Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) (EFE).- Renfe KSA, the Saudi subsidiary of the Spanish company Renfe, has incorporated the first female train drivers in the history of Saudi Arabia to its staff, a total of 34 professionals who already drive high-speed trains speed of the Haramain High Speed Railway, the line that connects the cities of Mecca and Medina.
As reported by Renfe KSA this Sunday, with the incorporation of the new train drivers, the subsidiary’s staff amounts to 140 people, almost a quarter of them women.
The new train drivers have an average age of 26.8 years and three out of four have university studies, so they are younger than their male colleagues (the average of their promotions is 28.1 years) and better trained (only 31% of male train drivers have higher education).
The railway company has detailed that the call for the selection of female train drivers received 28,000 applications and those selected began their training in March 2022, a theoretical-practical cycle of 1,157 hours, similar to the one taught in Spain.
The HHR is the first high-speed railway in the Middle East and is managed by a consortium of twelve Spanish and two local companies, of which Renfe is the largest shareholder.
