Crossrail¹s Jessica breaks through
22 August 2014GREAT BRITAIN -Crossrail¹s TBM Jessica has completed a new train tunnel from Limmo Peninsula, near Canning Town, breaking into Victoria Dock Portal in east London. The 7.1m diameter TBM completed the journey in nine weeks, travelling up to 41m per day.
The machine will now be dismantled, with parts returned to manufacturer Herrenknecht for use on other tunnelling projects.
Tunnel segments were made in Chatham, Kent and transported to Limmo by river barge. It is Jessica¹s second Crossrail tunnel drive, having already created one of the two tunnels forming the spur from Pudding Mill Lane near Stratford to Stepney Green.
Jessica¹s sister tunnelling machine, Ellie, will start the remaining twin tunnel from Limmo to Victoria Dock in the coming weeks.
Crossrail¹s rail tunnels are 83 percent complete, with TBM tunnelling due to complete early next year.
Andrew Wolstenholme, Crossrail chief executive said: ³We continue to make good progress on Crossrail¹s tunnels. The end is now in sight on Crossrail¹s tunnelling marathon, but there is much more to do in the form of installing railway systems and fitting out the stations.²
