Crossrail

Khan rides Elizabeth Line route to mark Crossrail reaching 75% complete

The mayor of London made the first station-to-station journey on the new Elizabeth line last week, as the project reached 75% completion.

Sadiq Khan rode a construction train from the new station at Custom House to Canary Wharf. Half of the permanent track has now been laid for Crossrail, and platform structures have been completed at nearly all of the 10 new stations being built for the project.

Before the line opens in 2018, Crossrail engineers still need to furnish the tunnels with over 15,000km of cable and fit vent fans at 18 locations and over 4km of full height platform edge screens at stations in order to help with the circulation of air and temperature control.

Khan said: “The opening of The Elizabeth line will be a landmark moment for London. It will help us deliver a modern, truly world-class transport system that allows us to deal with the growth in London’s population over the coming decades. 

“Half the permanent track has now been completed, and being able to travel the Elizabeth Line route from Custom House to Canary Wharf shows the huge progress that has been made. I visited the Canary Wharf station site as transport minister in 2010 when construction had just got underway. The fact that the project is now 75% complete, and being delivered on time and within budget is testament to the hard work of the thousands of men and women who have worked on the project.”

He added that it is vital for the future prosperity of London that “progress continues apace and we deliver this wonderful project on time”.

Crossrail has also awarded its last major contract to Alstom, TSO and Costain for a £26m maintenance facility at Plumstead. It has also completed major engineering works at Acton underpass and Liverpool Street station.

Andrew Wolstenholme, Crossrail’s chief executive, said: “The Crossrail programme has now reached 75% complete. The remaining 25% of the programme will present a new set of challenges as we finish installing the critical components that will transform this major infrastructure project into an operating railway.

“The Elizabeth Line will be vital to the future success of the capital and we’re fully focused on completing the delivery safely, on time and on budget, for our handover to TfL in 2018.”

(Images c. Crossrail)

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