The Sydhavn Metro's tunnel boring machines will be christened
Facts about the tunnel boring machines in Sydhavn
- The two tunnel boring machines in Sydhavn are the metro construction's largest machines.
- They have a fighting weight of over 600 tonnes and a length of more than 140 metres.
- Some of the machine parts are so large that they have been transported through the city at night for the sake of other traffic.
- Over the next few months, the machines will be assembled and tested before the first tunnel boring machine is expected to be dispatched in January.
The two giant tunnel boring machines that will dig the two 4.5 kilometre long tunnels for the new Sydhavn Metro have arrived at the construction site at Enghave Brygge. Here, the machines are being assembled at the bottom of the deep station shaft before they begin their complicated and meticulous drilling work deep underground in a few months.
Before the tunnel boring machines start working deep underground, tradition dictates that they must be given a name. All over the world, drilling machines are christened before their first trip to bring good luck to the project. Just like ships are baptised before their maiden voyage. The drillers manning the giant tunnel boring machines simply refuse to board if the machines have not been christened. So while it's both popular and fun, it's also a vital and firm tradition.
The Metroselskabet is therefore launching a naming competition today, where anyone who wants to can help come up with names for the two tunnel boring machines. A panel of judges will review the entries and select the winning names. The prize for the best entry is an invitation to the christening of the first underground tunnel boring machine at the construction site in Sydhavn. The winner can invite a guest to the extraordinary experience prior to the boring machine's first journey.
‘Of course the tunnel boring machines in Sydhavn should have a name - just like they had on the M3 line and the Nordhavn Metro. When the machines start drilling at the beginning of the new year, it will be a major and important milestone in the construction of the new metro line. With the Sydhavn Metro, the southern part of Copenhagen will be connected to the metro network, which will give a huge boost to public transport and better connect Sydhavnen to the rest of the city,’ says Lord Mayor Frank Jensen (S).
The Sydhavn Metro consists of five underground stations: Havneholmen, Enghave Brygge, Sluseholmen, Mozarts Plads and Ny Ellebjerg, which will become a new transport hub. Here it will be easy for passengers to transfer to bus, regional and S-trains. This will distribute train passengers to the Metro in a system similar to that found in several European cities.
During the first metro construction in 1997, the drills were named Liva (Weel) and Betty (Nansen) after the two famous, deceased actresses. On the M3 line, the naming of the four drilling machines took place as a major event in 2013, where citizens were also involved in a naming competition. A panel of judges decided that the machines should be named after the old telephone exchanges in Copenhagen - Nora, Tria, Minerva and Eva.
The tunnel boring machines in Nordhavn were also named after a competition, and the final choice was Alice and Frida. Frida was the name of the first boat in the Women's Sailing Club, located in Nordhavn. Alice was the name of one of the two founders back in 1942.
Facts about the Sydhavn Metro
- The new metro line to Sydhavn will consist of 5 new stations from Havneholmen to Ny Ellebjerg and is expected to be completed in 2024.
- The stations will be part of the new M4 metro line, which will run from Orientkaj in Nordhavn across City and on to Sydhavn.
- The Sydhavn section will be 4.5 kilometres long and approximately 29,000 passengers are expected to use the Metro daily at the 5 stations by 2035. This equates to 9 million passengers per year.
- With the Metro to Sydhavn, the many commuters will have easy and fast access to the Metro network from the new transport hub Ny Ellebjerg Station.
- The tunnel boring machines are set in motion from the construction site at Enghave Brygge.
Participation in the competition
Suggestions can be sent to navne@m.dk or via Facebook: www.facebook.com/metroenkbh
no later than Friday 13 December at 12:00 noon.
Remember the following:
- Suggestions for names for the two drills
- They must be female names
- Preferably a short reason for the names
- Contact details - name, address, phone number
Name suggestions that may be offensive or objectionable will be eliminated from the competition. If more than one person has suggested the two winning names, there will be a draw for the prize. Employees employed by Metroselskabet, Metro Service or contractors on the Metro construction project cannot participate in the competition.