East Midlands Railway (EMR) has welcomed its new cohort of train drivers, which is the operator’s nearest yet to gender equality.

The twelve new drivers completed their training last Friday (1 August). Nearly half of the graduates are women.

EMR sees the highest level of women’s involvement yet as “a significant step forward in making the rail industry more inclusive”.

The operator held a ceremony in Derby in which it presented the newly-qualified drivers with their Train Drivers’ keys.

Alicia Oldham, aged 32, was among the drivers to complete her training, and to her surprise, she was presented with her Train Driver’s key by her father, Ian Oldham.

Dad Ian is a train driver who has worked at Nottingham for more than three decades, and said that he was “extremely proud” of his daughter.

Alicia described receiving her driver’s key from her father as “phenomenal” and “a moment I’ll never forget.”

Ian’s son Curtis also works at East Midlands Railway as a Technician at Eastcroft Depot in Nottingham. Ian’s grandfather worked as a guard based in Nottingham for more than fifty years.

Another woman who graduated as a train driver is Kelly Mcghee, who will be based in Kettering. Kelly worked in education for fifteen years, but decided on a career change once her children were grown up.

The operator has been trying to encourage more women to apply to become train drivers for several years, including through apprenticeship programmes in 2023 and 2021. Despite these efforts, it is yet to achieve full gender equality in its recruitment of drivers.

“We’re seeing a growing number of women applying for roles that have traditionally been male-dominated.

“It’s fantastic to welcome so many new female Train Drivers to our team.

“More and more women are recognising the railway as an exciting and rewarding career path, and we’re proud to be part of that shift. We’re committed to attracting the very best talent from all backgrounds, and this increase in diverse applicants reflects the inclusive culture we’ve worked hard to build, one where everyone feels valued and supported.”

Kate Holden, Human Rersources Director at East Midlands Railway.