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Crossrail on track UK capital’s colossal rail scheme edges closer to completion London’s £15.9bn Crossrail project is on schedule to be up and running by 2018, despite recent rumours that the full 118km route would be cut back. With up to 14,000 people working on Crossrail’s construction at any one time, tunnels are being dug throughout the capital and its environs as the goal of a highspeed, cross-capital rail connection comes closer to fruition. Umbrella is especially excited by the works at Farringdon, just north of the City of London. Already the fourth busiest station in the UK, the refurbished terminus, originally built in 1853, will provide a hub for Crossrail, London Underground
and north-to-south Thameslink services. The historic frontage will be restored, while a new concourse will completely transform the interior. Meanwhile, at Canary Wharf, a new £500m station is being built within the dock itself, with the
track running at a depth of 28m underground. When completed, the station will be as big as the neighbouring One Canada Square tower lying on its side. Further north in Tyne and Wear, the Metro has unveiled its first new look train, as part of a £350m modernisation system. The refurbished trains will come with completely new interiors and a smart, Umbrella-approved yellow, black and grey colour scheme. Over on Merseyside, local travellers are getting their first taste of smartcard travel with the introduction of the Walrus, an Oyster-like system for the region’s trains, ferries and buses. For more info, go to www.crossrail. co.uk , www.walruscard.com and www.nexus.org.uk/metro
www.umbrellamagazine.co.uk