0:00:02 > 0:00:05Underneath the streets of London,
0:00:05 > 0:00:08an army of more than 10,000 workers
0:00:08 > 0:00:12is building the most ambitious railway in Britain for a generation.
0:00:12 > 0:00:13OK!
0:00:13 > 0:00:15Crossrail.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17A new subterranean train line
0:00:17 > 0:00:21connecting Heathrow Airport in the west
0:00:21 > 0:00:23to the booming city in the east.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28Constructing Crossrail is like undertaking open-heart surgery
0:00:28 > 0:00:31on a patient whilst that patient is awake.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34Costing almost £15 billion,
0:00:34 > 0:00:37constructing this 120km link
0:00:37 > 0:00:40is the biggest engineering project in Europe.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43When we go through this gate, you'll see it's a very different world
0:00:43 > 0:00:45on the other side of the fence.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47It's a strange, dark world.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49Not many people get to see it at this stage.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53One of the greatest challenges -
0:00:53 > 0:00:56building ten cavernous stations.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58A good place to put your worst enemy, isn't it?
0:00:58 > 0:01:00It's difficult to appreciate the scale.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05The trains will carry 1,500 people.
0:01:05 > 0:01:10The station is designed to deal with 32,000 people at peak.
0:01:10 > 0:01:15Working in the heart of the city, engineers are uncovering its past.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18We have come across some human remains within the shaft.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20It's a full skeleton at the minute.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23And face a constant battle to keep London moving.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26This used to be a bowling green for the City of London.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28It was somewhat of an oasis beforehand,
0:01:28 > 0:01:30in the middle of this area.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32But I plug myself into my headphones
0:01:32 > 0:01:34to try and drown out some of the noise.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38This is the inside story of the epic endeavour
0:01:38 > 0:01:40to build London's new underground.
0:01:50 > 0:01:51London.
0:01:51 > 0:01:53Britain's business and financial heart.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58London has two banking districts.
0:02:00 > 0:02:01The historic Square Mile...
0:02:03 > 0:02:07..and Canary Wharf, five kilometres to the east.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13Crossrail's route will tie these hubs together,
0:02:13 > 0:02:14fuelling economic growth.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20The new railway will pass right across London,
0:02:20 > 0:02:23cutting the commute from Heathrow Airport in the west
0:02:23 > 0:02:25into the City to 30 minutes.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32It will connect key mainline train stations
0:02:32 > 0:02:34with major shopping districts,
0:02:34 > 0:02:36and the new City at Canary Wharf.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43The 40 worksites needed to build this railway
0:02:43 > 0:02:45are bound to cause some disruption.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50I'm sure when it's up and running, it'll be a marvellous thing.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53But I'm not sure full consideration's been given
0:02:53 > 0:02:54to the traffic.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57It just makes more congestion
0:02:57 > 0:03:00and it's the person in the cab that pays, cos they're sitting in traffic.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02London's a funny place, man.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06It can run smoothly, then gridlock for no reason.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09Crossrail's done a good share of that, a good 60%-70%.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11I'll probably never even use it!
0:03:11 > 0:03:15But Crossrail estimates that 200 million passengers a year will.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20One of the biggest tasks facing engineers
0:03:20 > 0:03:23is to construct the ten new central stations.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28Canary Wharf will be the largest on the line.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34Leading a team of over 400 workers here is Michael Bryant.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39What we're creating here is a passenger-handling facility
0:03:39 > 0:03:44that will deal with between five and ten people per second.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47I'm getting towards the end of my career now
0:03:47 > 0:03:49and I can't really think of a better one to go out on than this,
0:03:49 > 0:03:50to be quite frank.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55Employment here has quadrupled over the last decade.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00The new railway will help ease the pressure.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06This is my third tour of duty, if you might say, at Canary Wharf.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10I was here on phase one when I did a lot of the early work
0:04:10 > 0:04:13on the logistics and I was responsible for redesigning
0:04:13 > 0:04:16the DLR station and delivering that.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19And it really just instilled into me how important
0:04:19 > 0:04:23infrastructure and transport is to the future of developments.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29Canary Wharf's station will be 250m long.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33And Michael's team is constructing it underwater, in a dock.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39They sank a vast, watertight, concrete box
0:04:39 > 0:04:41to form the station's walls.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45Concrete pillars anchor it into the dock bed.
0:04:45 > 0:04:50They drained out more than 40 Olympic swimming pools of water,
0:04:50 > 0:04:54then dug down to create four floors below water level
0:04:54 > 0:04:55and two floors above.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59Now the team face a series of challenges
0:04:59 > 0:05:03to transform this concrete box into a station.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05First they must build the platforms.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08Then install the escalators and ventilation system.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11Their toughest task -
0:05:11 > 0:05:16assemble its unique roof from 1,500 timber beams
0:05:16 > 0:05:19that will house a public garden open 24 hours a day.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27The roof of this £500 million station has been designed
0:05:27 > 0:05:30by world-renowned architects Foster and Partners,
0:05:30 > 0:05:33famous for the City's Millennium Bridge and Gherkin.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38Canary Wharf Group, who own this site,
0:05:38 > 0:05:42are investing £150 million to get the station they want.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48The brief to Foster, which was probably quite a brave...
0:05:48 > 0:05:50brave way to go, actually, was we want something
0:05:50 > 0:05:53that's totally different from everything else on the Canary Wharf.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55And I think we've got that, so we're very pleased.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59The roof will be curving and arching up over, like a curved apex.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01It'll be spectacular.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03It'll be like a giant conservatory or orangery.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05That's the feel we've all been aiming for.
0:06:09 > 0:06:15The 200-year-old West India Docks were once thriving quaysides.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18- ARCHIVE:- 'These Docks originally had the monopoly of handling ships
0:06:18 > 0:06:19'and cargos from the West Indies.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23'Bananas for small boys, Saturday's picnic,
0:06:23 > 0:06:25'or maybe the monkeys at the zoo.'
0:06:25 > 0:06:28Fruit was off-loaded here from the Canary Islands,
0:06:28 > 0:06:30giving the wharf its name.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35But as ships grew in size and container ports took over,
0:06:35 > 0:06:37the docks fell into disuse.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43This vast area of land was reborn in the 1980s
0:06:43 > 0:06:46as the new home of the financial services industry.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52The site around Canary Wharf is still expanding fast today.
0:07:01 > 0:07:0328 metres below water level,
0:07:03 > 0:07:08lies the 21,000-cubic-metre heart of this new structure.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11Four years from now,
0:07:11 > 0:07:1424 trains an hour will be pulling up at the platforms here.
0:07:18 > 0:07:20It's difficult to appreciate the scale of it.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23The trains will carry 1,500 people.
0:07:23 > 0:07:28The station is designed to deal with 32,000 people at peak
0:07:28 > 0:07:31and I've got to build a complete platform.
