In celebration of National Engineering Day today (November 1) Transport for London has partnered with the Royal Academy of Engineering to launch a new ‘Engineering Icons’ themed Tube map to honour leading engineers from London and beyond. The reimagined map sees 274 Tube and Elizabeth line stations named after prominent engineers, both from history and of today.
National Engineering Day commemorates the achievements and contributions of engineers, including Harry Beck, Brunel and Ada Lovelace, and hopes to inspire people from all backgrounds to pursue a career in engineering by making it more visible and celebrating how engineers improve everyday lives.
Distinguished engineers from different fields including transport, defence, entertainment, computing and health have been selected to be named as different Tube line stations on the map, including:
- Oxford Circus station has been renamed after Harry Beck, who was an electrical draughtsman and created the iconic London Underground Tube map 90 years ago in 1933
- Shepherd’s Bush has been renamed after Professor Dame Ann Dowling, who was the first female President of the Royal Academy of Engineering and worked on pioneering noise-reduction research on Concorde
- Warren Street has been renamed after Ada Lovelace who is considered the world’s first computer programmer
- Regent’s Park station has been renamed after Alexander Graham Bell who was the inventor of the first practical telephone
- Abbey Wood station has been renamed after Isabel Coman who is TfL’s Director of Engineering and who played a significant role in building the Elizabeth line
- Harrow-on-the-Hill station has been renamed after Sir Charles Kao who was known as the father of fibre optic communications and led the way in pioneering information technology, for which he won a Nobel Prize
The map highlights that without the efforts of engineers, London would not be the world-leading city it is today as it is engineers who have been responsible for creating major transport projects in the capital in recent years. From the creation of the Elizabeth Line to the expansion of the Northern Line to Battersea Power Station and London Overground to Barking Riverside, along with the transformation of Bank Station, engineers are fundamental in making London the great city that it is.
To encourage more people to consider careers in science, technology engineering and maths (STEM), TfL has welcomed more than 260 graduates, apprentices, and interns this year to gain unique skills and experiences whilst working on key projects in the city. Schemes such as these are gaining success in attracting a diverse range of candidates from a range of backgrounds that are traditionally under-represented within the transport sector.
To further commemorate the special day, the Royal Academy of Engineering is running a competition, inviting the public to release their inner engineer by submitting ideas and creations that aim to make daily life more sustainable, and then voting for their favourite shortlisted entry.
To view the Engineering Icons Tube Map, head here.