Crossrail’s Elizabeth breaks through

Tunnel boring machine Elizabeth broke into the eastern end of Liverpool Street Crossrail station yesterday morning (January 29). This is part of the longest tunnel drive on the Crossrail project - 8.3km (5.2 miles) from Limmo Peninsula (near Canning Town) to Farringdon.

Elizabeth has just 750 metres left to bore before reaching Farringdon station. When that leg is completed in the spring, the tunnel drive will link all the Crossrail tunnels for the first time.

Meanwhile, sister machine Victoria is expected to arrive at Farringdon a few weeks later.

Crossrail Chief Executive Andrew Wolstenholme said: “This is a phenomenal feat of civil engineering that London can be justifiably proud of. The next challenge is to implement railway systems across the route, keeping the project on time and within budget.”