Mumbai, Mar 14 (IANS): Asia's first woman loco pilot Surekha Yadav piloted the new Vande Bharat Express from Solapur to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in Mumbai on Monday.

On arrival, Yadav was felicitated at by rail officials at platform No. 8 of CSMT, the World Heritage headquarters of Central Railway.

In her brief speech, Yadav expressed her gratitude to the CR for giving her the honour to pilot the new age, state of the art technology encompassed in the Vande Bharat trains.

The train departed Solapur at the right time and reached CSMT five minutes before time.

The train crew learning process involves signal observance, hands on new equipment, coordination with other crew members, observance of all parameters for the successful running of a train.

Hailing from Satara in Maharashtra, Surekha Yadav created history by becoming India's first female train driver in 1988.

For her achievements, she has been honoured with many awards at state, national and international levels.