Stunning new images reveal Crossrail’s progress Friday 28th November 2014 By Nick Mann

New images released today by Crossrail reveal the project’s progress as it hits the 60% complete mark.

More than 23 miles (nearly 90%) of train tunnels are now complete, with tunnelling due to finish in spring next year. Six of Crossrail’s eight tunnelling machines have now completed their drives. The construction of ten new stations in central and southeast London is more than half complete.

The surface works, delivered by Network Rail, are well underway. Significant progress has been made on the new flyover at Stockley, providing access to Heathrow, and on a new diveunder at Acton. In addition, a temporary station has opened at Abbey Wood to allow the new Crossrail station to be built.

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Gallery - Stunning new images reveal Crossrail’s progress 1 Bond Street platform tunnels _161017

Platform tunnels at the new Crossrail Bond Street station.

2 Bond Street platform tunnels _161013

The 260 metre long platforms run parallel to and around 100 metres to the south of Oxford Street.

3 Bond Street platform tunnels _164775

From 2018, 220,000 passengers are expected to use Bond Street London Underground and Crossrail station every day.

4 Bond Street platform tunnels _161024

Several hundred tunnellers have been working 24/7 for the past two years constructing the platform tunnels beneath Oxford Street.

5 Liverpool Street platform tunnels _162393

Machinery in the new platform tunnels for Liverpool Street station. More than 1.5 kilometres of platform and pedestrian tunnels are being created over 40 metres below ground level.

6 Tunnelling machine Elizabeth at Whitechapel _162257

Tunnelling machine Elizabeth at Whitechapel station. The 150 metre long, thousand tonne machine is one of eight used on Crossrail. With almost 90% of tunnelling complete, Elizabeth is one of just two machines still operational.

7 Farringdon platform tunnel _163721

Platform tunnels at the new Farringdon station. When it opens in 2018, Farringdon will be one of the busiest stations in Britain. An estimated 90,000 passengers will use the Crossrail station every day and 150,000 will use the Farringdon interchange that will also encompass London Underground and Thameslink services.

8 Tottenham Court Road platform tunnels _164643

Platform tunnels at Tottenham Court Road. Alongside TfL’s upgrade of the existing Tube station, Crossrail is building a new station the length of three football pitches, four storeys below ground.

9 Tottenham Court Road platform tunnels _160746

More than 200,000 passengers will use Tottenham Court Road station when Crossrail services start in 2018.

10 Train tunnel at Paddington _157143

Train tunnel at Paddington. The new Crossrail station is being constructed directly next to Brunel’s Grade I listed Paddington mainline station. Once complete, the station will be 250 metres long and 30 metres wide and will cater for 70,000 passengers a day.



















Andrew Wolstenholme, Crossrail Chief Executive said: “Crossrail is being delivered on time and on budget. These fantastic images show the scale of work taking place around the clock beneath the streets of London. We are on schedule to provide London and the South East with a fantastic new railway in 2018.”

More than 10,000 people are working directly on Crossrail at around 40 construction sites. Over the course of the project, it is estimated that Crossrail and its supply chain will support the equivalent of 55,000 full time jobs across the country. More than 7,000 people have completed training at Crossrail’s Tunnelling and Underground Construction Academy in Ilford, which opened in 2011. In addition to Crossrail, 61,000 jobs are created around the country annually through TfL's investment programme. TfL and its suppliers have also created over 5,000 apprenticeship roles since April 2009.

Over the coming months, while tunnelling will continue, the project’s focus will shift to the substantial job of fitting out the stations and tunnels.

Crossrail will transform public transport in London, reducing journey times, increasing rail capacity by 10 per cent and bringing an extra 1.5 million people to within 45 minutes of central London.

Ends

For further information contact the Crossrail Press Office on 020 3229 9552 or email [email protected]

Notes to editors:

The Crossrail route will serve 40 stations and run more than 100km from Reading and Heathrow in the west, through new twin-bore 21 km (13 miles) tunnels below central London to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east.

When Crossrail opens it will increase London's rail-based transport capacity by 10%, supporting regeneration and cutting journey times across the city. Crossrail services are due to commence through central London in 2018.

Crossrail is being delivered by Crossrail Limited (CRL). CRL is a wholly owned subsidiary of Transport for London. Crossrail is jointly sponsored by the Department for Transport and Transport for London.