London's Crossrail: the largest construction project ever undertaken in Europe

This massive upgrade of the existing Underground system involves 40 Crossrail stations including 10 new ones, connected via brand-new tunnels. It will start its service in late 2018, and be fully operational by 2020.

This massive upgrade of the existing Underground system involves 40 Crossrail stations including 10 new ones, connected via brand-new tunnels. It will start its service in late 2018, and be fully operational by 2020.

The Crossrail project, now called the Elizabeth line, is the much-anticipated new high-speed railway that will go through London. It will connect some of the capital’s busiest national rail stations with central London, running for 118km (73 miles) from Reading and Heathrow in the west, and Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east. The Crossrail will increase central London’s rail capacity by 10% - the largest increase since the Second World War, while reducing congestion, cutting journey times and offering more comfortable journey conditions. Works started in May 2009, with a budget of £14.8bn. It is worth mentioning that key environmental initiatives were implemented during the final construction stages for the Elizabeth line, with the exceptional 97% of demolition and construction waste diverted from landfills being only one of them. As the Crossrail project passes its 85% completion mark, it is expected to open on time in December 2018 –the entire line will be completed by December 2019- and its estimated 200 million annual passengers are in eager anticipation! 

Following an extensive testing and assurance process, the first class 345 future Elizabeth line train was introduced into passenger service in June and will continue operating during off-peak services for now. 

 The new trains are spacious, WiFi enabled and have air conditioning

 Over 1.5 km (out of a total length of 2.8 km) of escalators are already installed in Elizabeth Line Stations Source: Crossrail 

At Paddington Station, the construction on the 120 m long glazed canopy has started. It will let natural light reach the platforms 30 m below

 At the Whitechapel station, the bell-wave decorative pattern on the cladding of the ventilation shaft reflects the historic Whitechapel bell foundries 

 Colorful architectural finish on the top of the ventilation and emergency access shaft near Custom House station head house above the entrance to Victoria Dock Porta  

 A public roof garden has been constructed above Canary Wharf station

 At Woolwich station, brickwork is installed on the outside of the station ventilation shaft, reflecting the armories that once stood in the area

Photos: Crossrail