Article by Luke Upton
Today SmartRail World showcases 11 amazing photographs from the Crossrail project in London. The 118-kilometre (73-mile) railway line is one of Europe’s largest railway and infrastructure construction projects and is due to begin full operation in 2018, serving London and its environs by providing a new east-west route across the city. The project’s main feature is 42 km (26 miles) of new tunnels. Work on the central part of the line—a tunnel below Central London —and connections to existing lines that will become part of Crossrail began in 2009 after several decades of proposals. See above for ‘Completion of eastbound cavern at Stepney Green shaft’ on 14th May 2013 (Picture: Crossrail) and click read more to see some stunning pictures from this meg project….
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Excavation site at Liverpool Street worksite showing well preserved burials only 1.5m below street level. (Picture: Crossrail/Juliet whitcombe)
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The Drill ‘Sophia’ at the Herrenknecht factory. Named after Sophia was the wife of Marc Isambard Brunel who built the first tunnel under the Thames. (Picture: Crossrail)
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Architects plans detailing a cross section view of the Canary Wharf Station ticket hall and platform. (Picture: Crossrail)
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Connaught Tunnel Twin Bore. (Picture:Crossrail)
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Liverpool Street Station West Ticket Hall West View – Structural Engineer Plan. (Picture:Crossrail)
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Roman skull found at Liverpool Street ticket hall. (Picture:Crossrail)
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TBM Elizabeth breaks through into Whitechapel Station. (Picture:Crossrail)
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Wallasea Island in Essex, the site of a major RSPB nature reserve being built upon 5 million tonnes of earth generated by Crossrail tunnel excavation. (Picture:Crossrail)
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Welding the Cutter Head at Westbourne Park. (Picture:Crossrail)
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TBM Elizabeth lowered into launch chamber 40 metres below ground. Named after Queen Elizabeth II, each TBM weighs approximately 1000 tonnes is 140m in length with an external diameter of 7.1m. (Picture:Crossrail)
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Terry Morgan CBE, Chairman of Crossrail will be a keynote speaker at the CBTC World Congress in London on 4-6th November. The CBTC World Congress incorporating SmartMetro, is the original and world leading event for over 300 metro network experts. For more photographs, videos and statistics from the Crossrail project click here.
And a big thank you to Tom Lawson, Digital Media Manager at Crossrail for assisting in sourcing these photographs.
