Going underground: Crossrail tunnels below Whitechapel (Picture: Crossrail)

The ‘tunnelling marathon’ taking place beneath London in preparation for the Crossrail link has been revealed.

Underground images give a glimpse of the work being carried out below the capital’s streets to create a 42km (26mile) network of tunnels.

Tunnelling works below Finsbury Circus (Picture: Crossrail)

The £15bn Crossrail route is Europe’s biggest construction project running, from Maidenhead in the west to Shenfield in the east.

Five boring machines are now in operation and have created more than 5km (3miles) of underground tunnels so far.


Another two are set to be introduced in Plumstead and Pudding Mill Lane later this year.

Tunnelling works at Stepney Green (Picture: Crossrail)

Refurbishment work is also being carried out to bring the 135-year-old Connaught Tunnel in south east London back into use for Crossrail.



A section of the Royal Docks is due to be drained so that major works can be carried out to open the tunnel from above for the first time since its construction in 1878.

Work to bring the 135-year-old Connaught Tunnel back into use (Picture: Crossrail)

Andrew Wolstenholme, chief executive of Crossrail, said: ‘With 26miles of new tunnels to be built for Crossrail we are delivering our own London marathon beneath the streets of the capital.

‘This is a huge and complex task with work underway 24 hours a day below London’s streets but our first few miles of tunnel are now completed.

‘These new underground images show the scale of transformation taking place beneath London and the essential new transport links being created with every metre of new tunnel built.’

Early view of the Crossrail ticket hall at Tottenham Court Road (Picture: Crossrail)

Crossrail is due to open in 2018 and aims to boost London’s rail transport capacity by 10 per cent and ‘dramatically’ cut journey times across the city.

The route will pass through 37 stations and run 118 km (73 miles) from Maidenhead 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.