HS2 has announced that its next two tunnel boring machines (TBMs) have been named Emily and Anne after two famous females who lived in Ealing.
The first TBM lowered into the shaft has been named after Emily Sophia Taylor who lived between 1872 and 1956. Emily was a midwife who provided services for women who could not afford maternity care. She helped establish the Perivale Maternity Hospital in 1937 before becoming Ealing’s first female mayor in 1938.
The second TBM’s namesake is Lady Anne Byron, an educational reformer and philanthropist who lived between 1792 and 1860. She established the Ealing Grove School in 1834 – England’s first co-operative school which provided education for the working classes, in an era when it was mainly for the wealthy.
Richard Crathern, head of delivery for HS2 Ltd said: “We are proud that the TBMs have been given names from women with a connection to the local area who made a difference to previous generations of young people. This next set of TBMs will be contributing to important infrastructure for generations to come as they build Britian’s new high speed railway.”
The machines will begin the 3.4mile journey at the start of 2024, travelling under Ealing from the Victoria Road site towards Greenpark Way in Greenford, taking around one year to complete the journey. At Greenpark Way, the machines will be disassembled and removed via another 35 metre deep shaft.
James Richardson, managing director of Skanksa Costain STRABAG joint venture said: “The London Tunnels programme 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 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.”
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