Women in Rail 2024 Award to boost female talent for a sustainable and competitive rail industry

Yesterday, in a bid to promote gender equality and highlight the contributions of women in the rail industry, the Commission together with Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking and the EU Agency for Railways celebrated the Women in Rail 2024 Award.

The jury evaluated over 70 applications from countries and across the EU and associated and rewarded three outstanding initiatives in three different categories: Maria-Luisa Dominguez, president of ADIF, received the ‘Leadership and Mentoring’ category award for guiding the next generation of women in rail; Metro Istanbul was recognised in the ‘Women Empowerment’ category, for fostering a workplace where women can thrive and Veronica Elena Bocci from DICTEFER won the ‘Research and Innovation‘ category award, for her contributions to advance rail technology.

The award recognised the vital contributions of women in the rail sector and honoured companies committed to gender equality and empowering their female workers. This year's award showcased the role of women in driving innovation and sustainability in the rail industry.

Wopke Hoekstra, Commissioner for Climate Action, responsible for transport, said: "We know that women play a vital role in driving innovation and sustainability within the rail industry, but they also face more difficulties getting jobs and climbing the ladder. Women account for just 22% of Europe’s transport workforce, falling to 5% for train drivers. That’s why I am proud to promote their role. The Women in Rail 2024 Award is an excellent way to do so. The winners are not only showing leadership in their area of work, but also inspire the next generation to take up jobs in a sector that is in constant need for new talent."

The Women in Rail Award aims to inspire more women to join the rail sector and create a pipeline of future talent and leadership for sustainable mobility in Europe. The award was given at InnoTrans, the world’s leading transport technology trade fair in Berlin.

More information.