The number of women working in rail jobs that were more traditionally associated with men in years gone by is gradually increasing but they are still very much in the minority. East Midlands Railway (EMR) is keen to see more females in non-traditional roles and invited Derbyshire Live to meet some of the women for whom working on the railway is a perfect occupation.
EMR says that one of the most traditional male roles around railways has always been that of train drivers. An EMR spokesman said: "We are increasing the number of female drivers in EMR, which is now 12% - up from 7% in 2016 and higher than the UK average of 8.5% - but there is still a long way to go. A total of 41% of EMR's female drivers are under the age of 35.
"We use targeted advertising using social media algorithms to promote our driving opportunities to under represented groups including women and people from minority ethnic background. The recruitment process is competitive and has four stages with two rounds of standardised tests but there is a lot of support available to help people succeed."
Currently you have to be 21 to drive a train but new legislation is being introduced to reduce the age to 18. All new driver recruits are supported to complete a Level 3 Apprenticeship including English and maths functional skills (if required) removing barriers to entry.
Derbyshire Live was given the chance to meet a female train driver, female station supervisor and a female duty service delivery manager, whose job is to keep those trains moving and on time.
Michaela Lomas - train driver on the Midland Mainline
Ask Michaela what she likes about being a female train driver and she will say: "I just love it. It's just different every day and you meet loads of nice people. It's just exciting being out there, driving up and down to London. It's just different and that is why I went for it.
"It has been different to anything I have done before and it has just been life-changing. It can be challenging and hard so you do have to be prepared and focused. It's more of a mental job than in years gone by when it was very physical stoking boilers and so on. You have to be aware of what's going on around you, especially travelling at 125mph.
"I have some really good friends on the railways - both male and female. Myself and the other female train drivers see each other quite a lot and make sure we meet up before and after work and have become really good friends."
Mum of two Michaela, 40, first signed up to become a train driver in 2021 after her sister had spotted an advert. Having worked as cabin crew with Tui travel operators and also in retail on minimum wages, she saw an opportunity to do something different.
She applied and initially spent six months doing theory work before becoming a depot driver at Etches Park - a fairly gruelling night shift job moving engines from 10pm to 6am. After that she undertook her mainline training. Micaela said: "I felt I had nothing to lose.
"Now I just love it. I work a four day week and am usually on duty by 8.45am but I might not finish until between 1am and 2am the following morning. Every day is different.
"Train drivers have to be fit for the job and undertake medicals every year. I have had some funny reactions from people who ask me what I do for a living and can't think what to say next when I tell them I am a train driver. Certainly, I have always been treated as an equal to any man doing the job and EMR has made me very welcome.
"I actually think I am the luckiest person in the world and cannot believe I do this for a living."
Rachel Johnson - duty manager based at Derby
When a train runs late, or help is needed with luggage or just general advice is required, the chances are that duty manager Rachel Johnson, or one of her fellow colleagues, will be on hand to help you out. No two days are ever the same for Rachel, 35, and it is the variety within the role that really appeals to her.
She said: "I have been in this particular job for seven years but have been working in railways jobs pretty much since I left school. I enrolled on a youth training scheme and worked in all sections of the industry for two months at a time.
"After that I found myself working on the telephone inquiry bureau, then it was on to the ticket office, where I became supervisor and manged it for several years."
Rachel says that the world was still very male-orientated and just one in five people were women, so it was inevitable that the majority of people in ticket offices and on the platforms dealing with customers were inevitably men.
She said: "But as time as gone on, I have seen more and more women enter the rail industry. Although, I will say that to everyone's credit, I never felt looked down on or disadvantaged even when women were in a minority."
Currently, six people share the same role as Rachel so that they can work shifts and cover the majority of a 24-hour period. As a result, Rachel will find herself working either from 6am-2pm, 2pm to 10pm and 10pm to 6am. The role covers a multitude of activities in addition to customer care, ticket office and staffing. There are also operational changes to take into account.
Rachel said: "If a train is delayed, then it's likely people will need to know if they can use their tickets on another service, or if there is onward transport in the form of a bus. We are usually the first people to hear of emergencies because we have to be ready to deal with them. We can find ourselves dealing with a water-logged station or platforms with snow and ice on them."
This all means that Rachel and her fellow supervisors have to be ready for anything. She said: "We have had someone in labour and nearly having the baby at the station. We have also had various medical emergencies including cardiac arrests and we have found ourselves dealing with an abandoned dog on one occasion.
"I am really proud on myself and I love the job I do. From dealing with passengers and all that entails through to having school visits and showing children around it's all in a day's work and really enjoyable. Of course at Christmas, it's particularly enjoyable as many people are making their way home for the festive season. We also have choirs perform at the station and inevitably someone will play the piano."
Aimi Morris - duty service delivery manager
In short, according to the press office who put the Derbyshire Live visit together: "Aimi 'helps put the puzzle pieces of the network back together again when there is disruption'." She works in Network Rail’s building a short walk away from the main Derby station - which some people may not know exists off London Road.
A former police office with British Transport Police and also with 10 years of service in both the South Yorkshire and Derbyshire police forces, where she was a detective, Aimi is disciplined and "calm under pressure" - especially essential if there is a hold-up on the network and the subsequent knock-on effect of that happening to dozens of trains and thousands of passengers.
She has been doing her current job for three years but it is an ever-changing picture with again no two days the same. She said: "There are always new policies and procedures to introduce. Fleet availability is important and can affect services, together with weather events and also things like leaves on the line and the impact of climate change.
"Engineering works taking place can also have a far-reaching impact on services across the country."
Aimi works 12 hour shifts and, although the area in her control is limited to effect of a problem locally spreads far and wide and vice versa when a problem occurs elsewhere, the impact will be soon felt in the immediate rail area.
Extremes of heat and rain can have an impact, as can hearing the alarm go off in the room that is the nerve centre for controlling the rail network in Derby. Aimi said: "The driver of a train can press an alarm in the cab for a variety of reasons at any time - such as trespassers on or near the line or, sadly, in the case of people who choose to end their lives on the rail track.
"Every train stops immediately the alarm sounds while the best course of action is decided and Network Rail will decide when everyone can move again. Eight people share the role - on a shift pattern - and half and half men and women.
"I love my job and the role really suits me. You need to have good communication skills, be clam under pressure and of course, be able to multi-task. It's a really dynamic role.
To find out more about railway careers click here.