The ‘Flying Scotswoman’ and a rail service staffed entirely by women were just two of the initiatives as the industry celebrated the roles being played by females to keep the railways on track.
It was all part of International Women’s Day and, was part of the industry working together to highlight a career in rail.
It comes as research released by London North Eastern Railway found 85 per cent of women of working age in the UK have never considered a career in rail.
LNER’s poll of women across the UK found the primary reason women are not considering the rail industry for their career is due to the perceived lack of a match between their skills and the jobs the sectors offer, with six out of 10 women saying the industry is not relevant to their skills or expertise.
Below is just a highlight of what happened in the last week to highlight the role being played and the opportunities available for women in rail.
Britain’s first ‘all female operated’ train service
Network Rail and Southeastern joined forces on Friday to launch the first ever passenger service from London to Kent staffed by a female driver and conductor, while female Network Rail signallers staff the route. It marks the first time that a commuter service is operated exclusively by female rail staff from start to finish – from the depot to destination. In all, 15 women took part. Loraine Martins, director of diversity and inclusion at Network Rail, said: “We will continue to work tirelessly to increase the proportion of women at Network Rail at all levels in our business, as well as developing he phenomenal talent that we already have.”
The ‘Flying Scotswoman’
London North Eastern Railway (LNER) is calling on the rail industry to encourage more women to consider a career in the rail industry. As well as the research released last week, LNER has rebranded its most iconic service – the ‘Flying Scotsman’ – and turning it into the ‘Flying Scotswoman’ for March. Staffed entirely by women, the service displayed International Women’s Day livery. LNER’s People Director Karen Lewis said: “There is a clear need for the industry to work together to demonstrate the unique opportunities on offer with a career in rail, and by doing so to help drive an increase in the number of women in the workplace.”
Praise in Parliament for Porterbrook CEO
Mary Grant is Chief Executive Officer at Porterbrook. Her work was recognised with comments made by the MP for Mid Derbyshire, Pauline Latham, who in Parliament, said: “Porterbrook, which specialises in the leasing of trains, is run by a women called Mary Grant. She’s fantastic because she has come along after a series of men and she is changing that industry. We’ve got Helen Simpson and Chandra Morbey who are directors of innovation for Porterbrook and they’re the brains behind the HydroFLEX, which is the UK’s first hydrogen-powered train. Women in a very male dominated industry.”
Louise leading the way for Hull Trains £60 million new rolling stock
Louise Cheeseman is the managing director at Hull Trains who has just overseen the arrival of new rolling stock, worth £60m. She has managed train operations in the past for Docklands Light Railway during the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games. On Sunday she posted a photo with her two daughters with the caption: “I’m going to post a photo of the reason I joined the rail industry as a guard in 2001, my daughters. We are the 3 musketeers – no challenges in like will stop us working hard to reach our goals – can women have it all?? YES WE CAN!!”
Celebrating ‘incredible’ members of staff
In the run up to Sunday’s International Women’s Day, TransPennine celebrated the work of some of its female staff. This included Nikki May, one of the company’s conductors. She said: “I’ve been working for TransPennine Express for seven year, it’s the best job in the world, I love it. I get to travel all over the North of England, I get to meet some of the nicest and friendliest people on the planet. I’m very privileged to carry out my role as a conductor.”
“I can think of few jobs that will give you more pride when being asked what you do for a living”
Heather Waugh is Scotland’s only female freight train driver. She spoke to us ahead of International Women’s Day in a bid to inspire more women into the industry. She said: “I think the biggest boundary is your own self-doubt. The perception that you won’t be accepted. Or that you won’t be able to do it. And that is why it is so important for women in this industry to be willing to share our experiences. To show that we aren’t just capable, but that we love it.”
Photo credit: Charlotte Graham
