Mumbai: Surekha Yadav, who shattered the glass ceiling to become Asia's first woman locopilot, is set to retire at the end of this month after 36 years of service, an official from the Central Railway said on Friday. Yadav joined the Indian Railways in 1989 and became an assistant driver the following year, making history as Asia's first woman train driver, the official said .

Born in Maharashtra's Satara district, Yadav completed a diploma in Electrical Engineering before joining the Railways and rose steadily through the ranks in the male-dominated field. She operated a goods train in 1996, and by 2000, she was promoted to motorwoman. A decade later, she qualified as a ghat driver, eventually taking charge of mail and express trains.