All-female team lead operations for International Women’s Day
 
 

On 8 March, an all-female team staffed Avanti West Coast’s Control department as part of activities to mark International Women’s Day (IWD). 

 

Staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Control was run by a team of seven women who collectively have over 100 years of service between them.

 

Filling roles including Duty Control Manager, Information Controller, and Route Controller, the women were responsible for the behind-the-scenes operation, which leads on the day-to-day running of Avanti West Coast services to keep the railway functioning as well as customers moving. 

 

Patrick Allinson, Operations Control Manager at Avanti West Coast, as well as his colleagues, Rachel Hartill (Duty Control Manager) and Amy Bellamy (Information Controller) worked on the idea as a perfect way to mark IWD.

 

“We want to champion what women bring to the industry and staffing our Control with this experienced team for a whole shift today is a great way to show this”, said Patrick.

“The number of women working here in Control is a great thing to celebrate, and by showcasing their roles we hope to encourage others to choose a career in rail. I have an eight-year-old daughter who I want to be able to consider many careers – some of which have previously been dominated by men. By joining my colleagues to recognise women in these roles, and highlight it is becoming the norm, we hope we can break the bias today and for future generations.”

 

You can find the full press release here.