Building the Station Tunnels
Fourteen kilometres of station and platform tunnels, passenger walkways and other spaces have been created through a mining technique known as sprayed concrete lining.
The sprayed concrete lining method has been used extensively on Crossrail to form each of the station platform tunnels, cross-passages between the platform tunnels, ventilation tunnels, concourse tunnels, cross-over caverns and ventilation, escape and intervention shafts across the central section of the route.
The technique involves spraying a quick setting form of concrete strengthened with steel fibres onto freshly excavated ground to seal the new tunnels. Further layers are added to make the surface watertight creating a permanent structure some 65cm thick.
This process enables huge underground spaces and curved walls to be created.
Sprayed concrete lining was used to create the station tunnels at five of the Elizabeth line's central London stations – Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street and Whitechapel.
Gallery - Building Crossrail's station tunnels
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1 Bond Street platform tunnels _161017
Platform tunnels at the new Crossrail Bond Street station. -
2 Bond Street platform tunnels _161013
The 260 metre long platforms run parallel to and around 100 metres to the south of Oxford Street. -
3 Bond Street platform tunnels _164775
From 2018, 220,000 passengers are expected to use Bond Street London Underground and Crossrail station every day. -
4 Bond Street platform tunnels _161024
Several hundred tunnellers have been working 24/7 for the past two years constructing the platform tunnels beneath Oxford Street. -
5 Liverpool Street platform tunnels _162393
Machinery in the new platform tunnels for Liverpool Street station. More than 1.5 kilometres of platform and pedestrian tunnels are being created over 40 metres below ground level. -
6 Tunnelling machine Elizabeth at Whitechapel _162257
Tunnelling machine Elizabeth at Whitechapel station. The 150 metre long, thousand tonne machine is one of eight used on Crossrail. With almost 90% of tunnelling complete, Elizabeth is one of just two machines still operational. -
7 Farringdon platform tunnel _163721
Platform tunnels at the new Farringdon station. When it opens in 2018, Farringdon will be one of the busiest stations in Britain. An estimated 90,000 passengers will use the Crossrail station every day and 150,000 will use the Farringdon interchange that will also encompass London Underground and Thameslink services. -
8 Tottenham Court Road platform tunnels _164643
Platform tunnels at Tottenham Court Road. Alongside TfL’s upgrade of the existing Tube station, Crossrail is building a new station the length of three football pitches, four storeys below ground. -
9 Tottenham Court Road platform tunnels _160746
More than 200,000 passengers will use Tottenham Court Road station when Crossrail services start in 2018. -
10 Train tunnel at Paddington _157143
Train tunnel at Paddington. The new Crossrail station is being constructed directly next to Brunel’s Grade I listed Paddington mainline station. Once complete, the station will be 250 metres long and 30 metres wide and will cater for 70,000 passengers a day.
