26 miles of tunnel completed for Crossrail link

One of the biggest construction projects in Europe is the Crossrail link, an 118 km rail route that includes 42 km of tunnels that have been freshly dug and which go to the center of London.

[Image Source: Crossrail]

Tunneling has been taking place since 2012, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. To create the 6.2 m diameter tunnel a total of eight tunnel boring machines were used on the project. The end of digging means that the project is now around 65% complete.

[Image Source: Crossrail]

In total about 250,000 concrete segments were used in the Crossrail link project and around 7 million tons of material were excavated, with around 98% of it having been recycled. 3 million tons of material was taken to the Wallasea Island nature reserve and it helped to restore the habitat. The focus is now being put on the fitting of the new tunnels and stations, including putting up signs, lighting and wall panels.

[Image Source: Crossrail]

When the Crossrail link is completed it will connect Heathrow and Reading to Shenfield and Abbey Woods and in total there are 40 stations along the route. It is thought that the rail link will see around 200 million passengers travelling along it each year. This will boost the current amount by as much as 10%.

[Image Source: Crossrail]

When the new line begins to operate it will become the busiest rail hub in the UK and will change the way passengers travel not just in London but also in the South East. It will also add on direct connections to international rail services along with three out of five of London’s airports. Services will begin in central London by December 2018.

[Image Source: Crossrail]