09.01.13
Sophia starts tunnelling for Crossrail
Crossrail’s fifth tunnel boring machine, ‘Sophia’, has begun work to construct a tunnel under the Thames.
Sophia will journey from Plumstead to North Woolwich, and is specially equipped to deal with chalk and flint ground conditions in south east London.
The TBM will drill a tunnel and install pre-cast concrete segments as it travels. The excavated soils will be pumped out as liquid slurry to a special treatment plant at Plumstead, where it will be separated into sand, gravel, water and chalk. The chalk will come out in ‘cakes’ or slabs of filtered chalk particles.
Stephen Hammond MP, Crossrail minister said: “The launch of Sophia, Crossrail’s fifth tunnelling machine, demonstrates the great progress the project is making, stimulating the economy, generating thousands of jobs during construction and delivering huge transport improvements to people living in southeast London.”
Andrew Wolstenholme, Crossrail’s chief executive said: “The start of tunnelling in southeast London marks another milestone for Crossrail, a project that will transform public transport in and around the capital. The benefits for southeast London are huge - for the first time people living between Abbey Wood and the Royal Docks will be able to travel right through the centre of the capital without having to change trains, bringing Canary Wharf, the West End and Heathrow closer than ever before.”
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Image c. Crossrail Ltd