A team of young leaders from Skanska, working on the HS2 London Tunnels project, hosted graduates and work placement students from Network Rail – sharing learning in fields such as engineering, environment and sustainability, utilities and risk management.
The visit focused primarily on activities at the Skanska Costain STRABAG joint venture (SCS) run Logistics Hub at Willesden, North West London and included a tour of the Victoria Road Crossover Box site.
Jessica Horlock, Senior Engagement Manager at Skanska working on the SCS JV, provided an overview of the project and an insight into the logistical challenges managed at the Logistics Hub. “The purpose of the visit was to help the new engineers expand their understanding of the construction activities and challenges encountered on large infrastructure projects and bring engineering to life outside of the classroom.
“The day provided a great opportunity for relationship building between all of the emerging talent who attended, helping to support early careers in the rail sector, and to further build on the excellent relationships we have established with both Network Rail and HS2.”
While at the Logistics Hub, the group were shown some of the tools and digital innovations used to track compliance with Undertaking and Assurances. This includes Mudam, which uses machine learning to identify and notify the site team of any mud that needs clearing from public roads, as well as automatic number plate recognition set up on local roads that identifies vehicles delivering materials to HS2 sites. They then moved onto the SCS Hazard School to learn more about the main risks encountered on construction sites and the dangers of taking shortcuts.
The day finished with a tour of the Victoria Road Crossover Box site at Old Oak Common in West London before concluding back at Willesden Euro Terminal for feedback and reflections.
The graduates and students, who travelled from Manchester, York, Milton Keynes and Glasgow, found the day very informative and particularly enjoyed the site visits and discovering what is involved in building a mega project such as HS2. One of the students commented: “The day was fantastic. I can’t think of any way it could be improved.”