0:07:31 > 0:07:32That's my next objective.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37Before Michael's team can start work on the platforms,
0:07:37 > 0:07:39they must shift two giant visitors.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44The machine you're standing next to is known as Elizabeth.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47She's a tunnel boring machine, 147 metres long,
0:07:47 > 0:07:48weighs about 1,000 tonnes.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51Whilst I'm very pleased to see Elizabeth here
0:07:51 > 0:07:56and indeed her sister, who's over my left shoulder, called Victoria,
0:07:56 > 0:07:59I should be even more delighted when they've both gone
0:07:59 > 0:08:02because what I want to do is get this space back to do my work.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08The two massive digging machines have broken through
0:08:08 > 0:08:10into one end of Canary Wharf Station.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15Now they need hauling through to the other end of the station box,
0:08:15 > 0:08:18so they can continue tunnelling towards Central London.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24Checking that their transit runs smoothly
0:08:24 > 0:08:28is second-generation tunneller Robert Bermingham.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32I am one of many Berminghams
0:08:32 > 0:08:35in the underground, or who have been underground,
0:08:35 > 0:08:36but my dad and my brother currently work
0:08:36 > 0:08:38on different sections of the project.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41The only reason my brother and myself are in tunnelling
0:08:41 > 0:08:42is because our father was.
0:08:42 > 0:08:46These bad boys here are what I like to call God's roller skates.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49It's actually a lifting bracket that will lift the machine up
0:08:49 > 0:08:51using these jacks.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53There is then a propulsion ram at the back of the machine.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56There's no margin for error, as you can imagine.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58If one of these was to roll off these gantries,
0:08:58 > 0:08:59you're in a world of pain.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03In charge of driving the machine through the box...
0:09:05 > 0:09:06I think so.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08..is Tommy Schoppe.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12It's a brand-new system.
0:09:12 > 0:09:13Testing by doing.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15The machine, it go only this way.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19And when you drive too much, it fall down.
0:09:19 > 0:09:20That is a big problem.
0:09:23 > 0:09:27- OK, boys, we're ready to move? - Ready to go.
0:09:28 > 0:09:29It's OK!
0:09:35 > 0:09:36Rock'n'roll.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40As the jacks push the machine forward,
0:09:40 > 0:09:43the crew must extend the conveyor belt that runs out the rear.
0:09:45 > 0:09:49When digging, the two-kilometre-long belt shuttles earth
0:09:49 > 0:09:51dug by the machine out of the tunnel.
0:09:53 > 0:09:54Four metres!
0:10:10 > 0:10:12We've come through the station here at Canary Wharf
0:10:12 > 0:10:15and now we're breaking through to the next section of tunnel,
0:10:15 > 0:10:16which will take us to Whitechapel,
0:10:16 > 0:10:18from Whitechapel to Liverpool Street,
0:10:18 > 0:10:20and from Liverpool Street we'll go on then to Farringdon.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31Three stops west on the edge of London's historic Square Mile,
0:10:31 > 0:10:33engineers are already hard at work
0:10:33 > 0:10:37building a new £440 million station at Farringdon.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45Built from steel and stone,
0:10:45 > 0:10:46Farringdon Station will connect
0:10:46 > 0:10:49the Tube, Thameslink and Crossrail together.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54150,000 people will use it every day,
0:10:54 > 0:10:57making it one of Britain's busiest stations.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01Historic buildings surround this area.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06The Charterhouse is a Tudor mansion
0:11:06 > 0:11:09built on the site of a 14th-century monastery.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14Engineers are digging deep shafts near these listed buildings
0:11:14 > 0:11:17to pump grout beneath the foundations to stop them sinking
0:11:17 > 0:11:20as they build Farringdon Station underneath.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25The excavations have led to a grim discovery.
0:11:27 > 0:11:32We have come across some human remains within the shaft.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34We started off with a skull and then found a shoulder section,
0:11:34 > 0:11:36and it's a full skeleton at the minute.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38That's what we uncovered so far.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43I saw part of a skull come up so I got in,
0:11:43 > 0:11:47got my trowel out, had a look round, and I found one.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50Then there were two more,
0:11:50 > 0:11:52aligned east-west,
0:11:52 > 0:11:57which is what we'd expect from a medieval inhumation.
0:11:59 > 0:12:03We can only really tell that they're adult inhumations.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07In terms of what sex they are, it's...
0:12:07 > 0:12:10it's very difficult to tell when you're digging them up.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16The skull is really fragile.
0:12:16 > 0:12:20It almost crumbles the second your trowel gets anywhere near it.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26Some sites have up to 22 extra weeks built into their schedule
0:12:26 > 0:12:29to accommodate archaeological investigations like this.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34Crossrail's in-house archaeologist, Jay Carver,
0:12:34 > 0:12:38has just four weeks before engineering work must resume here.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41It's exciting. This is one of the first times
0:12:41 > 0:12:42within this immediate area
0:12:42 > 0:12:45that we've actually found several skeletons together.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48We know from historic maps and other historic records,
0:12:48 > 0:12:52that, within this area, was one of the emergency burial grounds
0:12:52 > 0:12:54set out in the mid-14th century.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57But it's never been constructed on, it's never been built on,
0:12:57 > 0:13:00so it's very rare that there's an opportunity
0:13:00 > 0:13:04to really look at the archaeology of this site in detail.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06The graves could be linked to the Black Death
0:13:06 > 0:13:09that killed up to 60% of Europe's population.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14During the 14th century, at particular plague outbreaks,
0:13:14 > 0:13:16half the population of London was wiped out.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18It was a very serious time
0:13:18 > 0:13:20and an awful lot of burying going on.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24They'll be taken back to the Museum of London labs,
0:13:24 > 0:13:26so there'll be a very close scientific inspection
0:13:26 > 0:13:29of the skeletons to find out as much as we possibly can
0:13:29 > 0:13:31about these individuals and how they got here.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34Certainly very exciting for what we're going to find out about
0:13:34 > 0:13:36what happened here 600 years ago.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41Detailed forensic analysis will reveal if Jay and the team
0:13:41 > 0:13:44have found London's long-lost plague pit.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52Three stops back east at Canary Wharf...
0:13:53 > 0:13:56..construction work is beginning on the most complex part
0:13:56 > 0:13:58of Crossrail's station here -
0:13:58 > 0:13:59its roof.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06This ambitious, 1,000-tonne canopy will be built
0:14:06 > 0:14:08from 1,500 timber beams...
0:14:10 > 0:14:13..joined together using 860 steel connectors.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19The wooden frame will be covered by air-filled plastic cushions,
0:14:19 > 0:14:21enclosing the rooftop garden.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29Overseeing the German specialists,
0:14:29 > 0:14:32who have six months to assemble this giant 3D jigsaw...
