The first of a new generation of women drivers began work on Sunday, according to a statement from the Moscow Department of Transportation.
Russia’s Ministry of Labor has ordered women to be allowed to run trains on the network a year ago, and now the first cohort has successfully completed a training program and entered the labor market. Of the 25 women who started the course, 12 have completed it and will become drivers, according to the department.
“Next year, at least 50 new employees will join the ranks of our women drivers,” the statement said. “We are very proud that transport in Moscow is a territory accessible to people regardless of gender!”
The new drivers will operate on the Filevskaya line, one of the most modern in the metro network.
Women have been allowed to run networked trains since 1936, but a ban on hiring new female drivers was introduced in the early 1980s, according to Moscow City Hall.
“This was explained by the protection of women against harsh workloads and unfavorable working conditions,” he said.
The Department of Transportation said the work previously involved “hard physical effort,” but many processes are now automated.
Kristina Vakulenko, 31, was one of the first women to enroll in the program.
“We are now being trained to work on the new Moskva trains – they are modern, so working conditions are much better than before,” Vakulenko, whose husband is also a subway driver, told the state-run TASS news agency. . in May. “I can’t compare myself, but my husband says the difference from the old model is very visible.”
Vakulenko said the training program is “difficult,” but stressed that drivers receive 48 days of vacation each year.
Special uniforms have been developed for drivers, who will be allowed to choose between a skirt or pants.
About 36% of the total Moscow subway workforce, of 62,000 employees, is female, according to the statement.
The subway, which began operating in the 1930s, is known for its spectacular architecture, and the subway ride has been likened to traveling through a national heritage site.