Pink team performs arduous rail coach maintenance work

The Carriageway and Wagon Depot in the city is the only one with an all-women team of mechanics

With women excelling in all sectors, the Railways too did not remain an exception as the latter have proved they can perform tough mechanical tasks of maintaining railway infrastructure and rolling stock.

It is not just nearly one-third of the mechanical staff (72 out of 236) at the Carriageway and Wagon Depot at Mangaluru Central Complex comprises women but also an all-women team looks after the complete maintenance of four rakes of trains in the depot.

Popularly called the Pink team, it is headed by Senior Section Engineer K.K. Saritha and comprises senior technicians, including K. Ashalatha and P.P. Suhasini. The team at present maintains the rakes of Mangaluru Central-Nagercoil Ernad Express and Mangaluru Central-Coimbatore Intercity Express, in all four rakes comprising 48 coaches.

Ms. Saritha told The Hindu that the all-women team has been performing the exclusive duties since November last.

She said that the team with nine members, including Ms. Saritha, was assigned to carry out maintenance of undergear, interior carpentry and water service repairs of coaches which were earlier being carried out by its male counterparts. They undertake heavy jobs that require physical exertion, including brake cylinder renewal, brake block renewal, undergear repairs, maintenance of air brake system along with interior pipe repairs as well as carpentry repairs.

Their work also includes checking leakage of coaches. The team conducts preventive checks in coaches using special gadget, designed and developed by the depot itself, before monsoon. It would plug vulnerable points of leakage, if any, during such checks.

Senior Divisional Mechanical Engineer of Palakkad Division, Jithin Nelson, under whom the depot operates, said that only the Mangaluru Carriageway and Wagons Depot has an all-women team of mechanics.