0:14:32 > 0:14:33HE SPEAKS IN GERMAN
0:14:35 > 0:14:37..is Irishman Phil Duffy.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41One or two of our lads don't speak much English,
0:14:41 > 0:14:43so it helps a little bit to be able to speak a small bit.
0:14:43 > 0:14:44HE SPEAKS IN GERMAN
0:14:48 > 0:14:50THEY SPEAK IN GERMAN
0:14:58 > 0:15:01OK, Prem, up on one on the hoist. Up on one.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05Phil's not the only Duffy on the job.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07My dad's off fitting one of the timber beams at the moment.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12Slave driver, so I am. He gets the brunt of it.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16I always had an interest in following in his footsteps, I suppose.
0:15:18 > 0:15:23Phil's first milestone - assemble the roof's very first arch.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26If we don't have these in the exact right position,
0:15:26 > 0:15:28the timber elements won't fit.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30Tiny bit down?
0:15:30 > 0:15:32Everything has to be within the millimetre.
0:15:33 > 0:15:34This is like the keystone.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36The big crane will lift this in
0:15:36 > 0:15:39and hopefully then it will slot in to the exact right position.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42If this aligns up, the whole structure will follow through,
0:15:42 > 0:15:45so this will be one of the most critical lifts of the whole thing.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50Pre-fabricating a structure away from site
0:15:50 > 0:15:54and then assembling it as a kit saves time and money.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59It's a technique that's been used to startling effect in the past.
0:16:01 > 0:16:06To house the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London's Hyde Park,
0:16:06 > 0:16:09engineers designed The Crystal Palace to be built this way.
0:16:11 > 0:16:16More than 1,000 cast iron beams and 300,000 sheets of glass
0:16:16 > 0:16:18were cut precisely to size in Birmingham,
0:16:18 > 0:16:20then transported to the site.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26The hall was big enough to house six cathedrals the size of St Paul's
0:16:26 > 0:16:29and it took just seven months to erect.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36Each batch of wooden beams for Canary Wharf Station roof
0:16:36 > 0:16:39is prefabricated at this factory in Austria.
0:16:43 > 0:16:45No, I'm not a timber geek, I'm just a regular guy.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49In charge is project manager Daniel Nieberle.
0:16:52 > 0:16:56I always wanted to build timber houses when I was a kid,
0:16:56 > 0:16:58so I started
0:16:58 > 0:17:00studying timber engineering and ended up
0:17:00 > 0:17:06as a project engineer for big-scale glulam projects in the UK.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12Glulam is short for glue-laminated timber.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14The beams are formed of thousands of planks,
0:17:14 > 0:17:16glued together and cut to size.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20We get spruce planks delivered from the sawmill
0:17:20 > 0:17:23and we put those into a kiln.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27Then we get dried down planks into our production line.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31Workers scan each plank for imperfections
0:17:31 > 0:17:33that could create weak spots
0:17:33 > 0:17:36and remove those not up to scratch before gluing.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40Glue will be applied onto several planks
0:17:40 > 0:17:44and then all the necessary planks required for one glulam beam
0:17:44 > 0:17:47will be put into a big press
0:17:47 > 0:17:51where they will be compressed till the resin has cured.
0:17:52 > 0:17:53It's immensely strong.
0:17:53 > 0:17:58The weight to strength ratio is bigger than with concrete.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04Once dry, they cut and sand the beams down to size.
0:18:04 > 0:18:08This is actually already a proper glulam beam at the moment,
0:18:08 > 0:18:10it just has to be made good looking.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18Now the beams start to look really sexy.
0:18:20 > 0:18:21Oh, yeah.
0:18:21 > 0:18:22We've got wood.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30That's a top view of our Crossrail station roof.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33We could actually play Twister.
0:18:38 > 0:18:42Applying those steel parts onto the timber beams is the final step.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44All that's left afterwards is wrapping them up
0:18:44 > 0:18:46and put them on the truck over to London.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54Have you got a knife on that little Swiss thing of yours?
0:18:57 > 0:19:00The roof's first arch needs a keystone,
0:19:00 > 0:19:03a two-tonne timber unit that will join the structure together.
0:19:05 > 0:19:07We're just about to put the centre section in place
0:19:07 > 0:19:10using the tower crane.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13We'll get everybody else out the way and hopefully it will go well.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18As you slew round, mate, that should stay same orientation.
0:19:20 > 0:19:21Heads up, heads up!
0:19:28 > 0:19:30Nice and steady, inches at a time, please, mate.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33Nice and steady. Come down on your wire.
0:19:35 > 0:19:40The keystone is in position, but it's not a perfect fit.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44Just trying to locate the bolts on each corner.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46It's literally millimetres out.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49If we have an issue here at one of these timber structures here,
0:19:49 > 0:19:51it means it exaggerates as you go along the building
0:19:51 > 0:19:54and our connections won't go in correctly.
0:19:54 > 0:19:59For alignment they have to be perfect, within maybe five mil.
0:20:01 > 0:20:03Hit it properly, Robin!
0:20:03 > 0:20:06RAY LAUGHS
0:20:07 > 0:20:10You can't beat the sledgehammer at the end of the day.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24Yeah, that's it. Fairly chuffed, yeah.
0:20:34 > 0:20:38Beautiful, beautiful! I like the way you work it.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44Oh, yeah, I think I should have been a photographer. What do you think?
0:20:44 > 0:20:46If you stand back and look at it, you can see the whole arch
0:20:46 > 0:20:49from one side to the other side now, which is perfect.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51This is a massive structure.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54Like, when it goes to plan, you can't be happier.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57Looking more than good, looking brilliant.
0:21:00 > 0:21:01First milestone complete.
0:21:01 > 0:21:051,400 pieces of the jigsaw to go.
0:21:15 > 0:21:1728m below dock level,
0:21:17 > 0:21:21Crossrail's tunnelling machines have left the station's giant box.
0:21:23 > 0:21:25Now contractors can get to work fitting it out.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30First they must build the 240-metre-long platforms...
0:21:31 > 0:21:34..then install the building's ventilation system
0:21:34 > 0:21:37and nine escalators that will shuttle passengers down
0:21:37 > 0:21:40from the ticket hall to the platform level.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47Heading up the team is construction manager James Goonan.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49I've never built a train station before,
0:21:49 > 0:21:51never mind one in a dock, underwater.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55One of the big issues is actually getting our materials down here.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58We've got what we call a mole hole, which is the hole up there,
0:21:58 > 0:22:01which goes up to the surface level.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03Without full access to the mole hole,
0:22:03 > 0:22:05we can't carry out any works down at this level.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08There's no other way to get materials down other than the mole hole.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13James must thread 580 pre-cast concrete slabs down
0:22:13 > 0:22:18through this mole hole to the basement, to assemble the platforms.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20It won't be easy.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22He's just following us with it, where's he going?
