Ruth Thomas

"I think of myself as an all-rounder. As well as being quite techie, I also love words and I'm a good writer and persuader, which suits the ‘Influencer’ type. I'm persistent and logical, and I enjoy finding ways of turning problems into opportunities. That matches with the ‘Influencer’ type. I'm very practical and I enjoy working collaboratively to make things safer and more climate-friendly as well as improving the railways overall, so I fit well with the ‘Developer’ type too."

"I work in improving electrical safety on the railways, and on projects aimed at reducing the cost of electrification without compromising safety. My work helps to improve policies, practices and infrastructure to reduce risk to people working on electrified railways and to the public. I work with others to assess proposals for changes to how things are done to ensure safety isn't compromised by the changes, and to manage the process and check that everyone does what we agreed we'd do. I really enjoy the range of projects I get to work on, the people I work with, and the sense of satisfaction from bringing a project to completion. I'm always excited to see the work I've done reflected in new electrification schemes around the country."

"I've always been motivated by doing something that makes a real difference to people's lives. As a child I was inspired by my dad, who told me that being female didn't have to restrict my choices in the slightest, and by my mum, who really demonstrated that!I did a degree in maths at university. After that, I worked for several years in weather forecasting. I ended up taking a year out from that for personal reasons and discovered how much I enjoyed working in people-focused roles, which led to several years working for charities. I've always loved railways so when Network Rail opened a large office near where I live, I looked to see what jobs were available and found one that looked interesting - and it was!Since joining Network Rail I've had been promoted several times and had a number of different roles. I've been in my current job for several years. It's constantly evolving and I'm involved in new projects every few months. There are so many jobs available within the railways that I can't imagine ever getting bored in a job."

"I have two disabled children so I don't really have much in the way of spare time! The family and I are very much into industrial history, such as steam rallies and heritage railways, and I also love more distant history - there's nothing quite like finding out how a mediaeval cathedral was built. On sunny days I very much enjoy walking (even better if I can get to Snowdonia to find some proper hills to walk over) and at home I like to read whenever I get a chance, particularly fantasy stories: Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Discworld and lots more."

"There's no such thing as a typical day in my job! I might be working on documents at a computer, discussing them with other people, reviewing their comments, arranging or attending meetings, or working through large spreadsheets of data to find some information I need. There is so much variety. Most of my work is desk-based, but I also like getting out of the office whenever I can. As a bonus, I'm also involved in Network Rail's network for staff with caring responsibilities, which supports people who look after disabled relatives. It's great to spend a little of my time on this, as it's something that can make a real difference to my colleagues."

"I took A Levels in maths, further maths, physics and chemistry, followed by a degree in maths. That led to a job as a research scientist in weather forecasting. I then stepped right off the typical graduate career path, took a year out (best thing I ever did!) and worked for a couple of different charities for several years. After a redundancy I worked for a variety of different companies in mainly admin-based roles, which helped widen my experience, before I found a job at Network Rail - and haven't looked back since. A lot of engineers seem to have a lot of autistic traits, so I fitted right in and feel like I've found a role where being autistic is a strength not a problem."