CRACKING ON AT CHRISTMAS
A £45 million programme of Christmas and New Year engineering works for Crossrail has concluded with the opening of two of the most significant pieces of new overground rail infrastructure required by the Elizabeth Line.
More than 4,000 Network Rail workers were out on the railway over the 10-day festive period carrying out more than 330,000 hours of work that will ultimately integrate the new Crossrail tunnels beneath London with the existing rail network. Three-quarters of the route – to be known as the Elizabeth Line from 2018 – will run above ground in outer London, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Essex, bringing 1.5 million more people within 45 minutes of central London.
The Christmas work programme included opening the second ramp of the expanded Stockley flyover structure at Heathrow junction. The now-completed layout at Stockley will allow Elizabeth Line trains travelling in each direction on the Heathrow branch to leave/ join the Great Western corridor without delaying or obstructing train movements on other lines. A western flyover was installed at Stockley in 2014. Around 750 trains a week are expected to use the flyover once the Elizabeth Line is fully operational.
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