Our people
Paul Dryden
Graduate Civil Engineer
Degree - MEng Civil Engineering, University of Warwick
Joined us - September 2007
“It meant stepping out of my comfort zone but I always felt I could ask for advice when it was needed”
“There were a few graduate schemes I was considering, both in the rail industry and consultancies, but what swung it for me was the range of placement opportunities available within Tube Lines. I could see that it was a great way to get a breadth of experience and keep my options open – and so it's proved.
“My first placement involved performing structural assessments of 'grey' assets. These are basically assets which London Underground didn't know the condition of when we entered the PPP contract with them. It was great to use the knowledge I had picked up at uni, and I was really doing the same job as engineers with years of experience. It meant stepping out of my comfort zone but I always felt I could ask for advice when it was needed. The assessments involved a desktop study for archive records followed by a visual inspection. Then I would perform an analysis of the asset using loads set out in London Underground, write an assessment report and give the asset a condition rating.
“I then moved into signal equipment room (SER) design on a project to allow the Jubilee and Northern lines to run transmission based train control, a system that automates trains so they can run faster and closer together. I then designed the civil aspects of an SER at Finchley Central station from the foundations upwards, and I'm now on a construction placement to see my design come to life – which is enormously rewarding.
“As you can see, Tube Lines gives you responsibility, but you're well prepared for it. The training is constant. I've been on courses for everything from gaining London Underground permits for track and machine rooms to Eurocodes courses, attended a conference on sustainable building technology and I'm now doing a course on contracts and procurement. It all adds to my knowledge base.”
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