OREANDA-NEWS. October 16, 2015. The first of more than 100 piled foundations which will support the new station have been installed. The piling will continue until the end of the year, when the building will start to become visible above ground. The station, which will be built over two new dedicated Crossrail tracks and those used by North Kent services, will open at the end of 2017.

Work has been underway in Abbey Wood since 2013 and has included the construction of an interim station, the demolition of the old station and the installation of a new one mile section of track.

Matthew White, Crossrail Surface Director said: “Crossrail will help to transform Abbey Wood, dramatically improving transport links and bringing a state-of the-art station. A train every five minutes at peak time will make it quicker and easier to get to a range of destinations across London and the South East.”

Matthew Steele, Crossrail Programme Director at Network Rail said: “It’s great news that the construction of the new station is underway. As part of our railway upgrade plan, we are right on schedule to provide people in Abbey Wood with a fantastic new station by the end of 2017. Local people will benefit from a spacious new ticket hall, step-free access to every platform and better access to local bus services.”

The new station at Abbey Wood will include:

  • A bright, spacious concourse that leads directly onto a wide forecourt connecting the station to the Harrow Manorway flyover, which runs above the station
  • Two new ‘island’ platforms for Crossrail and North Kent services
  • Six lifts to help passengers get around the station and to provide step-free access to every platform. 

From 2018, a train every five minutes during the peak will allow residents to travel right through the capital without having to change trains. The journey from Abbey Wood to Canary Wharf and Bond Street with TfL-run Crossrail will be around 20 minutes quicker and passengers travelling to Heathrow will be able to cut around 40 minutes off their journey.

About Crossrail:

Network Rail is responsible for the design, development and delivery of the parts of Crossrail that are on the existing network. The principal contractor for the work at Abbey Wood is Balfour Beatty.

The total funding available to deliver Crossrail is ?14.8bn. The Crossrail route will pass through 40 stations and run from Reading and Heathrow in the west, through new twin-bore 21 km (13 miles) tunnels below central London to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east.

Crossrail is being delivered by Crossrail Limited (CRL). CRL is a wholly owned subsidiary of Transport for London. Crossrail is jointly sponsored by the Department for Transport and Transport for London.