The drivers will receive about one month of training at the Nanjing unit of the China Railway Shanghai Group Co. Ltd. in Nanjing, capital of eastern China's Jiangsu province. The training will include physical exercises and skill honing for their jobs.

"It is the first batch of female drivers for high-speed trains along the Yangtze River Delta," said Xing Guangming, with the Nanjing unit of the China Railway Shanghai Group Co. Ltd.

Xing said that in the past, train driver positions were dominated by men, but now, advanced trains have lower requirements on physical abilities and higher requirements on skills. "Women are more detail-oriented, which gives them an advantage," Xing said.

The drivers will go to Shanghai for three more months of training after completing the training sessions in Nanjing.

China has the world's largest high-speed railway network, with operating mileage exceeding 29,000 km by the end of 2018.