📋 Tender Overview
To Mark International Women In Engineering Day (23 June), Network Rail Is Celebrating The Inspiring Mother-Daughter Duo, Elizabeth And Katie - Two Generations Of Engineers Making Their Mark On BritainS Rail Network. Elizabeth Smith Is A Performance And Assurance Engineer With Over 22 Years Of Experience In The Railway Industry, And Her Daughter, Katie Smith, Is Now Forging Her Own Path As An Asset Engineer - Following In Her MotherS Footsteps. Elizabeth Joined Network Rail In The Early 2000S, At A Time When There Were Very Few Women In The Engineering Workforce. Over The Past Two Decades, She Has Witnessed Not Only The Evolution Of The Industry But Her Own Family Becoming Part Of That Change. She Said: Having Relocated To Crewe, Where Rail Is A Major Employer, It Felt Natural To Step Into The Industry And Now, Being Able To Work In The Same Sector As Katie And Support Her Both Professionally And Personally Has Been Incredibly Meaningful. Katie Smith, 24, Joined Network Rail In 2020 And Works As An Asset Engineer In Our North West Region. Her Career Began In Administrative Roles In Signalling And Telecoms Before Moving To A Frontline Role Within The Track Maintenance Tech Team. Today, She Supports The Safety And Resilience Of The Railway By Developing Renewal And Enhancement Schemes And Carrying Out Asset Condition Inspections. What Drew Me To Rail Was The Scale, Purpose And Legacy Of The Industry, Katie Said. And Having Grown Up Seeing My MumS Dedication And Pride In Her Work, I Knew It Was Something I Wanted To Be Part Of. Elizabeth Has Supported KatieS Journey At Every Stage. Professionally, IVe Been Able To Mentor And Guide Her; Personally, IVe Been There To Offer Emotional Support And Celebrate Her Successes. Best Of All, WeVe Become Role Models For Each Other--Reinforcing Confidence And Ambition. Katie Agrees: It Means A Lot To Share This Career With My Mum. Her Values - Work Hard, Ask Questions, Never Stop Learning Have Stayed With Me And Helped Shape Who I Am As An Engineer. Reflecting On The IndustryS Progress, Elizabeth Says: When I Started Out, It Was Rare To See Another Woman On Site. Now I Get To Share This Career With My Daughter. Watching Katie Step Confidently Into Engineering Has Been One Of The Proudest Moments Of My Life. Both Women Advocate For Greater Inclusion Across Engineering. Women Bring Different Perspectives, And Diverse Teams Perform Better - ItS Proven, Katie Said. My Advice? Believe In Your Abilities. Stay Curious, Ask Questions, And Embrace Opportunities - Even The Ones That Scare You. Elizabeth Adds, Just Go For It. People Are Always Willing To Support You, Even If TheyRe Busy. DonT Be Afraid To Change Direction If You Find Something That Better Suits You - ThereS Space To Grow In This Industry. Together, Katie And Elizabeth Show The Progress And Future Of Engineering In The Railway Sector. Their Story Highlights Network RailS Ongoing Efforts To Foster A Diverse And Inclusive Workforce. While Women Still Make Up Around 16.9% Of The UkS Engineering Sector*, Initiatives Like Inspire Engineering, Stem Ambassadors, And Women In Rail Partnerships Are Working To Change That By Providing Clear Pathways Into Rail Careers. Network Rail Continues To Invest In Creating An Environment Where Women In Engineering Can Thrive - From Apprenticeships And Early Careers Support To Leadership Development And Family-Friendly Policies. For Further Information On Career Opportunities, Including Apprenticeships And Graduate Programmes Please Visit: Networkrail.Co.Uk/Careers *Figure Taken From Engineering UkS Latest Research Report (May 2025) Passengers / Community Members Network Rail National Helpline 03457 11 41 41 Latest Travel Advice Please Journalists Tala Ghannam Media Relations Manager (Campaigns) - National Network Rail 020 3356 8700 We Own, Operate And Develop BritainS Railway Infrastructure; ThatS 20,000 Miles Of , 30,000 And The Thousands Of , Level Crossings And Stations. We Run 20 Of The UkS Largest While All The Others, Over 2,500, Are Run By The CountryS . Usually, There Are Almost Five Million Journeys Made In The Uk And Over 600 Freight Trains Run On The Network. People Depend On BritainS Railway For Their Daily Commute, To Visit Friends And Loved Ones And To Get Them Home Safe Every Day. Our Role Is To Deliver , So We Carefully Manage And Deliver Thousands Of Projects Every Year That Form Part Of The , To Grow And Expand The NationS Railway Network To Respond To The Tremendous Growth And Demand The Railway Has Experienced - A Doubling Of Passenger Journeys Over The Past 20 Years. Follow Us On Twitter: Visit Our Online Newsroom:
