A branch of the Spanish company Renfe, which operates a high-speed train line between Makkah and Madinah, recently posted a job advertisement for 30 train driver positions which will be reserved for women. More than 28,000 Saudi women applied.
As pointed out at the outset by the Washington Post, it is a “route traveled by millions of Muslim pilgrims each year”.
The traffic on the line that connects the holy cities of Mecca and Medina is very heavy, and to guarantee optimal circulation, the branch of the Spanish train company Renfe, which operates this section, has decided to recruit additional drivers. Or rather drivers.
Indeed, as can be read in a company press release published on February 16, Renfe had reserved 30 driver positions for women. And it is an understatement to say that this offer has met with great success.
“The first high-speed train in the Middle East”
“More than 28,000 candidates of Saudi nationality registered in just one month for the selection tests launched by the branch of Renfe in Saudi Arabia”, explains the press release, which specifies that the lucky ones will drive “the first high-speed train built in the Middle East
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