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Markets
Transportation
Buildings & places
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Location
London, UK
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Client
Crossrail Ltd
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Completion date
2023
David Hunter
Client Director, London, UK contact form
Contributing nearly 25 years of expertise to the Elizabeth Line
Over 200 million passengers will travel through the new Elizabeth line each year, vastly improving their journeys in and out of central London in terms of both speed and experience.
None of this would have been possible without Crossrail Ltd drawing on the UK’s world-class design and engineering skills. AtkinsRéalis has worked on the Elizabeth line project for almost 25 years, from its inception to its opening. It has been one of our largest projects in the UK since the London 2012 Games, with hundreds of people contributing thousands of hours of expertise and advice over the decades. The project is a prime example of our values of innovation and collaboration in action. Our work has created a lasting legacy with careers made, skills transferred globally and new technologies tried and tested.
The Elizabeth line will be run by Transport for London as part of the city's integrated transport network. When fully open, the line will serve 41 accessible stations, 31 of them upgraded, including all three terminal rail stations at Heathrow and services to Reading. It will boost central London’s rail capacity by 10%, bringing an additional 1.5 million people within 45 minutes’ commute of central London.
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) named the Elizabeth Line as the winner of the 2024 RIBA Stirling Prize. Presented since 1996, the prestigious annual award recognises the UK’s best new architecture.
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The information provided by Virtua Research cited herein is provided “as is” and “as available” without warranty of any kind. Use of any Virtua Research data is at a user’s own risk and Virtua Research disclaims any liability for use of the Virtua Research data. Although the information is obtained or compiled from reliable sources Virtua Research neither can nor does guarantee or make any representation or warranty, either express or implied, as to the accuracy, validity, sequence, timeliness, completeness or continued availability of any information or data, including third-party content, made available herein. In no event shall Virtua Research be liable for any decision made or action or inaction taken in reliance on any information or data, including third-party content. Virtua Research further explicitly disclaims, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any warranty of any kind, whether express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement.
The consensus estimate provided by Virtua Research is based on estimates, forecasts and predictions made by third party financial analysts, as described above. It is not prepared based on information provided by AtkinsRéalis and can only be seen as a consensus view on AtkinsRéalis' possible future results from an outside perspective. AtkinsRéalis has not provided input on these forecasts, except by referring to past publicly disclosed information. AtkinsRéalis does not accept any responsibility for the quality or accuracy of any individual or average of forecasts or estimates. This web page contains forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by third parties. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between AtkinsRéalis' actual future results, financial situation, development or performance, and the estimates given here.
Services provided
- Design of common architectural components for the Elizabeth line’s central section stations including Paddington, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street, Whitechapel and Canary Wharf, embodying the ‘design once build many’ principle, ensuring consistency for passengers and saving time and money in unnecessary redesign.
- Architectural components include: the design and specification of interior elements such as the wall and ceiling finishes, cladding systems, seating, lighting and wayfinding.
- In partnership with Arup, delivery of detailed design of the Elizabeth line’s twin-bore running tunnels.
- GIS and information management for twin-bore tunnels to understand geographical constraints and reduce the risks of using poor or out-of-date data, clear ROI for client in terms of time savings with up-to-date, accurate information all in one place.
- Collaboration with Arup, Allies & Morrison and Laing O’Rourke on design and engineering of Custom House station, an award winning, off-site constructed station that used pre-fabricated and standardised parts to minimise work on site and drive down programme time, preliminary costs and the impact on the local community.
- Detailed design for Farringdon, a key interchange station on the Elizabeth line.
- Detailed structural and engineering design for Tottenham Court Road station.
- Architecture, engineering, track, electrification and signalling design for the upgrade of the existing railway between Liverpool Street mainline and Shenfield including design programmes across 13 existing surface stations, developing a single architectural specification and common principals for signage.
Please note that you are now leaving the AtkinsRéalis website (legal name: AtkinsRéalis Group inc.) and entering a website maintained by a third party (the "External Website") and that you do so at your own risk.
AtkinsRéalis has no control over the External Website, any data or other content contained therein or any additional linked websites. The link to the External Website is provided for convenience purposes only. By clicking "Accept" you acknowledge and agree that AtkinsRéalis is not responsible, and does not accept or assume any responsibility or liability whatsoever for the data protection policy, the content, the data or the technical operation of the External Website and/or any linked websites and that AtkinsRéalis is not liable for the terms and conditions (or terms of use) of the External Website. Further, you acknowledge and agree that you assume all risks resulting from entering and/or using the External Website and/or any linked websites.
