Prime Minister & Mayor of London celebrate start of work for Crossrail
UK business leaders joined Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Mayor of London Boris Johnson as work started at Crossrail’s Canary Wharf station on Friday 15th May. Situated within the North Dock of Canary Wharf complex in London, the project is the first tangible part of the £16bn Crossrail scheme, and Laing O’Rourke has been honoured to be tasked with the initial station works.
The event saw the formal start of piling works in the dock, which will eventually allow for construction of a 475m station box reaching to a depth of 18m below dock bed level. Expanded Structures has been appointed initially to carry out the enabling works, although Expanded Demolition, Expanded Piling, Strongforce, Malling and Select will also be involved.
When complete, Crossrail will operate 24 trains per hour in each direction through Central London during peak times. This will provide a substantial new passenger capacity and crowding relief. The new railway will be the biggest construction project in Europe and will provide a major boost to the UK economy during the current economic climate as the Jubilee Line Extension did during the early 1990s. At the height of construction in 2013/14, up to 14,000 people will be employed to build Crossrail.
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