Sri Lanka to recruit women for key railway posts for first time

A file photo taken on April 9, 2019 shows women wait to experience the Matara-Beliatta railway line at the Matara Railway Station in Sri Lanka. [Photo/Xinhua]

For the first time in the history of Sri Lanka's Railway Department, women will be recruited to positions of engine driver, railway superintendent, station master, and railway supervisory manager, the Government Information Department said in a statement on Tuesday.

The Cabinet of Ministers has taken this decision to promote gender inclusivity and expand employment opportunities for women, the department said.

Until now, only men have been appointed to the posts since the railway department's establishment in 1858.