TBM naming exercise upsets residents
2 June 2020Locals in a few Chiltern villages in England are upset by operator HS2’s TBM-naming competition which, true to industry tradition, asks schools and the broader public to pick names from a shortlist. In the past, such exercises have generated much wider interest in engineering generally and in tunnelling specifically, allowing the public to discover details of inspiring technologies they might otherwise not have known about.
But the TBM naming exercise seems to have agitated an already delicate situation: some have called the rail line ‘ludicrous’, arguing that not only will it not benefit locals, but its effects on some villages, notably Great Missenden and South Heath, will be irreversible. And in place of the shortlisted ‘Cecilia’, ‘Florence’ and ‘Marie’, locals have suggested names which are altogether less flattering.
HS2 chief executive Mark Thurston said: “The construction of HS2 is set to be an amazing opportunity to showcase global capability and innovation in the design and delivery of major infrastructure, and the tunnel boring machines are one of the most fascinating aspects. Like mini cities, they will spend 24 hours a day, seven days a week boring under the Chilterns so that the homes and habitats above remain undisturbed.”
At 10.26m in diameter, the two variable density, slurry-type TBMs under assembly are destined for delivery later this year and will excavate the 16km-long, twin-tube tunnels under the Chilterns. Once excavation begins, they will operate continuously for around 3.5 years, stopping only for Christmas and other public holidays. The machines are part of a total of 10 TBMs that will be used on the project.
