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Wednesday 21 Jun 2023

Rail Link project welcomes Levenmouth Academy pupils

Region & Route:

Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

The Levenmouth Rail Link project today (21 June) played host to new S2 students from Levenmouth Academy participating in a day of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) workshops.

The Academy pupils were the first of more than 300 students who will visit the project over three days to participate in workshops focusing on how STEM relates to the railway.

Over the course of the day, students took part in four workshops, ranging from how technology is used to design the railway, to how it is built and maintained.

The £116m Scottish Government funded project has been on-site since January 2022 and many of the young people will have seen work being delivered along the six-mile route or at the two new stations in their community.

The workshops are designed to be interactive and encourage young people to participate, ask questions, and get a feel for the railway. They offered a fresh perspective on everything involved in delivering an engineering project on this scale.  

Joe Mulvenna, Project Manager for Network Rail said: “It’s incredible to see so many young people here today - actively participating in and genuinely enjoying the workshops. We’ve had some great questions and they’ve all been keen to get involved with the activities.

“It’s fantastic for the project to see this level of interest from local people, particularly among young people who will likely benefit most from the connectivity the new railway will bring to their community.

“STEM events like this help us to showcase the range of career opportunities the railway offers and shows young people that through engineering, they can build a really positive career.”

Jordan Webster, Deputy Head Teacher, Levenmouth Academy said: “Having the opportunity to visit the Levenmouth Rail Link project is fantastic.”

“It highlights the opportunities out there for the young people participating in a fun and interactive way and shows that there is something for everyone in the railway. The workshops cover plant equipment, design and engineering and the pupils are getting an insight into the delivery of the project in a safe and controlled environment.

“We want to see the young people who attend the workshops become aware of the opportunities and get inspired.  It would be great if one legacy of the project is our children having the ambition and belief that they could pursue a career working on the railway.”