All-female Crewed Train Launches to Encourage Women into Rail
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To mark International Women’s Day, three passenger trains will today be run entirely by all-female crews in a bid to encourage more young women into the rail industry. Rail operators, London North Eastern Railway (LNER), Southeastern and Great Western Railway (GWR) have joined forces to operate female-only services on Friday 6th March.
The trains displayed a special International Women’s Day livery and hosted a range of women from a variety of organisations in the rail industry as well as from LNER. The driver, train crew, chef and all other staff on the service will have all six of the onboard roles filled by women.
Additionally, the LNER train the ‘Flying Scotsman’ has been rebranded the ‘Flying Scotswoman’ throughout the month of March.
HS2 will create sustainable job opportunities for local people, young people and those from diverse groups. Providing rewarding jobs and careers that are open to all in society, setting new standards for equality, diversity and inclusion and providing a legacy of skills, learning, expertise, and experience. Read more about why we must target young people to deliver HS2 here.
The campaign idea was brought to life after LNER conducted a poll of almost 900 women, where 85% revealed that they have never considered a career in rail.
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.
Our diverse workforce is something we’re extremely proud of at LNER and we’re working hard to inspire and attract even more talented women to join the industry.”
Southeastern Managing Director David Statham added:
“The fact today’s female train is one of the first shows how much more the rail industry needs to do to and we will continue working with partners like Network Rail to achieve this.”
With the rail industry continuing to push the boundaries and innovate, whilst offering an incredibly rewarding career, it makes prospects within the industry more exciting than they’ve been for generations.