Work on Crossrail’s Custom House station has commenced after receiving the first sections including columns and platform beams and slabs on the site in the East London Docklands.
The new station will house a new ticket hall, an interchange with the Docklands Light Railway and step-free access between the platforms and street level, which will be constructed on the site of the former North London Line station.
The parts will be assembled on site over the next 18 months, having been built in Laing O’Rourke’s Explore Industrial Park in Steetley.
The Crossrail Custom House station is slated for opening in 2018.
Custom House project manager Linda Miller said: "Constructing the station elsewhere and putting it together on site significantly simplifies the process, saving time and money and reducing disruption."
The new station is expected to reduce journey time for passengers travelling between Custom House and Bond Street by 10 minutes, while commuting to and from Heathrow will be lowered by around 35 minutes.
The new line will also reduce journey times for about four million annual visitors to the nearby ExCeL London.
The Crossrail route will pass through 38 stations and run over 100km from Maidenhead and Heathrow in the west, through new twin-bore 21km tunnels below central London to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east.
Crossrail is jointly sponsored by the Department for Transport (DOT) and Transport for London (TfL).
Image: CGI of the complete Custom House station. Photo: courtesy of Crossrail Ltd.