0:22:22 > 0:22:24THEY LAUGH
0:22:25 > 0:22:28So, how many more panels you got to go in before the escalators arrive?
0:22:28 > 0:22:31There's basically 150 left to go in from these.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35It's already looking good down there. It's taking shape.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41The pre-cast is coming down as I am talking to you, Adam.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45The gantry crane's going ten hours a day, six days a week,
0:22:45 > 0:22:48and it's the lifeblood of getting the platform built.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51Minus four, please, Rocky.
0:23:01 > 0:23:05James has just six weeks to get the platforms in place
0:23:05 > 0:23:06before the escalators arrive.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11The mole hole's the only way to get the escalators down
0:23:11 > 0:23:13due to the size and the weight of them.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15It'd be nice to have a bigger hole.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25Two stops west of Canary Wharf,
0:23:25 > 0:23:28engineers are constructing Crossrail's new station
0:23:28 > 0:23:29at Liverpool Street.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35The eastern ticket hall will sit 40 metres underground.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37It's one of many sites across London
0:23:37 > 0:23:39offering a portal into the city's past
0:23:39 > 0:23:42for Crossrail's lead archaeologist, Jay Carver.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48We're just outside the Roman and medieval city wall.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52The historical significance of this site
0:23:52 > 0:23:56is it is the site of the burial ground of St Bethlem Hospital,
0:23:56 > 0:24:00which from 1600s through to about 1800
0:24:00 > 0:24:03was located just nearby in Finsbury Circus.
0:24:05 > 0:24:06Nicknamed Bedlam,
0:24:06 > 0:24:10Bethlem hospital had treated mental illness since the 13th century.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17You got any idea how many individuals
0:24:17 > 0:24:19we've taken out in this small hole so far?
0:24:19 > 0:24:21Um...more than 50.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26The burial ground, being a post-medieval site,
0:24:26 > 0:24:30is very likely to be overlying earlier levels from the medieval
0:24:30 > 0:24:34and possibly even Roman periods as well.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37Digging deeper, the team uncover Roman skulls and pottery...
0:24:38 > 0:24:40Oh, my God!
0:24:40 > 0:24:42Got bones inside it!
0:24:42 > 0:24:46..washed down to this site by an ancient river, the Walbrook.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51We've got very many sites coming up
0:24:51 > 0:24:54where we'll be doing this kind of investigation.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57So we'll be undertaking works all across the job,
0:24:57 > 0:24:59for every Crossrail site.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07Liverpool Street Station will be one of several new Crossrail stations
0:25:07 > 0:25:09serving London's traditional banking district.
0:25:12 > 0:25:13Space here is at a premium.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18To build the station, engineers had no option
0:25:18 > 0:25:23but to commandeer London's oldest park, dating back to 1606,
0:25:23 > 0:25:25Finsbury Circus.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29They will need this area until 2018 for access
0:25:29 > 0:25:32down to the station work site underground...
0:25:33 > 0:25:36..a decision that's not proved popular with City workers.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39It's really detrimental.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42It has an adverse effect on environment,
0:25:42 > 0:25:45and because we enjoy coming here to eat here.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47People come to work, they want to have a healthy life!
0:25:47 > 0:25:50- CONSTRUCTION NOISE - It was somewhat of an oasis beforehand,
0:25:50 > 0:25:52in the middle of this area,
0:25:52 > 0:25:55but as you can hear, it's not really having that effect any more.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00It is annoying. It's only five years.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03In the grand scheme of things, it's not the end of the world, so...
0:26:04 > 0:26:07Finsbury Circus is the subterranean gateway
0:26:07 > 0:26:11for construction manager Jules Boyd and his crew.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13This used to be a bowling green for the City of London
0:26:13 > 0:26:16and we're going to put it back like that when we're finished.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18A lot of people have likened this to an ant hill,
0:26:18 > 0:26:22where you've got very small surface, sort of a lot of busyness,
0:26:22 > 0:26:25but underneath, it's a whole network of tunnels.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29Underneath the City,
0:26:29 > 0:26:32Crossrail is carving out ticket halls and walkways
0:26:32 > 0:26:33to create the new station.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38Longer than two football pitches, the platforms connect
0:26:38 > 0:26:41Moorgate Tube Station to the existing Liverpool Street Station
0:26:41 > 0:26:43in the east.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49Over a kilometre of winding passageways need burrowing out
0:26:49 > 0:26:51to link the platforms together.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05It's a strange, dark world.
0:27:05 > 0:27:09Not many people get to see it at this stage either.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12A little bit more work to do to make it passenger-friendly, I must admit.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17It will look very different from this, I assure you,
0:27:17 > 0:27:19and it hopefully will be quieter!
0:27:21 > 0:27:25Jules' team use excavators to enlarge a pilot tunnel,
0:27:25 > 0:27:28creating vast, underground spaces that will become the platforms.
0:27:30 > 0:27:34Once dug out, they spray the clay walls with special concrete
0:27:34 > 0:27:36called shotcrete.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39It contains steel fibres that make it extra tough.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45You can see the fibres here, which are the reinforcing things.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49Don't put your hand on there, you'll get...like a porcupine.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51All right, Jez!
0:27:52 > 0:27:55The spray gun fires the concrete out of the hose
0:27:55 > 0:27:57at over 100 metres per second,
0:27:57 > 0:27:59turning the steel fibres into bullets.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04You wouldn't want to be hit by it anyway,
0:28:04 > 0:28:06steel fibres protruding from you.
0:28:11 > 0:28:15Jules' second big city station build is one stop east, at Whitechapel.
0:28:20 > 0:28:21I come down here quite often.
0:28:21 > 0:28:26You find all sorts of fruit and veg that you've never seen before.
0:28:26 > 0:28:29Most people walk along here and they see just the blue hoarding
0:28:29 > 0:28:31and then some strange buildings up here,
0:28:31 > 0:28:33and when we go through this gate,
0:28:33 > 0:28:36you'll see it's a very different world on the other side of the fence.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41Stretching out beneath the ground at Whitechapel
0:28:41 > 0:28:45will be 640 metres of platforms.
0:28:48 > 0:28:52Today, Jules is preparing for a major milestone -
0:28:52 > 0:28:53the arrival of a tunnel boring machine
0:28:53 > 0:28:55that will break through into the station,
0:28:55 > 0:28:59connecting Whitechapel to the rest of the network.
0:28:59 > 0:29:02This is where the TBM is heading towards us right now.
0:29:04 > 0:29:07This is the bit we have to have done and it has to be right,
0:29:07 > 0:29:11so there's not a chance of a big slab of shotcrete wall
0:29:11 > 0:29:14falling into the tunnel of anything dramatic.
0:29:18 > 0:29:22The end of Whitechapel's platform tunnel is rounded rather than flat.
0:29:24 > 0:29:28If the tunnelling machine breaks through this thin wall,
0:29:28 > 0:29:33it could damage the platform roof, causing up to a metre of cracking.
