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Florence and Cecilia located at the Chiltern Tunnel south portal.
Florence and Cecilia located at the Chiltern Tunnel south portal.

Naming the HS2 Tunnel Boring Machines

Much like ships, it is traditional to name Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) before they are launched and it is a long-held tunnelling tradition to give them female names.

Florence and Cecilia: our Chiltern Tunnel TBMs

HS2’s Chiltern Tunnel contractor ran an engagement programme with local schools in the Buckinghamshire area.  A national vote was held to select the winning names for the two TBMs that will create the 10-miles of tunnel under the Chilterns.

The winning names, Florence and Cecilia, were suggested by students at Meadow High School in Hillingdon and The Chalfonts Community College, Buckinghamshire, inspired by female scientific and medical pioneers. Florence won 40% of the vote and Cecilia was a close second with 32%.

Florence and Cecilia were our first TBMs to launch. Florence was launched in May 2021. Cecilia, the second of the 2000 tonne TBMs, launched in July.

Dorothy: our Long Itchington Wood Tunnel TBM

A national vote was held to name HS2’s third TBM, which will create a one-mile twin bore tunnel under Long Itchington Wood in Warwickshire.

Three names were shortlisted from over 180 entries submitted by people in Warwickshire, who were asked to nominate the names of women closely associated with the county. A public vote followed, with the online competition.

The winning name, Dorothy, was suggested by a student at Warwickshire College Group and was the winning name in a public vote. The machine was launched in December 2021, marking the launch of the first TBM on the Midlands section of HS2.

Sushila and Caroline: our Northolt Tunnel West TBMs

Local school children from Dairy Meadow Primary School in Southall and Brentside Primary Academy helped name the Northolt Tunnel TBMs after participating in workshops about the tunnelling work.

TBM Sushila was named after local schoolteacher Sushila Hirani, Head of Department and Lead for STEM at Greenford High School, in Southall. The second TBM to be launched has been named Caroline after the German-born British astronomer Caroline Herschel.

TBM Sushila was launched in October 2022, by Sushila herself, and the second machine was launched later that same month.

Emily and Anne: our Northolt Tunnel East TBMs

TBM Emily 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.

TBM Anne’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.

TBM Emily was launched in February of this year and TBM Anne will be launched in March.

Lydia: our Atlas Road Logistics Tunnel TBM

Members of the local community selected the name ‘Lydia’ for the TBM which will build the Atlas Road Logistics Tunnel.

TBM Lydia was named after Lydia Gandaa a former teacher at nearby Old Oak Common Primary School.

Lydia was at the launch event, in April 2023, to see her name unveiled on the giant machine, alongside pupils from the school.

Mary Ann and Elizabeth: our Bromford Tunnel TBMs

The first Bromford Tunnel TBM was named ‘Mary Ann’ after Mary Ann Evans, better known by her pen name George Eliot, who was an English novelist, poet, journalist, translator and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. The name was suggested by the Warwickshire community and TBM Mary Ann was launched in the summer of 2023.

The second TBM was named Elizabeth by pupils from Paget Primary School in Birmingham, following the tradition of naming HS2 TBMs after famous women from the local area. The machine is named after Dame Elizabeth Cadbury, who spent her life campaigning for the education and welfare of women in Birmingham.

Find out more about the inspirational women who our TBMs were named after

Florence Nightingale

Florence Nightingale was the founder of modern nursing who came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during the Crimean War, in which she organised care for the wounded.

Nominated by: The Meadow Special Needs School, Hillingdon because:

“She was a nurse who campaigned her whole life for funding for her charity which provided health care and hospitals for poor people before we had the NHS.”

Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin

Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin was an Astronomer and Astrophysicist from Buckinghamshire. She attended Cambridge University, then became Chair of Astronomy at Harvard. She was the first person to properly ‘read’ a temperature on stars. She also discovered that stars are made mainly from hydrogen and helium.

Nominated by: Chalfont Community College, Buckinghamshire because:

“Cecilia was born locally to the project being from Buckinghamshire. Cecilia is an inspiration and made an amazing, life-changing decision; to do something she actually wanted to do and became famous for her work.”

Dorothy Hodgkin

In 1964 Dorothy Hodgkin became the first British woman to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Her discoveries included confirming the structure of penicillin, and her work with insulin paved the way for it to be used on a large scale for treatment of diabetes. She died in 1994 in Shipston-on-Stour in Warwickshire.

Nominated by: Warwickshire College Group

Sushila Hirani

TBM Sushila was named after local schoolteacher Sushila Hirani, Head of Department and Lead for STEM at Greenford High School.

Nominated by: Willow class at Dairy Meadow Primary School in Southall because:

“Her involvement in local infrastructure and development projects, including the Waterside housing development in Southall, and drive to attract girls into STEM subjects as a path towards Engineering at A Level, apprenticeships, and degrees, has inspired many in the local area.”

Caroline Herschel

The second TBM for Northolt Tunnel to be launched has been named Caroline after the German-born British astronomer Caroline Herschel. Considered the first professional female astronomer, discovering three new nebulae (hazy clouds where stars form) in 1783, Herschel went on to be first woman to ever discover a comet in 1786.

Nominated by: Brentside Primary Academy in Ealing, because:

“Who were inspired by her contribution to astronomy whilst learning about earth and space in their science lessons.”

Lydia Gandaa

The Atlas Road Logistics Tunnel TBM was named Lydia because members of the local community have selected the name after Lydia Gandaa. Lydia is a former teacher at nearby Old Oak Common Primary School and a founding member of the Bubble & Squeak social enterprise in the area. She is an active member of the local community, running after school and holiday clubs at the Old Oak Community Centre.

Speaking about having the TBM named after her, Lydia said:

“I’m delighted to have been invited to come down to the HS2 site and am honoured see the TBM that has been named after me. I am passionate about the local community and thank them for choosing my name for the TBM.”

Mary Ann Evans

The name of the TBM was named ‘Mary Ann’ after Mary Ann Evans, better known by her pen name George Eliot.

Nominated by the Warwickshire community, because:

“Mary Ann was a local English novelist, poet, journalist, translator and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. She was born in Nuneaton and her novels, most famously ‘Middlemarch’, are celebrated for their realism and psychological insights.”

Emily Sophia Taylor

TBM Emily 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 name was chosen following a public vote. 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.”

Lady Anne Byron

TBM Anne was named after 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.

The name was chosen following a public vote. 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.”

Dame Elizabeth Cadbury DBE

Dame Elizabeth Cadbury DBE founded the Birmingham Union of Girls’ Clubs, was Vice President of the Electrical Association for Women, and President of the United Hospital in Birmingham.

Together with her husband – George Cadbury, the chocolate manufacturer – she participated in the reform of industrial working and living conditions through supporting the welfare, health and education of women and children in Bournville. For her public service Elizabeth Cadbury was made an OBE in 1918 and a DBE in 1934.

Lucy Holmes, Forest School Lead at Paget Primary School said:

“Our pupils have been learning about the importance of the Cadbury family in Birmingham, and we’re thrilled that we could name the TBM after Dame Elizabeth Cadbury.”

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