Image Courtesy of Heathrow Express
Image Courtesy of Heathrow Express

Fifty-one per cent of family doctors in England are female, according to the latest Government data.

Meanwhile the Law Society reports 49% of solicitors are women.

These levels of gender equality, however, are poles apart from another profession – driving trains.

Being a train driver has long been considered a boyhood dream and mans vocation. And shockingly, the UK statistics still back up this assumption. The ASLEF union puts the proportion of female drivers at just 4.5%.

But one UK train company is bucking this trend.

Female Train Driver Data

More than 40% of drivers at Heathrow Express, the premium airport train service, are women – a higher proportion than any other UK train company. Of the 84 train drivers employed by the firm, 34, or 40.5%, are female.

Heathrow Express driver Kirsty Sando, 28, recently promoted to driver performance manager, said: I first qualified as a driver just over three years ago. I love this job and now I’m managing and assessing others in the role.

“Any suggestion that being a train driver is a man’s domain is as laughable as claiming girls all grow up wanting to be hair dressers.”

Rail Minister Claire Perry said: The UKs railways are growing and we are investing record amounts in the network to meet this demand. It is an incredibly exciting time to work in the rail industry, and there is no shortage of opportunities for women.

It is great to see the female drivers at Heathrow Express leading the way, and I hope other women are inspired by their example.

Fiona Tice, head of human resources for Heathrow Express, said: “We have by far the highest proportion of female drivers in the UK rail industry. I hope this inspires more women to follow their careers and dreams, whether it’s driving a train, being an astronaut or sitting on the board of a blue-chip company.”

Heathrow Express is a non-stop airport train service from London Paddington. Taking just 15 minutes and running every 15 minutes, it is the fastest way to travel between central London and Heathrow.

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