7/2/2023
Family Fate
Kamila Ludwigová was bound to end up on the railways. Her family were all on the railways; she even lived at a railway station with her parents as a small child. As she says, the railways is her family fate.
Do You Really Drive a Train?
As an adolescent, Kamila considered a career as a librarian, kindergarten teacher, or tour guide at a castle. But in the end, life took her back to the railways, and she became a train operator. “I have always said that if I was to work on the railways, I would be a driver, because I think it is the most charming railway job. And I was lucky enough to become one,” she says.
The number of female drivers keeps increasing. There are several dozen in the Czech Republic.
Kamila's Story
When she first sat down in the cab of our regional train, she was the only female operator there. “I got a great welcome from my colleagues then; we still keep in touch. Today, there are more female drivers, but many are now on maternity leave, just like myself,” she explains. In the early days of her career, she had to respond to amazed and incredulous questions of her friends: “Do you really drive a train?” Few wonder at present; her friends got used to her job. But passengers are sometimes surprised when they see who is in the cab. But it is always positive.
Kamila also tried several other railway jobs. During her maternity leave, she worked part-time as a gate operator and she studied to be a rail signaller. She would also like to try the position of a dispatcher: “Preferably at a local station which is not part of the remote system. I find the modern stations less interesting, because you are no longer a part of it. You operate the traffic from a computer. I do not mean to speak against development, so many things are easier, but I like the atmosphere of local stations where people know each other.”
🚂 Dream Come True
As an experienced train operator, Kamila does everything her male colleagues do. When she arrives at work, she reports to the dispatcher and takes over the train. She either replaces another driver on the way, or she “wakes up” the train on the first journey of the day. In that case, she has to check everything to make sure, the train is in perfect order. One thing that is somewhat more difficult for her as a woman is switching the points in the winter. “We operate on the D3 line where we have to throw the switches ourselves. That can be hard when it is freezing. It is hard for men and women alike, but men are usually stronger,” she says. The thing that makes her happy is when she takes her passengers to their destination on time. It is even better when she manages to reduce a delay. Kamila likes children who stand by the railway and wave. They are always happy when she waves back. She has never thought of her job as a primarily male job: “I think there are no male and female jobs nowadays. Women can be whatever they choose. And when you follow your dreams, they will come true.”
Text: Lucie Bezoušková
Photo: Leo Express and Kamila Ludwigová
The whole article can be found in the summer issue of the Leo Express magazine
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