Transport for London’s Michèle Dix announces her retirement

Transport for London (TfL) Crossrail 2 managing director Michèle Dix joins NCE editor Claire Smith and head of content and engagement Rob Horgan on the latest episode of The Engineers Collective to talk about her 21 year career with the organisation as she prepares for retirement.

Michèle talks about her work on London’s congestion charging scheme, which first took her to TfL in 2000 and how she was an early pioneer of job sharing when she jointly delivered the role of director for the project with Malcolm Murray-Clark. She continued to work with Malcolm as the scheme was extended westwards and they evolved the role to deliver London’s Low Emission Zone too.

Michèle also discusses some of her favourite projects, including delivery of London’s cable car, before exploring the challenges faced by her last project – Crossrail 2 – which has now been mothballed as a result of TfL’s pandemic funding issues.

In reflecting back on her career, Michèle also puts forward advice for young engineers hoping to emulate her success and considers what advice she’d give her younger self too.

Ahead of the interview with Michèle, Claire, Rob and reporter Catherine Kennedy explore some of the latest news stories including some intriguing innovations such as the role of fungi in preventing landslides, tunnel boring machines that can 3D print tunnel linings or bore square section tunnels through rock and how graphene might change construction materials.