International Women's Day: Liverpool train driver wants to see more women

Chloe McKinlay is a trainee driver with Avanti West Coast

A young woman who thought "only men drive trains" is urging more women to consider pursuing the career.

Trainee train driver Chloe McKinlay said she hoped International Women's Day would inspire people to "challenge gender stereotypes".

A 2019 study commissioned by train drivers' union Aslef found just 6.5% of drivers in Britain were women.

Ms McKinlay, who is following in her father's footsteps as a train driver, said it was "a wonderful career".

"Even though my dad is a driver, growing up never once did I think driving was an option for me," the 25-year-old from Liverpool added.

"If I can do it, why not you?"

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Ms McKinlay, who is a trainee driver with Avanti West Coast, said the job "carries a lot of responsibility and job satisfaction".

"As a degree apprentice, I spent some time working with the driver team and I thought why not," she said.

"And on International Women's Day that's the message I'd like to pass on to other women."

Kevin McKinlay says he is "so proud" of his daughter for encouraging other women

Ms McKinlay's father Kevin, 57, has driven trains for more than 20 years.

"We're so proud of her, not only for getting this far but also how she's wanting to use her story to encourage other women who might have previously been put off from applying to be a train driver," he said.

Paul Makepeace, head of drivers at Avanti West Coast, said the industry faced a "potential skills shortage with a large number of drivers expected to retire in the coming few years".

"The industry needs to develop train drivers of the future, and we're hoping that Chloe's story will encourage more women to seriously consider it as a realistic and achievable career," he added.

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