Feature: Deep beneath trendy streets of London, women carve out future rail network

Armies of men tunnelled beneath London to create the capital's underground system.

It was thousands of men, known as "navvies" who carved out Britain's canal system as part of the industrial revolution.

Now its women who are helping to shape what is Europe's largest construction project, the London Crossrail network.

Crossrail will stretch for 100 km, linking 40 stations, including 10 new stations, with the first trains due to run in December 2018. The project includes 42 km of new tunnels beneath London.

Almost a third of the 10,000 people working on the 21-billion-U.S.-dollar "railway of the future" project are women, many of them front-line construction engineers.

As office workers, shoppers and tourists navigate the streets of central London, the Crossrail women are busy toiling 40 meters underground.

Their task is to help build a 21st century rail network to bring an estimated 1.5 million people living in suburbs around Britain's capital to a 45-minute commute journey into central London.

And as Britain's female Rail Minister Claire Perry commented, the Crossrail women are challenging perceptions and helping to make construction an exciting and attractive career option for women.

She has hailed Crossrail's efforts in attracting more women into engineering and called on Britain's infrastructure industry to follow the example suit future transport projects.

While over 30 percent of Crossrail workers are women, just 11 percent of Britain's construction sector employees are female, with a mere six percent working in the industry as engineers.

Perry said: "Crossrail has led the way in getting more women involved in building vital infrastructure, boosting female representation in the construction workforce and creating role models to inspire the next generation of engineers and construction workers."

"Crossrail has been ambitious in trying to change industry perceptions and make its workplace more welcoming for women," said Perry.

The Crossrail team has challenged the language used, connected Crossrail female role models with girls forming career plans, and carried out visits to schools and career events.

Its Young Crossrail program has reached over 36,000 school students, teachers and parents, and formed a close partnership with the not-for-profit organisation Women into Construction to help make construction an exciting and attractive career option for women.

Crossrail chairman Terry Morgan said: "It is vital we increase the number of women in the industry. All of us, from teachers and parents to chief executives and industry leaders, need to do more to help women make the most of the exciting career opportunities on offer." Endit