By Ashley Karen
The major components of the first of the next two tunnel boring machines, which are said to be launched for HS2’s London tunnels, have been lifted into the ancillary shaft.
Skanska Costain Strabag (SCS) joint venture, HS2 London Tunnels contractor, finished the lift at the 25m-deep shaft in Ealing as it readies for the next stage of tunneling beneath the capital.
Now, following a public vote, HS2 has revealed the names of the selected pair of tunnel boring machines, which are Emily and Anne.
The first TBM lowered into the shaft has been named after Emily Sophia Taylor, who lived from 1872 to 1956. Emily was a midwife who provided services for women who could not afford maternity care. She assisted in establishing the Perivale Maternity Hospital in 1937 before becoming Ealing’s first female mayor in 1938.
The second tunnel boring machine’s namesake is Lady Anne Byron, an educational reformer and philanthropist who lived from 1792 to 1860. She founded the Ealing Grove School in 1834 (England’s first cooperative school), which delivered education for the working classes in an era when it was mainly for the wealthy.
The Herrenknecht EPBMs have been designed for the soft ground conditions they will encounter, specifically London clay, and each weigh about 1,700 tones.
The TBMs will start the 5.5km journey at the beginning of next year, traveling beneath Ealing from the Victoria Road site towards Greenpark Way in Greenford, taking about one year to finish. At Greenpark Way, the tunnel boring machines are claimed to be disassembled and removed through a 35m-deep shaft.
James Richardson, SCS managing director, declared: “The London Tunnels program is in full swing, and we’re excited to introduce our next two TBMs, Emily and Anne, to the project. They will join our first two TBMs, Sushila and Caroline, who are one year into constructing the 8.4-mile (12.9km) section of tunnel between West Ruislip and Victoria Road, just outside Old Oak Common.”
He added: “We are well on the way to delivering 13 miles of twin-bore tunnels in London, and next year, we’ll be manufacturing our final two TBMs that will tunnel our final drive between Old Oak Common and Euston.”
This tunneling section will finish the 13.5 km-long Northolt tunnel, which is being constructed in two parts. Two tunnel boring machines are already excavating the tunnel’s western end, starting in West Ruislip and working towards Greenford, with nearly 3.2km completed so far.
In addition, the two new machines will excavate the eastern section. The final section of the HS2 tunnel from Victoria Road Crossover Box to link to Old Oak Common Station will be built employing spray concrete lining.
