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Monday 10 Mar 2025

Female freight colleagues take the lead for International Women’s Day

Region & Route:

Wales & Western: Western

| Wales & Western

Network Rail teamed up with freight partners to run a female-led freight train to mark International Women’s Day and inspire the next generation of women to consider a role in rail freight. 

There were over 20 female freight colleagues involved in running the freight train (both on the ground and behind the scenes in operational roles) carrying limestone from Whatley Quarry in Somerset to a freight depot in Theale, Reading on Tuesday 4 March.  

Female freight staff from freight operator Freightliner rostered, drove and controlled the train on the day, while female teams from freight company Mendip Rail planned the journey. Network Rail’s female signallers helped the train along the route. And female operatives from construction company Heidelberg Materials loaded the train in the quarry and unloaded the limestone in the depot. 

The industry-wide effort to ensure women led on this operation demonstrates the vital role females play on the railway. 

The female-led freight train comes five years after Network Rail worked with train operator Southeastern to run an all-female passenger train to celebrate International Women’s Day on 8 March 2020. 

The idea for the freight train was the brainwave of Jess Lippett, a senior route freight manager at Network Rail. Jess is passionate about inspiring the next generation of females to consider a career in rail freight. 

Jess said: “The rail freight industry is essential to our daily lives. It keeps our supermarkets stocked, our builders building, and our medicines moving. But what many don’t realise is that the future of this vital industry is being shaped by a diverse group of professionals – including women who are leading the way. 

“This is more than just a celebration; it’s a statement of the tremendous impact women are having across the sector. From the signallers and controllers working behind the scenes to the train drivers, operatives and ground staff, women are at the forefront of rail freight – leading the charge in ways that ensure the industry’s future is as inclusive as it is successful.” 

The aim of the project was to showcase the variety of roles available (and associated with) the rail freight industry, highlighting the number of positions already filled by women and to inspire the next generation of women to consider a role in rail freight. 

Over a third of management positions at Network Rail are currently held by women.  

Alice Bulpin, a senior strategic planner at Network Rail and a co-lead of Network Rail’s gender equality employee network Inspire, said: “Although women may represent a smaller proportion of the industry, we are still vital to the running of the railway, and it is important that we have a diverse workforce. 

“International Women’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate the amazing women that we have in the industry and also the chance to inspire the next generation that this is an industry for everyone.”