Last Wednesday, 1 November, a reimagined version of London's iconic Tube map was released to mark National Engineering Day, which aims to make engineering more visible and celebrate how engineers improve our everyday lives.
The new Engineering Icons Tube map was created by Transport for London (TfL) in collaboration with the Royal Academy of Engineering and the London Transport Museum to honour the contributions of engineers in Britain and worldwide. It depicts 274 Tube and Elizabeth line stations that have been renamed after notable engineers to encourage and inspire more people to consider engineering as a career.
To coincide with National Engineering Day 2023, the Royal Academy of Engineering ran #EverydayEngineering competition where the public were invited to submit ideas and creations for making daily life more sustainable, and voting for their favourite shortlisted entry.
Stations selected for renaming recognise leading engineers from different fields including transport, defence, entertainment, computing and health, and include:
- Oxford Circus – renamed as Harry Beck, who in 1933 created London Underground's iconic Tube map;
- Shepherd's Bush – renamed as Professor Dame Ann Dowling, the first female President of the Royal Academy of Engineering and worked on pioneering noise-reduction research on Concorde
- Uxbridge – renamed as Dr Gladys West, the first woman to receive the Prince Philip Medal, the Royal Academy of Engineering's highest individual award for her work on Global Positioning Systems;
- Ealing Common – renamed after the celebrated nineteenth-century civil engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel was responsible for designing and constructing London's Thames Tunnel and many other transport projects;
- Warren Street – renamed as Ada Lovelace, the world's first computer programmer';
- Regent's Park – renamed as Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the first practical telephone;
- Abbey Wood – renamed after Isabel Coman, TfL's Director of Engineering, who played a significant part in building the Elizabeth line;
- Harrow-on-the-Hill – renamed after Sir Charles Kao, the father of fibre optic communications and who won a Nobel Prize for his pioneering work in information technology;
- Nine Elms – renamed as Eneni Bambara-Abban, a multi award-winning robotics engineer and star of the new This is Engineering series that brings engineering alive to young people.
Deputy Mayor for Transport, Seb Dance, said: “Engineers played a crucial role in recent major transport projects like the Elizabeth line and the Northern Line Extension, and throughout history have helped shape the capital into the world-leading city it is today.
“I'm delighted TfL has joined forces with the Royal Academy of Engineering to launch this new Tube map celebrating the achievements and contributions of engineers, some well-known and others we should know more about.
“I hope this initiative inspires Londoners from all walks of life to consider engineering as a career, helping us to continue building a better, more prosperous London for everyone.”
Andy Lord, London's Transport Commissioner who is also an engineer, said: “From the pioneering days of the first steam train to the cutting-edge technology of the new Elizabeth line in London, engineering has played a vital role in shaping transport in London and across the country.
“With the re-design of the map, which was an idea inspired by our former Head of Engineering, Kuldeep Gharatya who shares my passion for improving diversity and inclusion across the industry, we hope that we can encourage people from all backgrounds to consider engineering as a rewarding career. Together, we can pave the way for the UK to lead in engineering.”
Dr Hayaatun Sillem CBE, CEO of the Royal Academy of Engineering, said: “So much of London and the daily lives of Londoners has been designed, created and improved by engineers, and today it remains a hub of engineering innovation, from next generation transport to the development of AI tools to improve cancer diagnosis.
“So I'm delighted that, to mark National Engineering Day, TfL has worked with the Academy to create this map that recognises the achievements of both established and up and coming engineers who have shaped our lives. The work of engineers often goes unrecognised, which means many of us have a limited idea of what engineering really is.
“Today is a day to change that and uncover the stories of ingenuity, teamwork and persistence that have made their mark on the city around us.”
