HS2 has launched a vote to name its first tunnelling machines.

People can choose from a shortlist of Cecilia, Florence and Marie, which were suggested by schoolchildren.

Cecilia would be named after Buckinghamshire-born astronomer Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, while Florence comes from Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing who spent many years in the county.

A defining moment in the history of HS2

Marie is from Marie Curie, the first woman to win a Nobel Prize.

The two tunnel boring machines (TBMs) are being manufactured in Germany.

They will be launched in early 2021 and spend around three years digging the 10-mile long Chiltern tunnels.

It is traditional to give female names to TBMs before they begin their work.

HS2 Ltd chief executive Mark Thurston said: “The launch of our first TBM will be a defining moment in the history of HS2 – and our work to deliver high capacity, low carbon high speed rail travel for millions of people across the UK.”

Visit https://www.hs2.org.uk/tbmvoting/ to vote.