Photographs: Courtesy, Crossrail
Crossrail, the largest railway infrastructure project in Europe, which will ease the burden on London's crowded underground rail network, has reached the half-way stage.
Crossrail is expected to transform rail transport in London, increasing capacity by 10 per cent and cutting journey time across the city. Crossrail is the first complete new underground line in built in more than 30 years.
About 42 kilometres of Crossrail tunnels are being constructed below the busy streets of London.
Click NEXT to see the making of London's most ambitious underground railway project...
The making of Crossrail, Europe's largest infrastructure project
Photographs: Andrew Winning/Reuters
The construction work started in May 2009. There are currently over 10,000 people working across over 40 construction sites.
Around 200 million annual passengers are expected to use Crossrail.
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The making of Crossrail, Europe's largest infrastructure project
Photographs: Andrew Winning/Reuters
The 15 billion pound ($25 billion) project, due to open in 2018, will connect London's Heathrow airport west of London to the county of Essex in the east in a bid to speed up connections and relieve pressure on London's crowded underground rail network, says Reuters.
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The making of Crossrail, Europe's largest infrastructure project
Photographs: Andrew Winning/Reuters
A worker stands behind concrete panels at the tunnel entrance at Crossrail's Stepney site in east London.
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The making of Crossrail, Europe's largest infrastructure project
Photographs: Andrew Winning/Reuters
A worker uses a blow torch on part of a conveyor at Crossrail's Stepney site in east London.
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The making of Crossrail, Europe's largest infrastructure project
Photographs: Andrew Winning/Reuters
London Mayor Boris Johnson raises his hard hat as he poses with workers, the Secretary of State for Transport Patrick McLoughlin (R) and Andrew Wolstenholme the CEO of Crossrail (L) at the official announcement that tunnelling machine Elizabeth has broken into the Crossrail station at Canary Wharf, in east London.
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The making of Crossrail, Europe's largest infrastructure project
Photographs: Andrew Winning/Reuters
A worker uses a blow torch on rails segments for a tunnelling machine at Crossrail's Stepney site in east London.
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The making of Crossrail, Europe's largest infrastructure project
Photographs: Andrew Winning/Reuters
Workers stand in the mouth of one of the tunnels at Crossrail's Limmo Peninsula site in east London.
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The making of Crossrail, Europe's largest infrastructure project
Photographs: Andrew Winning/Reuters
A diver prepares to enter the water to work on support structures at Crossrail's Albert Dock site in east London.
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The making of Crossrail, Europe's largest infrastructure project
Photographs: Andrew Winning/Reuters
The making of Crossrail, Europe's largest infrastructure project
Photographs: Andrew Winning/Reuters
An archaeologist digs out skeletons from the site of the graveyard of the Bethlehem, or Bedlam, hospital next to Liverpool Street Station in the City of London. The dig is on the site of the future ticket hall for the Crossrail station at Liverpool Street.
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The making of Crossrail, Europe's largest infrastructure project
Photographs: Andrew Winning/Reuters
An archaeologist digs out skeletons from the site of the graveyard of the Bethlehem, or Bedlam, hospital next to Liverpool Street Station in the City of London.
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The making of Crossrail, Europe's largest infrastructure project
Photographs: Andrew Winning/Reuters
Workers line up rails for the tunnelling machine at Crossrail's Stepney site in east London.
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The making of Crossrail, Europe's largest infrastructure project
Photographs: Andrew Winning/Reuters
A worker rides a train car taking him out of the Crossrail tunnel being built from Paddington towards Farringdon under central London.
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The making of Crossrail, Europe's largest infrastructure project
Photographs: Andrew Winning/Reuters
A worker rides a train car taking him out of the Crossrail tunnel being built from Paddington towards Farringdon under central London.
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The making of Crossrail, Europe's largest infrastructure project
Photographs: Andrew Winning/Reuters
A worker surveys a tunnel entrance at Crossrail's Stepney site in east London.
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The making of Crossrail, Europe's largest infrastructure project
Photographs: Andrew Winning/Reuters
A technician sprays concrete to support caverns built to house the converging railway tunnels at Crossrail's Stepney site in east London.
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The making of Crossrail, Europe's largest infrastructure project
Photographs: Andrew Winning/Reuters
A worker stands on the tunnel boring machine creating the Crossrail tunnel being built from Paddington towards Farringdon under central London.
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The making of Crossrail, Europe's largest infrastructure project
Photographs: Andrew Winning/Reuters
Engineers work in the tunnel boring machine creating the Crossrail tunnel being built from Paddington towards Farringdon under central London.
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The making of Crossrail, Europe's largest infrastructure project
Photographs: Andrew Winning/Reuters
A worker walks inside a section of a tunnel boring machine in one of the tunnels at Crossrail's Limmo Peninsula site in east London.
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The making of Crossrail, Europe's largest infrastructure project
Photographs: Andrew Winning/Reuters
Concrete shatters as a tunnelling machine makes the breakthrough into the station structure at Canary Wharf, in east London.
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The making of Crossrail, Europe's largest infrastructure project
Photographs: Andrew Winning/Reuters
A worker emerges after the tunnelling machine has made the breakthrough into the station structure at Canary Wharf, in east London.
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The making of Crossrail, Europe's largest infrastructure project
Photographs: Andrew Winning/Reuters
The crew of a tunnel boring machine emerges after it broke through the wall at a major interchange on the Crossrail East to West underground railway link in Stepney, east London.
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The making of Crossrail, Europe's largest infrastructure project
Photographs: Andrew Winning/Reuters
A worker walks over shattered concrete after the tunnelling machine made the breakthrough into the station structure at Canary Wharf.
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The making of Crossrail, Europe's largest infrastructure project
Photographs: Andrew Winning/Reuters
Workers look on after a tunnelling machine made the breakthrough into the station structure at Canary Wharf, in east London.
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The making of Crossrail, Europe's largest infrastructure project
Photographs: Andrew Winning/Reuters
A member of the crew of a bulk freighter prepares his ship to receive tons of earth generated by the construction of Crossrail, at a jetty on the Thames in east London.
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The making of Crossrail, Europe's largest infrastructure project
Photographs: Andrew Winning/Reuters
The chief officer of a bulk freighter oversees the loading of tons of earth generated by the construction of Crossrail onto his ship at a jetty on the Thames in east London.
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The making of Crossrail, Europe's largest infrastructure project
Photographs: Andrew Winning/Reuters
Excavators feed tons of earth generated by the construction of Crossrail, into screeners before it is put on a bulk freighter in east London.
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