Every Journey Has a Hero: Meet Penny, Emma and Helen

At South Western Railway, we’re proud to celebrate the talented women who help keep our railway running, especially our frontline colleagues who support thousands of customers each day.

This International Women’s Day, we’re shining a spotlight on three of our brilliant guards: Penny, Emma and Helen. As part of our train crew, they play a crucial role in keeping customers safe, offering assistance, and ensuring journeys run smoothly across our network.

Their stories are a powerful reminder of the skill, dedication and care that women bring to the railway industry. Whether it's managing safety procedures, providing reassurance on board, or being a friendly face to passengers, their work is vital to the daily experience of our customers.

At South Western Railway, we’re committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive, regardless of gender or background. We recognise and value the contributions of all our women colleagues, both on the front line and behind the scenes, who bring professionalism, empathy and passion to their roles every day.

To those thinking about a career on the railway—whether as a guard or in any other role—we encourage you to explore the many opportunities available. A fulfilling and rewarding future could be just around the corner.

About SWR

The SWR network stretches from the UK’s busiest station, London Waterloo, through an extensive metro and suburban network, to the south coast, across the Solent to the Isle of Wight, and as far west as Exeter.

Serving over 2,000 stations and with more than 1,500 services each weekday, our customers are business people, key workers, school children, leisure travellers, holidaymakers and others choosing rail travel to get where they want to be.

Our aim is to create an inclusive culture and reputation which attracts the best talent from the most diverse pool of candidates across our regions, whilst developing, retaining, and fully engaging the diverse talent within our organisation.

Find out more about working at SWR

Explore current career opportunities at SWR