BY ENTERING THE EXTERNAL WEBSITE, YOU ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT YOU COMPLETELY AND IRREVOCABLY WAIVE ANY AND ALL RIGHTS AND CLAIMS AGAINST ATKINSRÉALIS, AND RELEASE, DISCHARGE, INDEMNIFY AND HOLD HARMLESS ATKINSRÉALIS, ITS OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, DIRECTORS AND AGENTS FROM ANY AND ALL LIABILITY INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LIABILITY FOR LOSS, DAMAGES, EXPENSES AND COSTS ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH ENTERING AND/OR USING THE EXTERNAL WEBSITE AND/OR ANY LINKED WEBSITES AND ANY DATA AND/OR CONTENT CONTAINED THEREIN.
Such waiver and release specifically includes, without limitation, any and all rights and claims pertaining to reliance on the data or content of the External Website, or claims pertaining to the processing of personal data, including but not limited to any rights under any applicable data protection statute. You also recognize by clicking “Accept” that the terms of this disclaimer are reasonable.
The information provided by Virtua Research cited herein is provided “as is” and “as available” without warranty of any kind. Use of any Virtua Research data is at a user’s own risk and Virtua Research disclaims any liability for use of the Virtua Research data. Although the information is obtained or compiled from reliable sources Virtua Research neither can nor does guarantee or make any representation or warranty, either express or implied, as to the accuracy, validity, sequence, timeliness, completeness or continued availability of any information or data, including third-party content, made available herein. In no event shall Virtua Research be liable for any decision made or action or inaction taken in reliance on any information or data, including third-party content. Virtua Research further explicitly disclaims, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any warranty of any kind, whether express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement.
The consensus estimate provided by Virtua Research is based on estimates, forecasts and predictions made by third party financial analysts, as described above. It is not prepared based on information provided by AtkinsRéalis and can only be seen as a consensus view on AtkinsRéalis' possible future results from an outside perspective. AtkinsRéalis has not provided input on these forecasts, except by referring to past publicly disclosed information. AtkinsRéalis does not accept any responsibility for the quality or accuracy of any individual or average of forecasts or estimates. This web page contains forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by third parties. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between AtkinsRéalis' actual future results, financial situation, development or performance, and the estimates given here.
AtkinsRéalis has worked closely with Crossrail Ltd and our delivery partners for nearly 25 years to help to transform people’s lives, by bringing together the best of British design and engineering expertise.
Richard Robinson
CEO UK & Europe
Getting the Elizabeth line off the ground
We’ve been working with Crossrail Ltd since the very beginning, helping find more cost-effective ways of engineering and constructing the scheme. In joint venture with Arup, we worked on the design development in the central section from Paddington to Farringdon. This included the validation of the proposals submitted by Crossrail Ltd to Parliament, value engineering reviews and design development to bring the project to procurement stage.
Tunnel vision
Our work on the Elizabeth line goes right down to the project’s roots – the 42km of tunnels under London.
Working with Arup, we did the detailed design of the twin bore tunnels, one of the largest and most important elements of the project. And certainly, one of the most technically challenging.
One of the biggest challenges of the tunnelling works was protection of the vast network of existing third-party utilities, tunnels, structures, railways and historical buildings. Our engineers were responsible for the damage assessment and the design of mitigation to protect third party assets from settlement induced damage. Over 3,400 buildings, 640 structures (including London Underground tunnels and other rail assets) and up to 14,000 utilities (gas, sewer and water mains) were assessed as part of this.
Working in collaboration
The Crossrail project couldn’t have been delivered without suppliers, contractors and the client working hand in hand from day one of the project to delivery.
Farringdon station is a great example of this. On the surface our team looks like many others. There’s a client, a main contractor (BFK) and suppliers. But dig a little deeper and there’s a culture, behaviours and transformative ways of working that have changed the way we’ll collaborate on projects in the future. At Farringdon everyone embraced this ‘one team’ mentality to deliver a world class railway.
The right culture was created from day one. From the first kick-off meeting, the one team message was drilled down from top to bottom, and it could be seen at every level, from management to the graduate engineers. Everyone worked together on the major initiatives like health and safety – it was a Farringdon message the whole team took to heart regardless of who their employer was.
Please note that you are now leaving the AtkinsRéalis website (legal name: AtkinsRéalis Group inc.) and entering a website maintained by a third party (the "External Website") and that you do so at your own risk.
AtkinsRéalis has no control over the External Website, any data or other content contained therein or any additional linked websites. The link to the External Website is provided for convenience purposes only. By clicking "Accept" you acknowledge and agree that AtkinsRéalis is not responsible, and does not accept or assume any responsibility or liability whatsoever for the data protection policy, the content, the data or the technical operation of the External Website and/or any linked websites and that AtkinsRéalis is not liable for the terms and conditions (or terms of use) of the External Website. Further, you acknowledge and agree that you assume all risks resulting from entering and/or using the External Website and/or any linked websites.
