Passengers on a Merseyrail service were blown away by a good-willed announcement from the train's guard this morning.
Commuters on their way to work aboard the 8.08am service between Ormskirk and Liverpool Central were told an "amazing" story by the guard about the first female train driver.
Dan McCarthy told the ECHO he runs a segment called Dan's Railway Trivia where he makes announcements over the train's public announcement system with small historical facts about Liverpool's railway history.
READ MORE: International Women's Day: Incredible women inspiring the next generation on Merseyside
Mr McCarthy, who is a Merseyrail guard based in Kirkdale, said: "My announcements were a way to engage with passengers whilst I wasn't able to be in the train properly during covid.
"I still continue it now and with it being International Women's Day, I thought it would be a great opportunity to educate people on both railway history and women's history."
Mr McCarthy told travellers about Karen Harrison - a Glaswegian woman who left school at 15 to become a train driver.
Mr McCarthy said she faced 10 years of "heaven and hell" but eventually finished her apprenticeship and became the first female driver in Britain.
The 29-year-old guard later thanked Pam Gamble, the female driver of the train.
His announcement said: "Much has changed since 1977 and the days of British Rail, with women making up a huge percentage of drivers, guards and other frontline roles across Britain's railways.
"In fact shout-out to Pam who's driving this very train right now.
"It's never been easier for girls and women to join the railway, and we welcome your interest in all roles we have to offer, from driving to engineering to signalling and beyond.
"So thank you women of the railway and we at Merseyrail wish all women a happy International Women's Day."
Passengers were quick to praise the speech, with one person calling it "amazing".
The person wrote on Twitter: "Merseyrail guard telling an amazing story about the first female train driver to celebrate International Women's Day on my morning commute. More guards like him please."
A second person added: "Nice touch Merseyrail with the International Women's Day announcement. Thought it was lovely."
Zoe Hands, Chief Operating Officer at Merseyrail told the ECHO : "I was thrilled to hear about Daniel’s train announcement today highlighting the great work of the first female driver in Britain as part of the International Women’s Day celebrations.
"One of the great things about our network is the personality our staff inject into each service to make sure every passenger has an enjoyable journey.
“Also, Daniel’s acknowledgement of his colleague Pam Gamble shows a great camaraderie and respect amongst our staff.
“Here at Merseyrail we have been celebrating International Women’s Day by recognising the amazing women who work in our organisation and hearing about what makes them proud to be a woman in rail.”
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