'Not all train drivers are blokes with big beards'

LNER wants 15% of its drivers to be women in 2025

Rail company LNER wants more women to apply to drive its trains.

Only 13% of its current drivers are female, according to a report published in October 2024.

The company admits "attracting and retaining women train drivers is a long-standing issue for the rail industry".

Driver Jess Mawhinney-Coates, who operates from Newcastle, said: "There is this perception of a train driver as a bloke with a big beard but there are loads of women coming through nowadays."

Jess Mawhinney-Coates has a family background in the rail industry

Ms Mawhinney-Coates has a family background in the railway industry and said becoming a train driver "felt like a natural fit".

"You have a great office, you see the sun rise, wildlife, it's just a really lovely feeling getting people to their destination."

She admits there are challenges, including shift work and dealing with the unexpected while driving a 430-tonne train.

"I had a bird explode on my windscreen with a very loud bang, but you have to be able to deal with anything," she said.

"I love the job, I couldn't imagine doing anything else."

Alex Cobb, who has been with LNER for 18 months and drives between Newcastle and London, said she chose the job because she wanted a "complete career change".

"I was a manager sitting behind a laptop but I was also a Royal Naval reservist so I knew I enjoyed operating weapons and driving boats, which led me to trains."

She said her family were proud but she did get comments when she was out socialising.

"That's when it shocks people because they don't expect a woman who dresses maybe very girlie to be a train driver," she said.

"I never think about how many people I've got on board, you're just thinking about what's in front of you how am I going to get them there safely and on time."

LNER says it now has 71 women drivers but wants to recruit more

Ashleigh Carroll-Dickson, who leads driver recruitment for LNER, said it had 71 women drivers "behind the controls of our state-of-the-art Azuma fleet but we're keen to recruit more".

"Even though we've seen a change in attitudes towards gender equity, there's still a perception that only men drive trains but that's absolutely not the case," she added.

"We hope by showing the passion our women drivers have for their role it will encourage other women to apply."