Oslo's new artery
Soon, the construction of the new main artery for water through the capital will begin. The machine that will do the job is 200 meters long and weighs 2000 tons.
This machine needs a name, and you can help decide!
The choices are Wenche, Shabana, and Laila. The names are taken from three prominent Oslo women who were pioneers in their fields and left lasting marks: Wenche Foss, Shabana Rehman, and Laila Schou Nilsen.
Voting ends on December 1st 2023.
These are the candidates:
Wenche Foss (1917-2011)
Wenche Foss was a Norwegian actress, often characterized as the grande dame of post-war Norwegian theater. She was born in Kristiania and is considered one of our most beloved actresses of all time. Through her status and as the mother of a son with Down syndrome, she became an important spokesperson for the rights of people with developmental disabilities. She was also an active advocate for the rights of homosexuals.
Read more about Wenche Foss in Store Norske Leksikon
Shabana Rehman (1976 - 2022)
Shabana Rehman was a Norwegian stand-up comedian, writer, playwright, and lecturer. She came to Norway with her family in 1977 and grew up in Holmlia, Oslo. She was one of the first with a minority background to break the sound barrier in the public sphere and reach a larger audience as an active social debater. She fought against oppression and violence against girls and women, and against patriarchy and honor culture.
Read more about Shabana Rehman in Store Norske Leksikon
Laila Schou Nilsen (1919–1998)
Laila Schou Nilsen was one of Norway's most prominent and versatile athletes of all time. In addition to being a top-ranking speed skater, she engaged in motorsport and won the Norwegian championships in alpine skiing, tennis, and handball. She participated in the Rally Monte Carlo four times and has five unofficial Norwegian championships in skill driving. Laila Schou Nilsen paved the way for women's position in sports through her determination and was constantly seeking new challenges.
- TBM assembly inside a cavern at Stubberud October 2023.
- The TBM was transported from Germany to Norway in parts. In a cavern at Stubberud, the machine is assembled and prepared for use.
- The largest parts were transported to Oslo by ship. The parts were then loaded onto trucks and hauled to the rig site. The transport took place at night and under police surveillance.
- Oversize load passing through the Vålereng tunnel.
Water is the lifeblood that keeps the city functioning, and without a good and secure water supply, we would all be in serious trouble. Currently, if Maridalsvannet or the water treatment plant next to it cannot be used, we have no backup. That's where our tunnel comes in. We are constructing a new water treatment plant at Huseby west in Oslo where water from Holsfjorden will be purified (we're well underway with a new tunnel from Holsfjorden too). But for everyone to be able to use this water, we need a main artery through the city to distribute the water.
This is a truly large and important job – one that will require its woman. We hope you will help us find a name for the tunnel boring machine that will do this job. According to tradition, tunnel boring machines are given female names – just like ships. The tunnel and what's inside it will be a significant part of the everyday life of everyone in Oslo when it's completed. And even though we may not think much about how water comes into our taps in our daily lives, water is, in fact, the difference between a lively, pulsating, and healthy city and a crisis scenario where the city will simply stop functioning.
Read more about the project on the City of Oslo's website.
