With her eyes constantly scanning the tracks to move forward and her hands effortlessly guiding the Vande Bharat Express to reach its destination, Ritika Tirkey, a female loco pilot, drove the Tatanagar-Patna Vande Bharat train on its maiden journey on 15 September. Making a lasting mark in the majorly male-dominated field, Ritika has been working in the Indian Railways since 2019 as a senior assistant loco pilot. She has driven numerous goods as well as passenger trains till date.
In her early life, Tirkey completed her education in Ranchi. After completing her mechanical engineering degree, she joined the Dhanbad division in Jharkhand as an assistant loco pilot. Her career in railways began with her first posting in Chandrapura, Bokaro. Tirkey was transferred to Tatanagar in 2021 and promoted to senior assistant loco pilot due to her good performance in 2024.