Take a look inside London's new £15 billion 'Elizabeth Line' — Europe's biggest infrastructure project
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Your support makes all the difference.The massive new Crossrail infrastructure project, which will be known as the Elizabeth line once it opens, is now more than 85% complete, according to the project's official website.
Costing £14.8 billion, the line will stretch all the way from Reading in the west through to Abbey Wood and Shenfield in the east.
Services from Liverpool street to Shenfield will open in December 2018 with the full line being operational by the end of 2019.
The line will run for more than 60 miles with trains stretching out to 200 meters long in a new upgraded look.
Once fully open, the line is expected to carry 10 million people every year between the 10 specially built stations.
This is what the line looks like right now, nearing the end of construction:
The tunnel boring machine (TBM) Elizabeth has to be lowered into the main shaft of the Elizabeth line.
Here it is breaking through to Farringdon.
Once the TBMs have finished the tunnels the only way to get them out is to dismantle them, and they look like this.
Equipment is moved around by rolling multi purpose gantries in the Crossrail tunnel
This is where the Farringdon platform will soon be...
... And what the Farringdon station site looked like 2 years ago above ground...
... The new station will feature diamond structural beams in the ceiling.
The platform for Bond street will be in this massive cavern...
... It will be accessed by a new stairwell with glass-fibre reinforced concrete ceiling tiles.
Tottenham Court Road's entrance is also looking sleek.
The tunnels are nearly ready by Stepney Green heading eastbound between the Whitechapel and Stratford stations.
The new riverside station at Canary Wharf looks stunning...
... Here it is close up.
The new trains that have been built for this line are a serious upgrade if you're used to the Northern or Central lines.
They look super wide and spacious, with the line colour purple being the main theme.
They will also include groups of 4 seats facing each other for groups travelling together.
The new screens installed also look extremely clear showing you exactly where you are on the line.
Here is Queen Elizabeth II at the official naming of the line looking rather pleased with her present.
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Read the original article on Business Insider UK. © 2016. Follow Business Insider UK on Twitter.
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