0:29:33 > 0:29:36To prevent this, the team has built a solid concrete plug.
0:29:38 > 0:29:40This reinforces the station walls.
0:29:42 > 0:29:46But tougher than London clay may make the final drive
0:29:46 > 0:29:48into the platform harder going for the tunnellers.
0:29:54 > 0:29:58It's quite exciting, it's actually coming to fruition now.
0:29:58 > 0:29:59Then we'll hit the wall.
0:30:03 > 0:30:05There's communication so they can speak directly
0:30:05 > 0:30:07with the TBM driver from this tunnel.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10In the unlikely event that it's coming through over here,
0:30:10 > 0:30:12they could say stop, for example.
0:30:14 > 0:30:18On the other side of the wall, inside the tunnel boring machine,
0:30:18 > 0:30:20Dave Shepherd and Paul Haycroft
0:30:20 > 0:30:23drive the cutterhead into the concrete plug.
0:30:27 > 0:30:30We can go up to 30.
0:30:30 > 0:30:34The heads not liking being in...
0:30:34 > 0:30:35Complete foam concrete.
0:30:37 > 0:30:40We've probably got about four metres plus of this material to cut through
0:30:40 > 0:30:42before we appear in the station.
0:30:45 > 0:30:47The heat from cutting through the tough concrete
0:30:47 > 0:30:49is beginning to cause serious problems.
0:30:51 > 0:30:54The crew pump extra water into the cutterhead to prevent overheating.
0:30:56 > 0:30:59But this is creating a troublesome concrete soup.
0:31:01 > 0:31:05I see on the belt there's a lot of slop going up the TBM belt.
0:31:08 > 0:31:11So for all the modern technology,
0:31:11 > 0:31:15you'll see here that occasionally we have to resort
0:31:15 > 0:31:17to traditional hand methods.
0:31:24 > 0:31:26It's always quite exciting.
0:31:26 > 0:31:28Everyone likes a TBM breakthrough, don't they?
0:31:28 > 0:31:30If it's in the right place. I think these guys back here,
0:31:30 > 0:31:32the surveyors, are looking a little bit nervous.
0:31:32 > 0:31:35We should have had a little sweepstake before this.
0:31:35 > 0:31:37We could have all put our Xs on.
0:31:37 > 0:31:40Like pinning the...like pinning the tail on the donkey
0:31:40 > 0:31:41Or spot the ball.
0:31:41 > 0:31:43SQUEAKING
0:31:43 > 0:31:45I swear the noise is coming from the right-hand side
0:31:45 > 0:31:47rather than the middle, but...
0:32:00 > 0:32:03While the tunnelling machine battles the heat,
0:32:03 > 0:32:06all Jules and his team can do is wait.
0:32:17 > 0:32:20One stop back east at Canary Wharf,
0:32:20 > 0:32:23the new station's roof is slowly taking shape.
0:32:24 > 0:32:27When complete, the entire building will be longer than its neighbour,
0:32:27 > 0:32:30One Canada Square, laid on its side.
0:32:34 > 0:32:36The sheer scale of the station
0:32:36 > 0:32:38creates unique problems for its engineers.
0:32:41 > 0:32:43During the daytime, as it heats up,
0:32:43 > 0:32:44when the sun's on the building,
0:32:44 > 0:32:48it will try to expand and then at night-time it will try to contract.
0:32:48 > 0:32:50And if the building was a single structure,
0:32:50 > 0:32:52the movements would be so large
0:32:52 > 0:32:55that the building would actually try and tear itself to pieces.
0:32:55 > 0:32:58So we've split it into three sections.
0:32:58 > 0:33:01And that means that they can move relative to each other
0:33:01 > 0:33:03without causing any problems.
0:33:03 > 0:33:07They are kind of alive, yeah. It's quite a living, breathing thing.
0:33:08 > 0:33:11Most of the station is built from reinforced concrete.
0:33:13 > 0:33:16That's except for this stretch at the east end of the structure.
0:33:16 > 0:33:19It's made from steel and passes over a road.
0:33:21 > 0:33:25The steelwork also needs to take the weight of the gardens above,
0:33:25 > 0:33:26which causes problems.
0:33:27 > 0:33:29Steel behaves very differently to concrete.
0:33:29 > 0:33:32It could be a problem. It's something that has to be allowed for
0:33:32 > 0:33:34in the design of the roof because otherwise
0:33:34 > 0:33:36the roof isn't going to behave as it's designed.
0:33:39 > 0:33:41This steel section will be more flexible
0:33:41 > 0:33:44than the concrete either side.
0:33:44 > 0:33:47If the team built the roof across the steel,
0:33:47 > 0:33:50then added the soil and trees afterwards,
0:33:50 > 0:33:53the extra weight could cause the steel to sag,
0:33:53 > 0:33:55pulling the timber roof down.
0:33:58 > 0:34:03So before they build across this section, they must pre-stress it,
0:34:03 > 0:34:07loading it with 300 tonnes to simulate the weight of the gardens.
0:34:07 > 0:34:09Only then can they build the roof.
0:34:12 > 0:34:13When they remove the weight,
0:34:13 > 0:34:16the steel will temporarily spring back up
0:34:16 > 0:34:20until they landscape this area, which will push the steel back down,
0:34:20 > 0:34:22leaving the roof line perfectly level.
0:34:24 > 0:34:28We needed 300 tonnes. 300 tonnes is quite a lot of weight to add.
0:34:28 > 0:34:30But it needed to be done in a way
0:34:30 > 0:34:32that we could take it off easily afterwards.
0:34:32 > 0:34:34So we came up with the idea of using paddling pools
0:34:34 > 0:34:37and it looked kind of cool having a load of swimming pools
0:34:37 > 0:34:38on top of the roof.
0:34:38 > 0:34:41They went on in August, so it looked quite inviting at the time.
0:34:41 > 0:34:43Now it's November time, it's not quite so nice.
0:34:43 > 0:34:47You can see the water here, actually. It's quite manky.
0:34:47 > 0:34:50Now the steelwork is preloaded with the swimming pools,
0:34:50 > 0:34:53it's safe to build the roof on top of it.
0:34:53 > 0:34:55You're now pretty certain that will fit in
0:34:55 > 0:34:57- with all the glulam that you've got. - Yeah.
0:35:00 > 0:35:03With the pools in place, Phil's crew can continue
0:35:03 > 0:35:06piecing together the roof across the steel section of the station.
0:35:07 > 0:35:11We have five mil tolerance to play with.
0:35:11 > 0:35:14I'll adjust it, and then you can come back and re-survey it.
0:35:14 > 0:35:15- OK.- Make sure it's all right.
0:35:17 > 0:35:21With another 200 pieces of the jigsaw locked together,
0:35:21 > 0:35:23they can pull the plug on the pools.
