Crossrail has marked a major milestone in the construction of London's new rail line with the lowering of a 550 tonne tunnelling machine into a 40 metre deep shaft in east London, ahead of the start of tunnelling for Crossrail’s eastern section of the new rail line.
The delicate operation required one of the largest cranes in Europe to lift the equivalent of 280 London taxis.
Perfect weather conditions were needed and the light winds and no rain allowed for Elizabeth to be moved underground.
The team at Limmo Peninsula, adjacent to Canning Town station, will shortly repeat the operation with sister machine, Victoria.
Elizabeth will start tunnelling later this year, travelling under the River Lea towards Canary Wharf. Work has started to prepare Crossrail’s Canary Wharf station to receive Elizabeth, with workers breaking out the hard concrete at the tunnel eyes to allow for the machines to easily enter the station next year.
Both tunnelling machines will receive maintenance while in the large station box, before continuing their journeys toward Whitechapel, Liverpool Street and Farringdon.
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: "The transformational force of Crossrail is now coming ever nearer to central London. With every twist of these giant boring machines we are unleashing the huge economic opportunities stemming from this ambitious infrastructure project. Furthermore, the construction of Crossrail’s eastern section is demonstrating London's world-class engineering expertise and providing thousands of technical training and job opportunities."
The 1,350 tonne crane took weeks to assemble and includes heavy duty equipment to carry Elizabeth and Victoria on their descent into the enormous main shaft built at the site.
A smaller crane will lift the 10 gantries that form the back-up trailers of the tunnelling machine and carry the materials to support the tunnelling effort. The assembly of the tunnelling machines and their gantries will be completed underground creating two 148 metre long tunnelling factories.
After both machines and their gantries are safely in the shaft, a large conveyer system will be constructed to take the earth from the bottom of the shaft onto nearby ships. The two machines will use large shove frames to push themselves forward into the earth.
(CD)
Construction News
26/10/2012
Crossrail Lowers 550 Tonne Tunnelling Machine Successfully

01/04/2025
Galliford Try's Building East Midlands business has officially broken ground on a £63 million Single Living Accommodation (SLA) project at RAF Digby, Lincolnshire.
The historic base, the Royal Air Force's oldest station established in 1918, will see the construction of four new Junior Ranks SLA bu

01/04/2025
The regeneration of Nottingham city centre has taken a significant step forward following an agreement for Homes England to acquire the Broad Marsh site from Nottingham City Council.
As the Government's housing and regeneration agency, Homes England will take ownership of the former shopping centre

01/04/2025
Work has officially commenced on Morgan Sindall Construction's latest education project in Greater Manchester, the permanent home for Star Radcliffe Academy, a five-form entry secondary school with space for 750 students aged 11-16.
Operated by Star Academies, one of the UK’s highest-performing mul

01/04/2025
The UK's construction industry is experiencing a significant upturn, driven by ambitious government initiatives to build 1.5 million homes and undertake major infrastructure projects.
This surge has spotlighted a critical challenge: the need for a skilled workforce to meet escalating demands. Rece

01/04/2025
Plans to acquire 10 two-bedroom homes in the village of Hook have been approved by Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing.
The purchase, supported by Welsh Government funding, will see the council secure the properties from Kooner Properties Ltd, which is currently developing the

01/04/2025
The relocation and expansion of Fred Nicholson School took a major step forward as pupils visited the construction site and participated in a ceremonial steel signing.
The school, which serves children and young people aged 7 to 16 with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), is moving f

01/04/2025
Castlemere Developments has appointed Ryan Morrissey as project manager to oversee its legacy and new developments.
The 34-year-old will bring a wealth of experience to the Windsor-based company, which has a number of ongoing projects across London and the south east.
Morrissey's most recent role

01/04/2025
Rail passengers traveling across the Pennines over the Easter weekend are being urged to plan ahead as major upgrade work between Huddersfield and Dewsbury is set to impact train services from Saturday 19 to Monday 21 April.
As part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU), engineers will be carryin

31/03/2025
GMI Construction Group has announced the practical completion of Citylabs 4.0, a cutting-edge 125,000 sq. ft laboratory and workspace development, further solidifying Manchester’s position as a leader in life sciences and healthcare technology.
Developed in partnership with Bruntwood SciTech and Ma

31/03/2025
Kier has completed the construction of HMP Millsike for the Ministry of Justice, increasing prison capacity by approximately 1,500 and marking a significant milestone in the UK’s prison infrastructure.
The facility was officially opened by Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Rt. Hon