CONTRACTORS working on London’s Crossrail project have completed track installation work, marking another key milestone in the £14.8bn project ahead of the opening of the Elizabeth Line in December 2018.

LONDON Underground (LU) has awarded a £112.1m contract to Bombardier to refit its fleet of 85 eight-car Central line trains with new ac traction motors and control equipment.

NETWORK RAIL (NR) has begun work to increase capacity at London Waterloo station, as part of the £800m Waterloo and South West upgrade, which will enable the station to accommodate 45,000 extra passengers in the morning and evening peaks.

BRITAIN’s secretary of state for transport Mr Chris Grayling has approved a Transport and Works Act Order for the extension of London Overground’s Gospel Oak - Barking line to Barking Riverside.

Preliminary works are now underway for the first phase of Britain’s HS2 project to build a 338km high-speed network linking London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds. David Briginshaw reviews progress on the £55.7bn scheme.

TRANSPORT for London (TfL) announced on July 13 that it will order four additional nine-car class 345 Aventra EMUs from Bombardier to support higher frequency services on the Elizabeth Line, which will use the new east-west Crossrail link through central London.

BRITAIN’s National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) has identified its “top 12 major infrastructure priorities which require urgent action,” which includes three rail projects, all of which are in the top four after a third runway at London Heathrow airport.

THE fleet of Bombardier class 345 Aventra EMUs for London’s east-west Crossrail link carried their first passengers on June 22, when the trains entered commercial service with TfL Rail between London Liverpool Street and Shenfield.

LONDON Underground (LU) introduced a new timetable on the Victoria line on May 22 meaning that during rush hour a train will arrive every 100 seconds.