Farringdon’s Elizabeth line station construction completed

The Crossrail parts of Farringdon Station have completed construction activity, and are now in the process of being handed over to TfL.

This is the first of the central Elizabeth line stations to reach the T-12 landmark — which is the point at which the station goes through a 12-week handover to TfL where staff familiarisation takes place and systems are interconnected. The contractor has now started demobilising from the site.

Custom House was the first of the new Elizabeth line stations to be handed over to TfL earlier this year, and Paddington is expected to be handed over before the end of this year.

Kim Kapur, London Underground’s Head of Station Integration, said: “In just a matter of weeks the London Underground team will take responsibility for the Farringdon Elizabeth line station. This is an exciting time and an important milestone for the Elizabeth line as we begin the process of training and familiarisation at one of the new stations.”

The station will have two main entrances, both with ticket halls, one at the Barbican and the other at the existing Farringdon Underground and Thameslink station.

When the Elizabeth line opens, Farringdon is going to be an exceptionally busy station. The combination of the London Underground, Thameslink and the Elizabeth line, with over 150 trains per hour passing through at peak times, and connections to three airports, is set to turn Farringdon into one of the busiest interchange stations in London.

As the Elizabeth line part also includes an additional link between the northbound Thameslink platform and the main ticket hall, there has been some talk about opening up that bit early to give more staircase capacity in the station – but that would need to wait until final handover before anything is decided.