London is engaged in a massive campaign of rail and transit investments, including High Speed 1, ThamesLink, High Speed 2, and Crossrail, a 73 mile East-West rail link below central London, with 40 stations (30 renovated + 10 new, below grade).
The Crossrail project will create the "Elizabeth Line" consisting of a pair of single-track tunnels, each 13 miles long, running side by side, supporting up to 24 trains per hour in each direction (72,000 passengers per hour). Intermodal stations provide convenient interconnections with existing transit and High Speed Rail services resulting in a unification of previously disconnected suburban rail systems. Crossrail is one of the largest and most complex rail link projects anywhere in the world. Work began in 2008, and tunneling was completed in 2015. Stations and equipment will be completed by 2019. WBUR highlighted the project's efficiency and effectiveness in an August 2016 feature.
