An Article By Princess, Year 12

We are the Year 12 Engineering Society students, and last week we were fortunate enough to have embarked on a trip to the ‘High Speed 2’ build site at the Victoria Rod Crossover Box, North Acton in London!

We delved into the inspiring world of civil and mechanical engineering and were able to witness first-hand, and understand how different systems are used to maintain key elements in everyday life. An in-depth and engaging tour was led by a retired Engineer on site, and our excursion extended beyond the build site, we also had the opportunity to be  ‘fitted and kitted’ in personal protective equipment (PPE) before heading 30 metres underground for an exclusive view of the tunnels.

This offered much more than just an exciting opportunity to see the largest tunnel of the project (accommodating the crossover of the tracks), but also a chance to see a variety of roles in action, in both man-powered and computerised systems. Accommodated by Mr Speyer, Head of Science, we were able to ask real-world questions and even gained access to ‘behind the scenes’ systems at the Logistics Center, exposing us to the many careers in STEM that are offered in projects such as this. From the aspiring Engineers and Year 12 Physics students, we would like to say a massive thank you to the staff at the Victoria Road Site, for their warm welcome and extensive knowledge of the project that they shared with us. They made the trip even more valued and unforgettable!