Prince Philip visited Farringdon Crossrail station yesterday (Wed) to view progress.
He was shown around the new station which is taking shape below ground in Islington, including the recently completed tunnels being waterproofed and the final concrete finish being applied.
The 94-year-old Duke of Edinburgh also walked along the new platforms which are nearing completion and was shown a recently excavated escalator shaft.
He met with some of the apprentices, construction workers and engineers working on the project.
Andrew Wolstenholme, Crossrail chief executive, said: “Crossrail is one of the most ambitious and complex infrastructure projects ever undertaken in the UK. It was an honour to welcome the Duke of Edinburgh to Crossrail to see first hand the scale of the engineering being delivered below the streets of London and to meet the UK’s next generation of engineers.”
At 300 metres, Farringdon station’s platforms will be the longest on the Crossrail route, with ticket halls at either side of Smithfield Market connecting to both Barbican and Farringdon London Underground stations.
More than 10,000 people are working directly on Crossrail at around 40 construction sites and 485 apprenticeships have been created. More than 4,000 local people have gained employment on the project.
Set to open in 2018, Crossrail will increase central London’s rail capacity by 10 per cent, reducing congestion on the Underground and National Rail.
It will serve 40 stations, connecting Reading and Heathrow in the west with Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east. An estimated 200 million passengers will travel on Crossrail each year. Central London stops include Tottenham Court Road, Bond Street and Paddington.
TfL-run Crossrail services through central London will commence in December 2018.
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