The construction of Crossrail's Custom House station is set to begin in earnest following the delivery of the first sections of the building.

 

Arriving already part-assembled, the pieces were fabricated at the Laing O'Rourke factory in the east Midlands before being shipped to the capital. This process is said to reduce the amount of disruption to both local residents and existing rail services.

Project manager Linda Miller commented: "A bit like a complex puzzle, piece by piece, we'll be assembling the new station at Custom House over the next 18 months."

The new building will be constructed on the site of the former North London Line station and will also link up with the Docklands Light Railway. It is expected to be open by 2018.

Officials state the Crossrail project will reduce travel times between Custom House and Bond Street by around ten minutes, while people travelling to Heathrow will see 35 minutes knocked off their journey.