Crossrail news : Stepney Green OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS JOIN OUR TUNNELLING MARATHON As part of Crossrail’s marathon tunnelling effort, our seventh tunnel boring machine (TBM), Jessica, has started the 1.7 mile leg from Pudding Mill Lane in Stratford to the Olympic Park near Stepney Green. She will be joined by running partner Ellie, our eighth and final TBM, to build a second tunnel along the length of the route. Our two new TBMs were named after Olympic British Heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis-Hill CBE and Paralympic swimming gold-medallist Ellie Simmonds. Winners of our TBM naming competition, Marion Richardson Primary School in Stepney, suggested the names for the final two machines which will join our six existing TBMs to create 26 miles of tunnels in total. By the beginning of September our tunnelling machines were close to the half-way mark with 11 miles of tunnels complete. Our five tunnel drives will link to connect the City of London with Maidenhead and Heathrow in the west, and Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east, increasing the capital’s rail capacity by 10 per cent and speeding up journey times. When her current tunnelling drive is complete, Jessica, like her versatile namesake, will be entering a second event, constructing the final two 900 metre-long tunnels between Limmo shaft at Canning Town and Victoria Dock Portal. Transport Minister Stephen Hammond said: “The Government is investing record amounts in the country’s infrastructure because we recognise its importance in driving the economy forward and pushing the UK ahead in the global race. The launch of the last pair of tunnel boring machines in the shadow of the Olympic Stadium marks another significant milestone in the Crossrail project, as we approach the halfway stage in our tunnelling marathon.” Find out more about the tunnelling works on Crossrail. SECOND COLOSSAL CAVERN COMPLETE AT STEPNEY GREEN A second, westbound cavern has been completed 40 metres below ground in Stepney Green. This marks another major milestone since June. At 50 metres long, 17 metres wide and 15 metres high, these twin giants are some of the largest caverns ever constructed in Europe using the sprayed concrete lining (SCL) tunnelling technique. This involves rapidly spraying the excavated ground with concrete to stabilise it and form a permanent lining. This short video gives an overview of the work involved in constructing these huge caverns underground.
Posted on: Mon, 16 Sep 2013 18:07:41 +0000
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