A former army helicopter engineer has spoken of her role in keeping Nottingham's tram network moving. Laura Bartram, 26, moved to Nottingham in February 2019, before finding a job as a tram technical manager for NET trams in March 2019.
Laura joined the Army at 16 and worked on the high-tech Apache attack helicopter before later switching pace to work on Nottingham's trams. She recently played an important role in the testing of new NET systems which can intervene if tram speed limits are exceeded and monitor the attention level of drivers.
Laura said: "There are a few different things with this job but mainly I manage the contract between NET trams and Alstom, who maintain the trams, so we have to solve any problems that come up. Our requirement is 32 trams and two in reserve, so I have to see what is stopping us from getting to that point.
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"We have two fleets of trams, one of which is older and they can both have different issues. So we have to work to see if we have any performance or reliability issues.
"I joined the army at 16 and left at 22. I came from the aircraft world and working on Apache helicopters, which is the top standard you can get in terms of safety requirements - they always used to say 'there's no layby in the sky'.
"But of course you have to apply that to the trams, too, it is always safety first. That's one of the things I have carried over."
Laura said taking the job at NET was the 'best thing she had done', but raised a need for more female role models in engineering. "Throughout my career I have always been young and female and I have always found my age and gender have gone against me," she added.
"I thought the army was very male orientated, but working on the shop floor in heavy rail was similar. Since I joined light rail working for NET trams has been the best thing I have done - they value my expertise but also gave me support when I needed it.
"The rail industry as a whole is still very male dominated, I have not had very much contact with female engineers. It would be nice to have more female role models - there has been a lot done in the last five or 10 years by companies but there's still a lot to do."
Laura was recently nominated in the Rising Star category of the Global Light Rail Awards. She was praised as a 'difference maker' ahead of the awards.
Joanne Bentley, Head of Customer Experience at NET, said: “It is fantastic to see another female colleague taking the reins and making a difference in light rail. Laura really is a rising star at NET, and in the wider sector, and would be a worthy award winner.”
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