More than 28,000 candidates have registered for the selection tests for 30 female train drivers for Renfe in Saudi Arabia

More than 28,000 candidates of Saudi Arabian nationality have registered in just one month for the selection tests set up by Renfe's branch in Saudi Arabia to recruit 30 female train drivers, the first in the country's history to be recruited for this profession. The chosen ones will drive the train linking the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, the first high-speed train to be built in the Middle East.

More than half of the applicants have passed the first attitude test, conducted online, which mainly assessed their academic record and level of English. The ages of the candidates submitted to this process, which began on 2 January, range from 22 to 30 years old. 

Those initially admitted will undergo further tests and a personal interview, after which they will begin a training period of just under a year at the facilities of the Consorcio Español Alta Velocidad Meca Medina at the Line Operations Centre (OCC). 

This training, which will be paid, is expected to start around 15 March, and will consist of theoretical and practical classes, given entirely by Renfe staff.

Renfe and the companies of the Consortium carry out an important transfer of knowledge to Saudi society. Recently, the governor of the Al-Qassim region, Prince Faisal bin Mishaal al-Saud, and the Minister of Transport, Saleh bin Naser al-Yaser, presented the Spanish consortium with an award for contributing to the training and certification of hundreds of local railway professionals.

Between 2013 and 2014, the first train drivers were trained at Renfe's Professional Technical School of Driving and Operations in Madrid. The collaboration was extended following an agreement signed with Saudi Railway Politechnic (SRP) to provide theoretical training at its facilities in Qassim. In total, more than 80 local train drivers have been trained by Renfe, and another 50 are currently undergoing training.

In addition, Renfe's subsidiary in Saudi Arabia has hired and trained more than 400 Saudis for the Commercial (stations and on board) and Operations departments.

In total, the operating company of Haramain High Speed Railway, in which Adif and Ineco also participate, currently has more than 1,300 direct workers in its service, the majority of whom are Saudi nationals.