QUU invites school kids to name TBM

The tunnel boring machine (TBM), which has been christened ‘Kenji’, will be used to tunnel a 1.7 m diameter cross-river tunnel from Kenmore to Jindalee. With the name and design selected, the outside of the TBM will be painted before commencing tunnelling work. Queensland Urban Utilities spokesperson, Michelle Cull, said “We received more than 200 entries from Kenmore, Kenmore South and Jindalee state schools as well as Our Lady of the Rosary Primary School. “There were so many fabulous ideas but there can only be two winners – and they were Olivia Harm from Jindalee State School and Luke Lau from Kenmore South State School. “Olivia creatively combined Kenmore and Jindalee to land on ‘Kenji’ as the winning name for our tunnel borer, while Luke’s bright red and yellow flame design really caught our attention!” Once tunnelling work is completed, the new pipeline will house a water and sewer main, facilitating improved connections across the Brisbane River. The Kenmore-Jindalee pipeline is part of an AU$17 million water and sewerage project which includes approximately 2 km of new sewer mains and 600 m of new water mains on the Jindalee side of the river. Queensland Urban Utilities ran a similar schools competition for the naming and design of Cora, the tunnel boring machine (TBM) that was used for tunnelling work during the Woolloongabba Trunk Sewer upgrade. This initiative is a step away from the traditional method of name TBMs; they are usually given female names decided by project workers, as a nod towards Saint Barbara, the patron saint of tunnelling. For further information visit the Queensland Urban Utilities website.