0:35:30 > 0:35:32The floor is going to lift very slightly
0:35:32 > 0:35:34and it's going to take the roof up with it.
0:35:34 > 0:35:37And then when we add the park landscape on later,
0:35:37 > 0:35:41it'll push it back down and the roof won't have any extra stress in it.
0:35:47 > 0:35:51At the new Farringdon Station site, Jay Carver's team of archaeologists
0:35:51 > 0:35:54have uncovered 25 skeletons.
0:35:57 > 0:36:00They think this was the site of an emergency burial ground
0:36:00 > 0:36:03for victims of the Black Death and are waiting for confirmation
0:36:03 > 0:36:06that they've found London's long-lost plague pit.
0:36:07 > 0:36:10This burial ground has long been referenced in historical documents.
0:36:10 > 0:36:13I mean, literally for 600 years it's been talked about,
0:36:13 > 0:36:15but has never been found.
0:36:15 > 0:36:18We're hoping to find out some crucial questions
0:36:18 > 0:36:19about those skeletons we found -
0:36:19 > 0:36:23precisely what date they are, can they be linked
0:36:23 > 0:36:27to the 14th-century outbreak of Black Death?
0:36:31 > 0:36:35Jay's sent the skeletons to bone expert Don Walker
0:36:35 > 0:36:37for forensic analysis.
0:36:38 > 0:36:41So, this is one of our individuals from Charterhouse Square.
0:36:41 > 0:36:46Yeah, this is one of the ones we've been working on, one of the 25.
0:36:46 > 0:36:50You will see nothing on the skeleton of a Black Death victim
0:36:50 > 0:36:52that reflects that disease.
0:36:52 > 0:36:55Right, so we have to look much closer, in microscopic...
0:36:55 > 0:36:57Yes. So what we do is sample the teeth.
0:36:59 > 0:37:02The teeth are a micro-bacterial time capsule.
0:37:02 > 0:37:04The plague's DNA becomes trapped in the roots.
0:37:06 > 0:37:09We sent off a tooth to have a look.
0:37:09 > 0:37:15They sequenced the DNA and compared them to various diseases,
0:37:15 > 0:37:18including Yersinia pestis, the plague,
0:37:18 > 0:37:20and they found some matches.
0:37:20 > 0:37:24It's pretty incontrovertible, really, that that's what we're looking at
0:37:24 > 0:37:25with these 25 skeletons.
0:37:25 > 0:37:27It seems... The evidence seems to fit with that, certainly.
0:37:27 > 0:37:29The chances are if they were exposed to it,
0:37:29 > 0:37:32they probably developed symptoms and probably died.
0:37:32 > 0:37:35We can't be absolutely sure, but we know they were exposed to it.
0:37:36 > 0:37:39This individual was a probable male.
0:37:39 > 0:37:43We also want to look at the age to see at what age they died.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47Once you're grown, it's to do with wear and tear.
0:37:47 > 0:37:50Things we would look at would be the joint surfaces.
0:37:52 > 0:37:56We think this person probably died between the ages of 26 and 35.
0:37:59 > 0:38:03We have to be doing some research to look at things like strontium
0:38:03 > 0:38:05and carbon and nitrogen,
0:38:05 > 0:38:07not only to see where they may have come from,
0:38:07 > 0:38:09but what their diet may have been.
0:38:09 > 0:38:12And what we've found is there seems to be a mixture
0:38:12 > 0:38:16of people who were born in London and people who were born elsewhere.
0:38:16 > 0:38:20And, of course, London was a mixture of people who were born there
0:38:20 > 0:38:24and people who migrated in, like today.
0:38:24 > 0:38:26By that time, the 14th century, massive trade
0:38:26 > 0:38:29and exchange all over Europe and even further afield.
0:38:29 > 0:38:33We know, of course, the Black Death made its way by those processes.
0:38:33 > 0:38:36- We've got a huge amount to write up and publish now.- Yes.
0:38:38 > 0:38:41Jay and the archaeologists have cracked the mystery
0:38:41 > 0:38:43of the Farringdon bodies.
0:38:43 > 0:38:46We've finally found evidence for this emergency burial ground
0:38:46 > 0:38:50set out in 1348, more than 600 hundred years ago.
0:38:50 > 0:38:53We've got an incredibly clear picture now of these individuals
0:38:53 > 0:38:56and how they ended up in Charterhouse Square.
0:38:56 > 0:38:59I think it's a highly significant find.
0:39:09 > 0:39:13Three stops east, back at the new Canary Wharf Station,
0:39:13 > 0:39:15with the platforms almost complete,
0:39:15 > 0:39:18workers are installing the ventilation system.
0:39:20 > 0:39:23The western elevation has three gaping holes,
0:39:23 > 0:39:26behind which three fans will sit.
0:39:26 > 0:39:28Bespoke stainless steel covers
0:39:28 > 0:39:30will hide this backroom machinery from view.
0:39:32 > 0:39:36The job of installing them falls to snappy dresser Neil Dutton.
0:39:37 > 0:39:40Yeah, I've got this bit of a thing about shirts.
0:39:40 > 0:39:42I get them custom made, what can I say?
0:39:42 > 0:39:45Erm, I've got a big neck and a little body.
0:39:45 > 0:39:47I'm probably the best-dressed construction guy on site.
0:39:47 > 0:39:52We have been employed to clad the whole external section of this
0:39:52 > 0:39:53with a stainless steel surround
0:39:53 > 0:39:56to get to a finished product on the outside,
0:39:56 > 0:39:57making it look sexy and pretty.
0:40:01 > 0:40:04The station's ventilation system is critical to its operation.
0:40:06 > 0:40:10Crossrail is spending £26 million on platform edge doors
0:40:10 > 0:40:12to separate passengers from trains
0:40:12 > 0:40:15and stop litter being sucked onto the tracks.
0:40:16 > 0:40:18But the doors cause a problem.
0:40:19 > 0:40:23A train rushing through a tunnel creates an almost perfect seal,
0:40:23 > 0:40:25forcing air in front of it.
0:40:26 > 0:40:30As trains pull into Canary Wharf Station, pressure will build
0:40:30 > 0:40:34and needs releasing to avoid damaging the platform doors.
0:40:35 > 0:40:39So a network of ventilation shafts not only draws away brake heat
0:40:39 > 0:40:42but also allows the air to escape.
0:40:42 > 0:40:46Three giant fans at each end of the platform
0:40:46 > 0:40:49will help pull the excess air out to surface level.
0:40:51 > 0:40:52This should relieve the pressure
0:40:52 > 0:40:55and protect the platforms as trains arrive.
0:40:58 > 0:41:01Neil's team must crane the vent covers down from the roof,
0:41:01 > 0:41:03then winch them up into position.
0:41:05 > 0:41:07OK, and we're not going to leave any rough edges on this, are we?
