disadvantaged community, and take careers such as engineering. By being posted as the loco-pilot of the Vande Bharat Express, she has a strong signaling importance in the change and progress narrative. As India progresses in modernising the railway with new generation trains like the Vande Bharat, Ritika’s story motivates young girls to pursue STEM careers and that any dream is achievable as long as one works hard.

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