Saudi women apply en masse to be train drivers

More than 28,000 candidates have replied to an ad looking for 30 female train drivers in Saudi Arabia after women were allowed into the profession. 

Spanish state-owned rail company Renfe said on Wednesday that thousands of Saudi women have applied to drive bullet trains between Islam’s holiest cities of Mecca and Medina in just a month after the ad was posted. Renfe operates a high-speed railway in the Arab kingdom.

The applicants are between 22 and 30 years old. Around 14,000 of them have passed the first phase of recruitment as Renfe prioritized their education level and English skills. The drivers will be hired after a year of paid training scheduled to start around March 15, the company said. 

Saudi Arabia allowed women to drive cars in 2018 and to travel abroad without the permission of a male guardian in 2019. Last year, Saudi media reported that single, divorced, or widowed women were allowed to live alone without a man’s permission. 

Saudi women, however, still live under a lot more restrictions compared to men.