Ten years after start of work, Paddington station has finally reached its T-12 landmark, meaning the station is now considered to be 12 weeks away from being ready for handover to Transport for London (TfL).
Work at the station will now primarily focus on testing and commissioning of systems ahead of the Elizabeth line opening in central London.
Farringdon and Tottenham Court Road stations have also previously reached this stage.
The railway is still on track to open in the first half of 2022, Crossrail said.
Paddington’s Elizabeth line station has been built by Costain Skanska Joint Venture (CSJV), whose senior project director James Moloney said: “The Costain Skanska JV has worked hard, including under COVID-19 restrictions, to achieve this important milestone. Delivery of this complex project is a huge tribute to the thousands of people who have created it. There is much still to be achieved and we will continue to work collaboratively to deliver this station which will benefit people for generations to come.”
The contract (C405) was valued at around £150m when it was awarded to CSJV in 2011. Completion then had been expected in 2018.
The new station was designed by Scott Wilson/Weston Williamson/Gillespies to maximise space while preserving the historic features of the main line station. It takes the form of a box – 260 metres long, 25 metres wide and 23 metres deep – directly under Departures Road and Eastbourne Terrace.
Crossrail chief executive Mark Wild said: “This is an incredibly important moment for the team at Paddington station and for the Crossrail project as a whole and is another important step for us on the journey to opening the Elizabeth line.
“Paddington is an historic and much-loved part of our rail network and the new Elizabeth line station is a spectacular new addition, which further enhances its role as one of London’s major gateway stations providing connections to London’s transport network and rail services to west London and Heathrow, the Thames Valley, Wales and the west of England.”
Trial running and intensive testing are set to start later this year.
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