Supporting partner:

Network Rail has ambitious and exciting plans for the years ahead, and we know they can only be realised by attracting, developing and retaining the best and brightest talent. That is why we are leading the way in moving the rail industry to a more open, diverse and inclusive future. We published our comprehensive diversity and inclusion strategy in 2014. Since then the number of women employees in Network Rail has increased by 32%; we’ve established vibrant employee networks for black, Asian and minority ethnic employees, carers, disabled employees, gender equality, LGBT employees and a multi-faith network; and we received external validation for our approach to diversity and inclusion. This progress is welcome, but we know we can go further. By the end of Control Period 6, in 2024, our target is to increase the number of women in our business by 50%. We also aim to be in the top 25 graduate employers and ensure gender-balanced recruitment of apprentices and graduates into the railway.

Network Rail’s gender pay gap is 11%. While this is lower than the UK average of 18.1%, it is still too high. We plan to reduce this through a sustained focus on increasing the number of women in our workforce, investing more in supporting talented women to progress into senior roles, and by having the best possible family-friendly policies and practices.

Not only is this ethically the right thing to do, the business benefits are clear, too. Diverse teams are high-performing teams - they bring together different skills, perspectives and innovative solutions.

Our own research has found that gender-balanced teams perform better - they are more engaged, more collaborative and safer. By diversifying our workforce, we are better equipping ourselves to deliver the improved railway that Britain needs. Mark Carne Chief Executive, Network Rail