Crossrail: How The Elizabeth Line Was Built

When the long-held ambition of building a new railway across London finally received the go-ahead in 2008, Britain embarked on a project the likes of which it had never seen before. Vast stations and huge tunnels would be constructed through and under the centre of the capital and all with minimal disruption to the flow of everyday life. As Europe's largest rail project at the time the scale of the engineering was jaw-dropping. Yet it was the railway systems and other clever technology needed to knit together the new infrastructure that would prove crucial to completing this multi-billion pound enterprise. This is the full story of this project, written by journalist Dan Harvey who had unrivalled access to the people and places that were key to the project's development. It details everything from the planning, funding and approvals process to construction, fit out and opening with fascinating insights into the tunnels, stations, system operators and trains that together form today's Elizabeth line.