Crossrail

Crossrail reaches halfway point of Elizabeth Line escalator fit-out

Over half of the escalators have now been installed at Elizabeth Line stations, Crossrail has this week revealed.

New pictures have shown how the construction is progressing as the company reaches the halfway point of its programme installing the new escalators.

A total of 17 escalators have been fully commissioned at Canary Wharf station, and the framework for 37 more have been completed at Paddington, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon and Liverpool Street. Combined, these come to a length of 1,603 metres, equivalent to around one mile of escalators.

Completed escalator at Canary Wharf

When all the works are completed, 81 escalators on the Elizabeth Line will be commissioned at the nine new stations between Paddington and Woolwich and will add up to 2.8 kilometres in length. In addition, 54 lifts are being installed at these nine stations and all 40 stations on the Elizabeth Line will have step-free access.

The longest escalator at Elizabeth Line stations is at Bond Street and is 60 metres in length, and will carry passengers down from Hanover Square near Oxford Street to the platform 25.7 metres below.

View from the top of the escalator at Tottenham Court Road

The escalators will travel at around 0.5 metres per second, with the exception of Canary Wharf, where the escalators will travel at 0.75 metres per second as they have one less flat step at the top..

Vanessa Hope-Lewis, Crossrail lift and escalator field engineer, commented: “Over 200 million passengers a year will use these escalators to access the newest addition to London’s transport network.

“As the Crossrail project passes 85% complete, the installation of these escalators is another step forward in the completion of the Elizabeth Line ahead of its opening on time in December 2018.”

Today’s news also follows Crossrail updating passengers on progress with tunnel fit-out, station design and electrification.

Top Image: escalator at Paddington Station. All images and video courtesy of Crossrail. 

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