Network Rail Renames Its Hi-Vis ‘Orange Army’

Network rail workers are a familiar sight working on our railways in their bright orange hivis jackets, especially at this time of year when many rail improvements take place while commuters aren’t so reliant on trains.

It’s for these unmistakable hivis outfits that the workforce call themselves the ‘Orange Army’, but seemingly, that’s something Network Rail wants to change. Why? Because it might be putting women off from applying to join their ranks.

According to the Mail Online, Network Rail bosses consider the widely used nickname for its 30,000 strong engineer workforce ‘too macho’, so have renamed them Team Orange to make it a little bit more inclusive.

After all, it’s a term they use in their own promotion, which is often heightened at this time of year to make travellers aware of disruptions over Christmas. One Christmas advert say an Orange Army choir, singing 'We are the orange army, And we're working for you, Upgrading your railway, So it's shiny and new’ to the tune of Away in a Manger.

With only four per cent on their workforce female, Network Rail bosses are making strides to attract more women into the profession, but others have not seen the relevance of ‘army’ as an alienating word for women, including military groups. They mention the ‘Land Army’ of World War 2 as an example of it not being a masculine word, as well as the number of female recruits in the armed forces constantly growing.

Instead, a women’s group said that Network Rail need to address issues such as long shifts at anti-social times to make their jobs more attractive to women.