BY ENTERING THE EXTERNAL WEBSITE, YOU ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT YOU COMPLETELY AND IRREVOCABLY WAIVE ANY AND ALL RIGHTS AND CLAIMS AGAINST ATKINSRÉALIS, AND RELEASE, DISCHARGE, INDEMNIFY AND HOLD HARMLESS ATKINSRÉALIS, ITS OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, DIRECTORS AND AGENTS FROM ANY AND ALL LIABILITY INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LIABILITY FOR LOSS, DAMAGES, EXPENSES AND COSTS ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH ENTERING AND/OR USING THE EXTERNAL WEBSITE AND/OR ANY LINKED WEBSITES AND ANY DATA AND/OR CONTENT CONTAINED THEREIN.
Such waiver and release specifically includes, without limitation, any and all rights and claims pertaining to reliance on the data or content of the External Website, or claims pertaining to the processing of personal data, including but not limited to any rights under any applicable data protection statute. You also recognize by clicking “Accept” that the terms of this disclaimer are reasonable.
The information provided by Virtua Research cited herein is provided “as is” and “as available” without warranty of any kind. Use of any Virtua Research data is at a user’s own risk and Virtua Research disclaims any liability for use of the Virtua Research data. Although the information is obtained or compiled from reliable sources Virtua Research neither can nor does guarantee or make any representation or warranty, either express or implied, as to the accuracy, validity, sequence, timeliness, completeness or continued availability of any information or data, including third-party content, made available herein. In no event shall Virtua Research be liable for any decision made or action or inaction taken in reliance on any information or data, including third-party content. Virtua Research further explicitly disclaims, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any warranty of any kind, whether express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement.
The consensus estimate provided by Virtua Research is based on estimates, forecasts and predictions made by third party financial analysts, as described above. It is not prepared based on information provided by AtkinsRéalis and can only be seen as a consensus view on AtkinsRéalis' possible future results from an outside perspective. AtkinsRéalis has not provided input on these forecasts, except by referring to past publicly disclosed information. AtkinsRéalis does not accept any responsibility for the quality or accuracy of any individual or average of forecasts or estimates. This web page contains forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by third parties. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between AtkinsRéalis' actual future results, financial situation, development or performance, and the estimates given here.
The Elizabeth line has changed the way we design for user experience, efficiency, safety and sustainability. As the programme lead for the line wide design team, we’ve seen first-hand how a consistent, standardised design approach can lead to not only efficiencies for the client and operator, but a better experience for passengers. By rigorous testing of our designs, we’ve helped assure quality of delivery and ultimately, a similar look and feel for all Elizabeth line stations.
David Hunter
Client Director
Delivering value
A large element of our work on the Elizabeth line was adding value to our clients by finding new ways of working, and in the way we designed and delivered the project.
Elizabeth’s line wide design programme is an excellent example of this. Led by AtkinsRéalis, a team from Grimshaw, Maynard and Equation worked in partnership to deliver a common identity across the line. Standardised components visually link the eight new underground and two new above ground stations in the central section. This included components for the ticket hall, escalator, concourse and platform environments that provide passengers an easy-to-navigate environment unique to the Elizabeth line.
In addition to offering passengers a familiar aesthetic, standardising components also reduces design and construction costs. The standardisation of tunnel geometries reduced the number of cladding panel types especially important for a project of this size and ambition. Through standardisation there were also fewer elements to design which meant more time was spent refining the concept through mock-ups, prototypes and benchmarks. This brought a real sense of craft to important passenger touch-points like seats and handrails, providing a consistent and quality experience across all stations.
Our work as pioneers of safety, innovation and collaboration on the Crossrail project has given our people, from apprentices to experienced engineers, a once in a lifetime opportunity to work on one of the world’s first modern, high-capacity hybrid rail-metro systems. The potential for these skills to be transferred to solve global challenges and deliver added value for our clients is immense.
Philip Hoare
President, AtkinsRéalis
Putting skills on track
The Crossrail project has catapulted careers in AtkinsRéalis – it has given young people, from apprentices to graduates, a once in a lifetime experience to work on the country’s largest infrastructure project.
People have taken their skills and expertise gained on the Crossrail project to projects all around the UK and the world, from tunnelling on Hong Kong metro to design management on Euston Station to an apprentice who’s now helping to design the retractable seating at the Olympic stadium.
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