It sounds like Nathalie has a unique and intriguing job at SNCB (Belgian National Railway Company). While the specific details of her profession aren’t mentioned, the phrase “as if I were going on holiday every day” suggests that her work may involve travel, adventure, or a leisure-like atmosphere.In many professions related to transportation, customer service, or tourism, employees often get to experience new places and meet different people, giving them a sense of excitement similar to that of a holiday. This could mean she works in a role such as a train conductor, travel coordinator, or in a customer-facing position that allows her to engage with travelers regularly.It’s also noteworthy that she is among the rare women in this field, highlighting the importance of diversity and representation in roles traditionally dominated by men. If you have more information or specific aspects you would like to explore about Nathalie’s job or the context around it, feel free to share!

Custom train driver. A little-known profession that is still predominantly male. There is no question of transporting passengers here, the train is used to monitor the condition of the rail network. We met Nathalie, one of the rare women who pursue this profession.

It is with this deafening noise that Nathalie Colloux begins her day. At the bottom of her train, she inspects the engine, the wheels, the brakes. There is no question of launching the machine before making sure it is working properly.

,There is a responsibility. And for our safety, and for the safety of others and traffic around us. It is a priority, but it is true that checking in like this every day is a bit like taking care of your car.“, she explains.

An unusual car, made up of a single wagon, is angular and equipped with strange sensors: it is a measuring train.

,I am a train driver, somewhat similar to those on passenger trains, but also different, because I do not transport people, but the public in any case. I prepare trains, I make rail trips, trips that aim to use measurement systems to check a bit the safety of the network“, Specifies our interlocutor.

Instead of passengers, drivers carry a kind of mobile office. Its computers collect recorded data during each trip.

On these we can see some of the wear and tear on the rails and the condition of the tracks. Johan Vekemans, team leader of the measurement trains, gives more details: “But we also measure many other things with this train. For example, we take videos of the train so that our expert colleagues can do a visual analysis of it.,

“It’s like I’m going on vacation every day”

Infrabel has four such measurement trains. Traveling laboratories that cover 6,500 km of main rail lines each year and ensure their good condition.

From measure to measure, Nathalie explores all of Belgium on top of her locomotive: “We go towards the sea, towards Ostend, towards Blankenberge. In the other direction, we go up to the Ardennes. There are some courses where it feels like I’m going on holidays every day,

An occupation as a railway worker, arriving late in life. Until three years ago, Nathalie was a psychotherapist, but imprisonment deprived her of her clients and forced her to consider a change of career.

,My common thread, the thing that has always been important to me in all the professional activities so far, is that I like to see what is stuck in order to be able to unblock it and then start a new momentum“, she analyzes.

An agitating profession that still has a shortage of machinists. This year, 30 work train driver positions are to be filled at Infrabel.

SNCB measuring train