Claremont Meadows school kids win naming competition for Metro Tunnel Boring Machine

A friendly competition between Western Sydney primary schools to name one of the state of the art Tunnel Boring machines constructing the new Metro Airport link has been won by children from Claremont Meadows Primary School.

After being tasked with naming the machine after an inspirational woman working in the field of STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) students from 5X suggested naming it after Dr Marlene Kanga, a world-renowned chemical engineer, activist and entrepreneur, who was present for the official naming ceremony, held last Tuesday. The desire to name the machine after a female scientist came in part from the long-held belief that TBM's with 'female names' will bring good luck to both the project and the workers involved.

The class will also enjoy an Aboriginal Cultural Experience later in the year as a reward for their efforts.

Other competing schools included Orchard Hills PS, Our Lady of the Rosary, Kurrambee School, St Marys North PS and St Marys South PS.

School captains Alexandria and Reuben, along with representatives from other schools, were given a tour of the incoming Metro site at nearby Orchard Hills, getting to witness the Boring Machine in action before finding out they'd won.

The 900 tonne machine has been officially named TMB Marlene, and is expected to bore 120 metres per week on its 4.3 kilometre journey from Orchard Hills to St Marys, arriving at the new metro hub site in mid-2024.

Feature image by MetroNSW