0:41:07 > 0:41:10I don't want any damage or scratches. That's the only thing.
0:41:10 > 0:41:12Exactly not. They cost quite a lot of money.
0:41:12 > 0:41:16I think each frame is probably, with the stainless steel...
0:41:16 > 0:41:1875,000 a piece.
0:41:18 > 0:41:21We've never done anything like this before. It's new to us.
0:41:22 > 0:41:25Gentlemen, this is a very important lift today.
0:41:25 > 0:41:28I don't care about time, I care about precision and safety,
0:41:28 > 0:41:31so let's just make sure we do this right.
0:41:31 > 0:41:33Before we do, I need signatures on the back of this, please.
0:41:35 > 0:41:38The crew must sign up to confirm they understand the lift plan.
0:41:38 > 0:41:40Have we got anyone taller?
0:41:40 > 0:41:42There's nothing better than seeing you bent over.
0:41:50 > 0:41:51Yeah, we're good?
0:41:54 > 0:41:56It's absolutely awesome.
0:41:59 > 0:42:02Guys, we need to get hold of those lines!
0:42:02 > 0:42:03Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!
0:42:08 > 0:42:11There was a little tight spot there when it was up, as you saw.
0:42:11 > 0:42:13That was the most concerning part.
0:42:13 > 0:42:15That's it.
0:42:15 > 0:42:17Whoa, whoa, whoa. That's it.
0:42:17 > 0:42:20Pull his ass in, in over there.
0:42:20 > 0:42:21Are we on?
0:42:24 > 0:42:28We're good. That's the easy part. Yeah.
0:42:28 > 0:42:31With the first covers down, they can hoist them into position.
0:42:34 > 0:42:38A winch, pulley and crane hold the steel in place.
0:42:41 > 0:42:43We see them as six halves.
0:42:43 > 0:42:45They're actually three units, but they're six halves.
0:42:45 > 0:42:47It does look quite spectacular when...
0:42:47 > 0:42:50DRILL ROARS
0:42:50 > 0:42:52..when you actually see them all completed.
0:42:52 > 0:42:54It's going to be quite iconic when people are actually...
0:42:54 > 0:42:57DRILL ROARS
0:42:59 > 0:43:00..when people are actually walking by.
0:43:00 > 0:43:02DRILL ROARS
0:43:11 > 0:43:13# Get down with that! #
0:43:14 > 0:43:17The gap to squeeze in the final vent cover is tight.
0:43:17 > 0:43:19I tell you, when that thing's in there,
0:43:19 > 0:43:21it's going to look bang-on, you know?
0:43:29 > 0:43:33Disaster already. Milo! You never checked it, did you?
0:43:35 > 0:43:38The holes in the bottom, they drilled too small, didn't they?
0:43:38 > 0:43:40Ken, what's going on?
0:43:40 > 0:43:42We need a jack.
0:43:42 > 0:43:45- You need a jack?- Yeah. - Why, it's got to be lifted?
0:43:45 > 0:43:48The bolt holes for the last section don't line up.
0:43:50 > 0:43:54It's actually just, just out of alignment.
0:43:54 > 0:43:55Every time you're dealing with steel
0:43:55 > 0:43:59or you're dealing with any sort of raw material, there's movement.
0:43:59 > 0:44:03They need some muscle to force it into position.
0:44:03 > 0:44:05One, two, three!
0:44:07 > 0:44:09This is the first time it's happened on the job.
0:44:09 > 0:44:11It's not happened on any of the other ones.
0:44:11 > 0:44:12That's construction. It happens.
0:44:22 > 0:44:24The team tighten their nuts...
0:44:27 > 0:44:29..securing the final vent cover into place.
0:44:34 > 0:44:37This is stainless steel and it's absolute perfection.
0:44:38 > 0:44:39Absolutely awesome.
0:44:42 > 0:44:44And it's just got such sexy lines to it.
0:44:46 > 0:44:48I mean, every building's got to have the sexy lines
0:44:48 > 0:44:51and those stainless steel definitely got some sexy lines.
0:45:09 > 0:45:11With the station's platforms assembled,
0:45:11 > 0:45:13the first escalators arrive for installation.
0:45:18 > 0:45:22The escalators are one of the key operational components
0:45:22 > 0:45:24of the station. They're mission critical, if you like.
0:45:24 > 0:45:28I think of this station as a people-processing facility.
0:45:28 > 0:45:32People need to get in it, through it and safely out of it.
0:45:33 > 0:45:36London's first subterranean railways
0:45:36 > 0:45:39ran just a few steps down beneath the ground.
0:45:41 > 0:45:44But as tube lines were dug deeper, engineers needed fast ways
0:45:44 > 0:45:47to shuttle people down to the platforms.
0:45:49 > 0:45:52Filing people in and out of elevators proved too slow.
0:45:54 > 0:45:57One of the earliest solutions - a spiral escalator
0:45:57 > 0:46:00installed at Holloway Road tube station in 1906.
0:46:03 > 0:46:07The first underground escalators, as we know them today,
0:46:07 > 0:46:08didn't arrive until 1911.
0:46:10 > 0:46:14Nine escalators will take passengers down from Canary Wharf's ticket hall
0:46:14 > 0:46:15to platform level.
0:46:19 > 0:46:21Squeezing these machines down to the basement
0:46:21 > 0:46:24through James' mole hole will be a challenge.
0:46:25 > 0:46:28They come down on the gantry crane so there's four lifts,
0:46:28 > 0:46:30the smallest ones are just under 2.1 tonne,
0:46:30 > 0:46:32the biggest lift is 6.5 tonne,
0:46:32 > 0:46:34then the four sections get bolted together.
0:46:34 > 0:46:35It's a tight fit.
0:46:35 > 0:46:38I think the larger piece that's going to come down this afternoon
0:46:38 > 0:46:39is about seven metres long
0:46:39 > 0:46:41and the mole hole itself is about five metres.
0:46:43 > 0:46:45That's the biggest section, this one.
0:46:45 > 0:46:48It's just the getting them down now,
0:46:48 > 0:46:50through the tight headroom, is the crucial thing.
0:46:50 > 0:46:52If we damage them we have to pay for them,
0:46:52 > 0:46:53that's why we always have to have a look
0:46:53 > 0:46:56before they come off the lorries.
0:46:56 > 0:46:58No-one in the yard, is there?
0:46:58 > 0:46:59Go round, Kev!
0:47:06 > 0:47:09Right, down slowly! Fingers and toes!
0:47:11 > 0:47:13We have to tilt it. It's very tight.
0:47:13 > 0:47:18It's 50-50, but we'll get it anyway. We'll go for it.
0:47:18 > 0:47:22'Ready? Down on these hoists, please. Down on these hoists.'
0:47:23 > 0:47:26No problem, coming down now, coming down.
0:47:28 > 0:47:32It's a steady descent through the station's four floors.
