In 2017, Mumbai’s Matunga Railway Station created history after becoming the first railway station in India to be fully operated by an all-women staff team. Located on the Central Railway suburban network,
the station began functioning entirely under the supervision and management of female employees across every major department of railway operations.
The initiative was introduced by Central Railway as part of a wider effort to encourage women’s participation and leadership in Indian Railways. Soon after the transition, Matunga Railway Station received national attention and later entered the Limca Book of Records for becoming the country’s first suburban railway station fully run by women.
A total of 41 women staff members were deployed across different operational roles at the station. According to information shared by Central Railway, the workforce included 17 booking clerks, 6 Railway Protection Force personnel, 8 ticket checkers, 5 point operators, 2 announcers and 2 sanitation workers. Together, they handled day to day railway operations round the clock.
One of the key figures behind the initiative was station manager Mamta Kulkarni, who also held another important distinction in Mumbai’s railway history. In 1992, she became the first woman Assistant Station Manager inducted into service at Matunga station under Mumbai Division’s Central Railway network. Under her leadership, the station completed the transition to an entirely women operated workforce.
Despite being managed entirely by women staff, operations at the station continued normally like any other busy suburban railway station in Mumbai. Thousands of commuters continued using the station daily while the women employees handled ticketing, passenger movement, announcements, train coordination, maintenance and security.
The achievement attracted attention partly because managing a suburban railway station in Mumbai is considered highly demanding due to the city’s intense local train traffic and tightly scheduled services. Railway operations at such stations require constant coordination between departments throughout the day.
The initiative also received widespread praise from commuters and railway officials. Many passengers reportedly said the station appeared more organised and safer after the all women workforce took charge. The move was widely viewed as a significant step toward improving gender representation in India’s public transport system.
Matunga Railway Station is still known today as one of the most prominent instances of female-led public transportation management in India. The station stands as an embodiment of how women staff were able to efficiently operate one of Mumbai’s busiest railway stations and create a national record for the Indian Railways.
