Transport for Wales (TfW), which operates the Wales & Borders rail network, has seen an increase in female train drivers. It said that employing an additional 22 female train drivers during 2022/23 helped to further reduce its gender pay gap.
The median gender pay gaps for TfW Rail (which operates the network) and TfW Group stand at 16.2% and 14.1% respectively, a reduction of 1.2% (TfW Rail) and 18.7%(TfW Group).
It said recruitment has been key to equalise the proportion of colleagues at all salary levels. More women have also been recruited into higher-salaried roles.
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In April 2023 there were 76 female drivers (9.3% of all drivers), up from 54 (7.4%) in April 2022. In 2023 women made up 42.9% of TfW’s new apprentices, up from 14.3% the year before.
Marie Daly, chief customer and culture officer at TfW said: “I am delighted to report that our gender pay gaps have narrowed once again.
“Women are now better represented in higher-paid positions and both organisations have increased the proportion of women working for them.
“There is now greater representation of women among senior leaders and train drivers and we’ve seen an increase in women gaining promotion at TfW Rail.
“This change has been hard won. We’ve made progress by investing in the leadership training of women at TfW. We’re working with trade unions to ensure that more women become train drivers and engineers. We’re focused on improving women’s well-being through menopause workshops and better supporting carers and we’re building wider networks across the industry through initiatives such as Women in Transport.”