Crossrail tunnelling to start in less than 100 days as first tunnel boring machine unveiled Wednesday 14th December 2011 By Krista Eleftheriou

Crossrail tunnelling to commence in March 2012 from Royal Oak, near Paddington

First Crossrail tunnel boring machine (TBM) comes off the production line and will shortly be transported to London

Europe’s largest construction project has unveiled the first of eight, 1,000 tonne tunnel boring machines (TBM) that will construct the new Crossrail tunnels under central London.

The 140 metre long, fully assembled tunnel boring machine (TBM) is currently undergoing factory testing. The machine will shortly be dismantled and shipped to London where it will be re-assembled at Westbourne Park ahead of tunnelling commencing from Royal Oak in March.

To construct the 21km of twin-bore tunnel required for Crossrail, eight tunnel boring machines will be required and will undertake ten individual tunnel drives to construct the 6.2m diameter tunnels. At 140 metres, each TBM would just fit just inside the boundaries of a cricket oval.

The TBMs will bore the tunnelled section of the 118 kilometre rail line that will link Maidenhead and Heathrow in the west with Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east. When completed, Crossrail will bring an extra 1.5 million people within 45 minutes journey of London and reduce cross London journey times.

The TBMs will run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week stopping only for scheduled maintenance.

As the TBMs advance forward, precast concrete segments will be built in rings behind the TBMs. Construction of the concrete segment factory for the western running tunnels between Royal Oak and Farringdon is now complete at Old Oak Common. The plant will begin manufacturing over 70,000 segments for the western tunnels from January.

Chris Dulake, Crossrail’s Chief Engineer said: “Crossrail tunnelling will get underway in March 2012 when the first of eight tunnel boring machines will begin burrowing below the streets of London. Work is continuing across the Crossrail route to prepare for construction of the major new rail tunnels. The new Tunnelling and Underground Construction Academy has welcomed its first students and will train at least 3,500 people with the skills required to work below ground while the first of the tunnel segment manufacturing plants will shortly commence full operations.”

The eight Crossrail TBMs are being manufactured by Herrenknecht AG, Germany who also manufactured tunnel boring machines for the Jubilee Line Extension and the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) Extension to Bank.

Following the launch of the first TBM in March 2012, a second TBM will be launched from Royal Oak a few weeks later. The remaining TBMs will be launched from Limmo Peninsula in the Royal Docks heading towards Farringdon in late 2012; from Pudding Mill Lane and Plumstead in 2013 and from Limmo Peninsula to Victoria Dock in 2014.

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Gallery - images of the first fully assembled Crossrail tunnel boring machine Crossrail tunnel boring machine, December 2011

14 December 2011: Crossrail tunnelling to start in less than 100 days as first tunnel boring machine unveiled. Image shows the first of eight, 1,000 tonne tunnel boring machines (TBM) that will construct the new Crossrail tunnels under central London

Crossrail tunnel boring machine, December 2011

The remaining TBMs will be launched from Limmo Peninsula in the Royal Docks heading towards Farringdon in late 2012; from Pudding Mill Lane and Plumstead in 2013 and from Limmo Peninsula to Victoria Dock to 2014.

Crossrail tunnel boring machine, December 2011

Following the launch of the first TBM in March 2012, a second TBM will be launched from Royal Oak a few weeks later.

Crossrail tunnel boring machine, December 2011

The TBM has 22 hydraulic rams that will drive the machine forwards as it cuts it's way through the London clay.

Crossrail tunnel boring machine, December 2011

Crossrail tunnelling will commence in March 2012 from Royal Oak, near Paddington.

Crossrail tunnel boring machine, December 2011

Image of Crossrail's Chief Engineer, Chris Dulake, standing in front of the first fully assembled tunnel boring machine.

Crossrail tunnel boring machine, December 2011

The eight TBMs will undertake a total of ten individual tunnel drives to construct the 6.2m diameter Crossrail tunnels.

Crossrail tunnel boring machine, December 2011

The Crossrail TBMs have a total length of approx. 140m and a total weight of approx. 1,000 tonnes

Crossrail tunnel boring machine, December 2011

The TBM cutter head has a diameter of 7.1m

Crossrail tunnel boring machine, December 2011

14 December 2011: Each TBM has a cutterhead with a 7.1m diameter. The TBMs will run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week stopping only for scheduled maintenance.

Crossrail tunnel boring machine, December 2011

The 140 metre long, fully assembled tunnel boring machine (TBM) is currently undergoing factory testing.

Crossrail's first flly assembled TBM - Dec 2011























Ends

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

Download Crossrail media briefing note - First Crossrail TBM unveiled, Dec 14 2012

For further information about the tunnelling strategy visit the tunnelling section of the website.

Notes to Editors

The first TBM components will begin arriving in the UK at Tilbury Docks in late December with components for the second TBM arriving in January 2012. The TBM components will be transported to Westbourne Park for re-assembly. It will take around two-months to fully assemble each TBM.

There are no UK-based TBM manufacturers. A Joint Venture comprising BAM Nuttall, Ferrovial Agroman and Kier Construction (BFK) was awarded the contract to build Crossrail’s western tunnels.

About Crossrail

The total funding envelope available to deliver Crossrail is £14.8bn. The Crossrail route will pass through 37 stations and run 118 km from Maidenhead and Heathrow in the west, through new twin-bore 21 km tunnels to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east.

When Crossrail opens it will increase London's rail-based transport network capacity by 10%, supporting regeneration across the capital, helping to secure London's position as a world leading financial centre, 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.