JEDDAH: The Saudi Railway Company has qualified 32 women to be drivers on the Haramain Express Train Leaders Program, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.

Women expressed their pride in working in this field, with Tharaa Ali Al-Zahrani saying: “Since the polytechnic announced job opportunities last January, I made sure to apply for work, and the personal interview and test took place, and I was accepted as one of the first batch of Saudi female train conductors.”

She added that the increased focus under Vision 2030 helped her ambition to serve her country, saying “It is useful that the accepted students have been trained theoretically and practically on safety and security systems, and take part in driving the train as conductors under training.”

Rotella Yasser Najjar said that the leadership provided the opportunity for Saudi women and enabled them to work in various locations to serve the country, including the Haramain Train project, which serves Hajj and Umrah pilgrims, as well as visitors to the Grand Mosque.

Raneem Talal Azouz said she felt she had a sense of responsibility as a train conductor and praised the continuous follow-up of the trainers at the institute and their role in qualifying females to work in this field and overcoming many difficulties in the work environment.

She added that serving pilgrims and visitors of the holy city was her great motivation to work on the Haramain train.