Women in Rail

Being an APM in the Rail team is both varied and challenging! Every project is different and so there is always something new to learn. You are given responsibility from the get go and always get support in completing tasks. A typical day would include attending project meetings, liaising with other professionals to organise any surveys that need undertaking, writing progress reports and assisting with the pricing of projects. All of this requires engaging with the engineers and so this is a good way of getting to know people within the rail business and a better understanding of the rail process.

The Rail Project Management team is very supportive and we all work together in order to make sure that we are completing objectives on time. The engineers are always willing to share their knowledge and experience so that you get a better understanding of the projects you are working on and the constraints that people face when undertaking the works.

I’m currently working on a multi-million pound project in Scotland to increase passenger capacity and enhance passenger experience in using this line. is is a multi-disciplinary project and so different WSP teams are working together to redesign the stations and line. is is an exciting project and it’s great to be part of something that will leave a legacy and improve transportation links for the people of Scotland. There hasn’t been so much innovation in British rail since the industrial revolution when rail was first introduced in Britain during Queen Victoria’s reign. Back then this wasn’t something women got involved in, but now women stand to make a massive contribution to the industry. Beginning a career in this industry is so exciting, and I would encourage anyone, particularly young women, to seriously consider getting into rail. WSP really embrace equality and want to make ours a more diverse workforce but we can only do that if we we can encourage more female engineers and project managers to join us.