Great Western Railway and Network Rail celebrate International Women’s Day with exciting new film
From on-board to the boardroom, Great Western Railway (GWR) and Network Rail (NR) have teamed up to celebrate women in the rail industry for International Women’s Day today.
A new film revisits the careers of some of the women who starred in a special feature last year. Showcasing women from GWR and Network Rail, the film highlights the range of career options in the rail industry and the opportunities for progression.
People and Transformation Director (Regional) for Great Western Railway and Network Rail Wales and Western, Ruth Busby, who features in the film, said:
“It was brilliant to see the stories behind some of the women showcased in last year’s film and to see how they have progressed within the industry.
“This year we are also partnering with the Real Links platform, allowing colleagues to upload their skills and help them develop in their careers by matching them with potentially-suitable roles.”
How She Belongs catches up with five colleagues who featured in last year’s film, A Woman Belongs, capturing their career progression and the support available within the industry.
To celebrate International Women’s Day, colleagues from GWR and NR – including members of the Women in Rail network – will be at London Paddington station today from 1000 to 1400.
They will loan their expertise and experience to highlight the diverse opportunities available within the rail industry at stalls in the station. In particular, they will be promoting apprenticeship vacancies to encourage more women who are early in their career to consider the railway.
Co-chair of Women in Rail at GWR, Valerie Pope, said:
“We will have members of staff from both GWR Women In Rail Network and Network Rail Inspire Network with the aim of promoting both companies as an Inclusive and Diverse place to work. We will be talking to passengers about what International Women’s Day means to us as well as giving away flowers and chocolates.”
Careers information, including vacancies, can be found at:
Great Western Railway - www.gwr.com/about-gwr/careers
Network Rail – www.networkrail.co.uk/careers/
Contact Information
John Carter
Media and Communications Manager
Great Western Railway
0845 410 4444
Notes to editors
About GWR
First Greater Western Limited, trading as “Great Western Railway” (GWR), operates trains across the Great Western franchise area, which includes South Wales, the West Country, the Cotswolds, across southern England and into London. GWR provides high speed, commuter, regional and branch line train services, and before the covid-19 pandemic helped over 100 million passengers reach their destinations every year. GWR has been awarded a National Rail Contract to continue operating the Great Western network, which shall run up to 21 June 2025, with the potential for a further three years at the Secretary of State’s discretion. Find out more here: https://www.gwr.com/about-us
About Network Rail
We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.
Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.
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