I drove the first train on London's new $25 billion railway. I dread the early shifts but still never get bored of the job.

The Elizabeth line was built for 23 years and opened in May. The first person to drive a train was me.

I have never operated trains before I became an Elizabeth line driver. When my husband saw an ad for female train drivers at Crossrail, he decided to apply.

I was a bit worried before entering the rail sector. I did not think the culture was for me. I didn't think it would be nice for a woman. It was very different from the beginning.

Monika Michalska/MTR

I was ready to drive the first Elizabeth line train to Paddington at 6 a.m. after walking down the station platform at Abbey Wood. A group of train enthusiasts gathered at Abbey Wood station to watch a train roll on the tracks for the first time.

It was a big moment for the railway company, the enthusiasts, and myself as a driver, so I did a count for the train leaving the station.

Monika Michalska/MTR

It was me who was given the chance to be the first person to drive a train on the line, which was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II.

I'm not scared of the job despite it being a huge construction project and requiring a lot of responsibility. I feel like I'm doing something right. I am in charge of the train and I will take the passengers wherever they need to go.

The early morning shifts are bad for me. I don't like seeing my name on the roster at 2 a.m. Even if you want to go to sleep or eat, you need to keep going because some shifts are long. The only negative thing about the job is that it's hard to organize my life around the shifts. The other things make up for it.

Monika Michalska/MTR

The job is not boring despite what you think. I like driving the Elizabeth line because I have so many options. Driving along a route with different speeds and stopping times is more interesting. You can travel at high speed in the west London section.

There are 70 trains that cross through 41 stations on the 60 mile route from one side of London to the other. The majority of the route is overground. I think that Elizabeth line drivers are more luckier than underground tube drivers because we are in tunnels less often.

Monika Michalska/MTR

I work as an Elizabeth line driver all year long. We can only get off on Christmas. The shifts can be as short as five hours and as long as 12 hours, but on average they are around eight hours long.

Train drivers can earn more than $81,800 if they're fully qualified, while the first year takes home around $60,300.

The early shifts are the only ones that phase me. My work is very close to my heart. I like to drive Unit 12 which is the first train I've ever driven during my training.

When I was hired for this job, I was very happy.