Christine E. MacLean was born in 1949. She began work as a Tracer in British Rail Signalling & Telecommunications in 1963, serving in this capacity until 1968 when she joined the British Rail Property Board in York. In 1970 she had qualified as a surveyor through day-release study at Leeds College of Further Education and Sheffield Polytechnic. From 1973 she began work on the sale of closed branch lines. She worked on the Selby diversion land purchase from 1977. She joined the Property Board in British Rail: Anglia Region in 1987. She also worked on station leases for Railtrack from 1994 until 2000.