FIDIC CEO Dr Nelson Ogunshakin has been featured on a reimagined version of London’s iconic Tube map to honour the contributions of engineers in London, the UK and worldwide.
To celebrate National Engineering Day on 1 November 2023, Transport for London has partnered with the Royal Academy of Engineering to develop a themed tube map, highlighting the achievements of engineering icons. Nelson’s name is featured on the map, as a renamed stop on the district line replacing West Brompton station (see image above).
The new Engineering Icons tube map, which renames 274 Tube and Elizabeth line stations after notable engineers, was created to encourage and inspire more people to consider engineering as a career. Leading engineers from different fields including transport, defence, entertainment, computing and health have been selected for tube and Elizabeth line stations on the map.
Oxford Circus station has been renamed as 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 as 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.
Uxbridge has been renamed as Dr Gladys West, who was the first woman to receive the Royal Academy of Engineering’s highest individual award, the Prince Philip Medal, for work that paved the way to global positioning system. Ealing Common station has been renamed after Isambard Kingdom Brunel, who is the most celebrated civil engineer of the 19th century and was responsible for designing and constructing the Thames Tunnel in London, as well as many other transport projects.
Elsewhere, Warren Street has been renamed as Ada Lovelace who is considered the world’s first computer programmer while Regent’s Park station has been renamed as Alexander Graham Bell who was the inventor of the first practical telephone.
Commenting on the launch of the Engineering Icons tube map, London’s 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 London 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.”
Commenting on his inclusion on the Engineering Icons tube map, FIDIC CEO Dr Nelson Ogunshakin, said: “This is a fantastic collaboration between the Royal Academy of Engineering and Transport for London to celebrate National Engineering Day. I am very humbled and delighted to be named as one of the Engineering Icons included on this map and it is an honour to be listed alongside such engineering greats. A very happy National Engineering Day to all my fellow Engineering Icons!”
