Dream Come True

6/11/2024

With her work onboard our trains, the childhood dream of the dispatcher and steward Kateřina Dluhošová came true in a peculiar way.

Air Hostess on the Train

She wanted to be an air hostess, but she did not meet the minimum height requirement. During her university studies, she started to work as a steward in Leo Express trains. “It was in fact just the same as being an air hostess, only it was a train instead of a plane,” says Kateřina. In the end, she gave up her studies to become a full-time steward.

“I think it is largely thanks to my grandmother that I ended up on the rails,” smiles Kateřina. “She worked on the rails and when I was little, she would take me with her to watch trains. I think it shaped me.” Recently, you could meet Kateřina on the lines between Bohumíne and Prahgue, Košice a Kraków. At present, she has taken a different position within Leo Express, but she occasionally returns to her former work. “I sometimes help the crews and take one or two shifts in a month,” she explains.

I think it is largely thanks to my grandmother that I ended up on the rails.Kateřina Dluhošová, dispatcher and steward

Love for Transport

She divides her time at work between the positions of a dispatcher and a deputy cabin crew manager. What are the responsibilities of a dispatcher actually? “The responsibilities are high. The dispatcher takes care of the whole operation of the train – from the preparation, solving unforeseen issues, to rail replacement bus service. I have to be able to solve any issue and be available at all times,” says Kateřina. That means working shifts, because dispatchers are needed at night, too. And how about cabin crew management? “I help the manager, and I replace him when he is unavailable. I sort out the shifts, the days off, I communicate with the stewards,” she explains. "I can build on my five-year experience as a hostess, I can understand their position.”

Work is first – but then there is time for hobbies and entertainment. “I love travelling. I try to travel as often as I can, and I do not care whether it is in Czechia or abroad. I really loved Brazil, but I try to explore interesting places anywhere in the world,” says Kateřina Dluhošová, the dispatcher, manager, and still an occasional hostess.

Career at Leo Express

TEXT: Jakub Jukl
PHOTO: archive of Kateřina Dluhošová
The whole article is to be found in the summer issue of the Leo Express magazine