Kochi: The job of loco pilots is still one of the last male bastions. However, all that is set to change at least in the Thiruvananthapuram division.

What might lead to a substantial number of women following in the footsteps of Maria Goretty, the first female loco pilot in South India, is the eligibility of the 2012 batch to appear in the general department promotion tests. The batch is the first one in which women were recruited in large numbers.

“For instance, nearly 45 women of the 2012 batch have been deployed in the Ernakulam diesel loco shed. Almost all of them are highly qualified and mainly vying for the post of Assistant Loco Pilot (ALP),” said a senior railway officer.

In fact, some of the batch members to the likes of A.P. Sudha have already made the cut successfully completing the written and psychological tests, the official said and added that nearly 60 posts of loco pilots were lying vacant.

“They’ve completed their certificate verification and will soon leave for Trichy for training.”

“Currently, there are four women in the job myself and three ALPs. I won’t say the job is easy. Not that women couldn’t handle the work, but the fact is that they have to work round-the-clock and often alone in the cabin awaiting the signal at remote and isolated areas with their eyes resting on pitch dark surroundings,” says loco pilot Maria Goretty, who joined way back in 1998.

When contacted, senior divisional personnel officer G. Janardhanan said it was true a large number of women were taking up the promotion test. “But we can’t predict how many would make it finally,” he quipped.