With costs skyrocketing from the 17.3 billion euros (14.8 billion pounds) budgeted to 22 billion euros (18.9 billion pounds), it was to have opened in December 2018.
The Elizabeth line is actually a hybrid between the underground and the commuter train, serving 41 stations from the western periphery of London to the eastern one, whose main difference from its predecessor, the London Underground, is its majestic stations, dimensions and its functionality. with wide and silent trains.
The five new tunnel stations created for the project in central London (Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street and Whitechapel) have been built using the now fairly standard technique of spraying fast-setting steel fiber reinforced concrete directly on freshly dug earth. Others, such as Paddington, Canary Wharf and Woolwich, are 'box' stations, the entire station outline being excavated on site and then encased in concrete.
Sustainability initiatives are an important aspect (in addition to its role in helping to get vehicles off the streets) have included the use of 3 million tonnes of excavated rubble to restore a wetland habitat in Essex and use 72 per cent concrete cement replacement.
The Elizabeth line: London’s newest railway by Grimshaw. Photograph by Hufton + Crow.
Design materials by Neill McClements, partner, Grimshaw
The materials palette, as part of the line-wide look, brings together two distinct design languages: the long-life architectural elements, such as the tunnel cladding and flooring, and the shorter-life technology that services the different environments.
Within the tunnel design the use of GFRC for the cladding system effectively ‘shrink wraps’ the engineering, enhancing the scale and volume of these active and busy spaces. Its form and muted neutral colour palette support an indirect lighting strategy and allow for wayfinding signage and acoustic perforations to be integrated flush within the cladding, enhancing accessibility for passengers and decluttering the space.
The double-curvature forms at junctions open up sightlines for passengers, creating an open and composed environment that belies its underground location. A consistent approach across the five tunnelled stations has also brought about an economy of scale: with a reduced number of cladding panel types lowering costs, from prototyping through to installation and maintenance.
In contrast, the technological elements, such as platform-edge screens, equipment cabinets and totems, have been designed with regular access in mind, allowing for future upgrades as new technologies emerge. These ‘hard-working’ products use robust, hard-wearing materials such as glass and stainless steel and are designed to enable seamless and straightforward maintenance as well as to accommodate a family of uses, leaving the platforms and tunnels clear for the flow of passenger activity. The integrated totems, for example, bring together at low-level lighting, wayfinding signage, security cameras and speakers with elements that can be easily removed, replaced and renewed.
The Elizabeth line: London’s newest railway by Grimshaw. Photograph by Hufton + Crow.
Project description by Grimshaw
The Elizabeth line, London’s newest railway and part of the London Underground network officially opened on 24 May 2022. Working with the client, Crossrail, Grimshaw with Atkins, Maynard and Equation led a unique role on the new line - delivering the line-wide design for the project - a design strategy that brings a cohesive, intuitive and consistent passenger experience.
The new line, which in total serves 41 stations running 100km east to west across the city through 42km of new tunnels, includes 10 new central London stations and the upgrading of 31 existing stations. It is estimated to ultimately carry 200 million passengers per year, increasing the capacity of London’s underground railway network by 10%.
The line-wide design encompasses the platforms, passenger tunnels, escalators and station concourses, including signage, bespoke furniture, fittings, finishes, and technology creating a ‘family of elements’. Taking its cue from the engineering feat of the new line - the complexity and scale of the project - one of the defining features of the design is the treatment of the passenger tunnels and platforms.
At almost double the length and height of standard London Underground stations, these spaces are clad in glass fibre reinforced concrete (GRFC) which ‘shrink wraps’ the structure - sitting tightly against the sprayed concrete finish of the structural lining. This creates a fluid, vast environment with curved junctions in the passenger tunnels which increases sightlines, alleviates the below-ground experience and improves passenger flow and safety.
