Happy International Women's Day 2018: TfL and London Tube's incredible pioneering female employees through the years

TfL has celebrated the incredible women who work across London's transport network by releasing a series of images of its first and current pioneering female employees.

To mark International Women’s Day on Thursday, the rail and road firm shared the images and brilliant success stories of influential females who have made their mark on London's transport industry.

The first female bus driver, the creative mind behind the London Underground’s most famous Tube seat design and the predominantly female workforce behind Waterloo Bridge are all among those to be celebrated.

It comes after Mayor of London Sadiq Khan launched City Hall's #BehindEveryGreatCity campaign to celebrate the progress the capital's women have made over the past 100 years and to tackle gender inequality issues that remain.

Jill Viner – first female bus driver

It was not until the 1970s that women moved into new roles previously not open to them, including the train and bus driving

Jill Viner became London’s first female bus driver in 1974, aged 22.

After passing her driver course at Chiswick training school she went on to drive R.T.- type and R.M.-type buses

She was based at Norbiton bus garage and worked there until the garage closed in 1993.

She died in 1996, but is fondly remembered for paving the way for women in what was then a male dominated profession.

Michèle Dix CBE – Crossrail 2 director

Praise was also given to Dr Michèle Dix CBE. now managing director of the huge Crossrail 2 project.

She was a driving force behind the push for flexible working as TfL’s planning director after accepting the role in 2007.

During her career at TfL, Dr Dix’s has developed strategies for airports, designed bus lanes and worked on the capital’s Low Emission Zones.

She started her career at the Greater London Council and became a chartered civil engineer through their transport planning graduate scheme.

She later went onto work for Halcrow Fox, where she became a board director.

Hannah Dadds – first female London Underground driver

Hannah Dadds joined the London Underground in 1969, working as a "railwoman" at Upton Park Underground station.

She then worked as a ticket collector before becoming a train guard in 1976.

Two years later in 1978, she completed a seven-week training course to qualify as a District line train driver, becoming the first ever female train driver on the London Underground.

Women in London transport – timeline

1915 - Bakerloo line extension opens at Maida Vale station. It is the first Tube station to be staffed entirely by women

1930 – Marion Dorn creates famous Colindale Moquette for Underground trains

1945 - Waterloo Bridge is completed. It is nicknamed the Ladies Bridge because of the predominantly female workforce who built it

1965 - Labour MP Barbara Castle becomes Minister of Transport and introduces breathalysers, compulsory seatbelts and national speed limits

1974 - Jill Viner is London Transport's first woman bus driver

1978 - Karen Harrison becomes the first woman train driver's assistant and Hannah Dadds becomes the first female train operator on the Underground

1979 - Susan Atyeo becomes the first woman signal operator on the Underground

1983 - Helen Clifford becomes the first woman bus mechanic and Anne Winter becomes British Rail's first female train driver

Marion Dorn – pioneering Tube fabric designer

Fabric designer Marion Dorn designed of one of the Underground’s most famous Tube seat designs and patterns in the 1930s.

The textile designer from California moved to London from 1923 to 1940, and is the creative mind behind the Colindale Moquette.

The design became so iconic that it went on to inspire all future public transport textile designs in London.

She later went on to design the diplomatic reception room at the White House for her final major commission in 1960.

Female Waterloo Bridge construction workers

Female construction workers who built Waterloo Bridge, which was completed in 1945, were among those to be celebrated.

The crossing was nicknamed Ladies Bridge because the workforce behind its construction was made up predominantly of women.

Dozens of women replaced Irish labourers who went home during the outbreak of the war to complete the project that became one of London’s most iconic spots.