0:47:32 > 0:47:34Go ahead.
0:47:43 > 0:47:46We've just got to tip this now to come through the hole.
0:47:48 > 0:47:51Yeah, it's tight.
0:47:53 > 0:47:55One side's through, one side ain't.
0:47:58 > 0:48:01We don't want to hit the slab because it will dent the escalator.
0:48:04 > 0:48:07Just wait for the swing just to stop.
0:48:07 > 0:48:08Whoa, that'll do.
0:48:13 > 0:48:15It's through there now.
0:48:15 > 0:48:17That'll do you. Whoa, whoa, whoa.
0:48:17 > 0:48:21It was tight, but we knew it was always going to be tight.
0:48:21 > 0:48:22Yeah, go on!
0:48:22 > 0:48:26With the biggest section down, the other pieces are child's play.
0:48:26 > 0:48:28Down slowly!
0:48:32 > 0:48:35All the four sections are down.
0:48:35 > 0:48:39Ready to start unwrapping them and joining some sections together.
0:48:39 > 0:48:41I'm happy.
0:48:41 > 0:48:42I can sleep tonight.
0:48:45 > 0:48:51Last task - join the escalator sections together...
0:48:51 > 0:48:54I love riveting. This is a very riveting job.
0:48:55 > 0:48:58..and raise them into position.
0:48:58 > 0:48:59Go on, muscles.
0:49:04 > 0:49:06I need a man.
0:49:08 > 0:49:09Love it.
0:49:09 > 0:49:10Up you go!
0:49:15 > 0:49:17Two notches up again!
0:49:27 > 0:49:28Whoa! Hold it!
0:49:28 > 0:49:30That's it.
0:49:33 > 0:49:37What we're seeing here is the first real link between the platform
0:49:37 > 0:49:39and the ticket hall.
0:49:39 > 0:49:41The conduits, the umbilical cord,
0:49:41 > 0:49:45if you like, that runs through the station, linking all the spaces.
0:49:47 > 0:49:48Four years from now,
0:49:48 > 0:49:51these escalators will be some of the busiest on the network,
0:49:51 > 0:49:55carrying up to 100,000 people a day down to the trains.
0:50:04 > 0:50:052.5 miles west,
0:50:05 > 0:50:09at the new Whitechapel Station.
0:50:09 > 0:50:12Jules' team has waited three years for the tunnelling machine
0:50:12 > 0:50:13to break through into their platform.
0:50:16 > 0:50:18This will finally connect the station
0:50:18 > 0:50:21into the 120-kilometre Crossrail network.
0:50:23 > 0:50:26It's quite exciting. It's actually coming to fruition now.
0:50:26 > 0:50:29So quite a select few get to witness it.
0:50:29 > 0:50:31Oh, I got my lovely camera here.
0:50:31 > 0:50:33I'm expecting to take a lot of pictures.
0:50:33 > 0:50:36And maybe some personal ones for the family
0:50:36 > 0:50:37to hopefully be as proud as I am.
0:50:40 > 0:50:41The tunnelling machine
0:50:41 > 0:50:44has made it 3.5 metres through the concrete plug.
0:50:45 > 0:50:49During the course of the next thrust forward of the TBM,
0:50:49 > 0:50:53we should be showing signs of breaking through the head wall
0:50:53 > 0:50:54at Whitechapel.
0:50:56 > 0:50:58So that's 900 mil, in theory, to the breakthrough.
0:50:58 > 0:51:01- Is that correct? - Yeah, yeah, approximately.
0:51:03 > 0:51:06Although the wall might actually collapse before that.
0:51:06 > 0:51:07It should do, actually.
0:51:08 > 0:51:10Yeah, Roger, I'm with the TBM driver,
0:51:10 > 0:51:13could you tell us what you can see, please?
0:51:18 > 0:51:21Two big cracks and steam coming out?
0:51:21 > 0:51:23The wall hasn't collapsed, then, yet, no?
0:51:37 > 0:51:39Ooh, there we go!
0:51:39 > 0:51:41First bit of muck fell off the face then.
0:51:41 > 0:51:42And it was on the left-hand crack.
0:51:42 > 0:51:44Oh, and another bit.
0:51:46 > 0:51:50Any minute now, that slab of foam concrete is going to fall off
0:51:50 > 0:51:52and show the face of the TBM, I hope.
0:52:01 > 0:52:02There it goes!
0:52:11 > 0:52:14It looks like dust, but it's mainly steam that's coming in.
0:52:17 > 0:52:21This is more of a breakthrough for radio, isn't it, than television?
0:52:22 > 0:52:25Can you see the full cutterhead yet or...?
0:52:25 > 0:52:28No. You can't see anything, OK.
0:52:29 > 0:52:32Haven't seen anything yet. All I've seen is dust!
0:52:35 > 0:52:39One final push and the machine pulls into Whitechapel.
0:52:45 > 0:52:49See the guys, the TBM crew coming through there now, which is nice.
0:52:49 > 0:52:51Sort of a 'welcome to Whitechapel' moment.
0:52:53 > 0:52:55You can probably see the view through
0:52:55 > 0:52:57to some of the team on the Whitechapel side.
0:53:00 > 0:53:03Dust is settling now a bit, so there you are.
0:53:03 > 0:53:05You can see Whitechapel.
0:53:06 > 0:53:09After three years of working towards the same goal,
0:53:09 > 0:53:13the tunnellers finally meet the station builders.
0:53:13 > 0:53:17- Congratulations and well done. - No problem. Thank you.- Spot on!
0:53:17 > 0:53:19There was a lot of heat generating in the machine
0:53:19 > 0:53:21and a lot of steam from the other side, there.
0:53:21 > 0:53:23So, you could feel that from your end?
0:53:23 > 0:53:24Oh, the heat was intense inside, yeah.
0:53:24 > 0:53:27It's fairly surreal to be standing out in front of it.
0:53:27 > 0:53:28What you've stood behind for so long.
0:53:28 > 0:53:31The foam concrete did its job well, there.
0:53:31 > 0:53:34The machine cut its way out of the ground, or into the station,
0:53:34 > 0:53:38rather than barged in with large boulders falling.
0:53:39 > 0:53:41I should be a photographer, shouldn't I?
0:53:41 > 0:53:44You're a legend. Now I can show my mum.
0:53:44 > 0:53:46One, two, three...
0:53:46 > 0:53:47- ALL:- Yeah!
0:53:55 > 0:53:59Whitechapel Station is finally connected to Crossrail's tunnels.
0:54:02 > 0:54:05In four years' time, at rush hour,
0:54:05 > 0:54:0832,000 people will pass down the platforms here.
0:54:19 > 0:54:22At Crossrail's Canary Wharf Station,
0:54:22 > 0:54:25Phil's team is locking the last beams into place.
0:54:30 > 0:54:34Everything's going perfect, thank God. Everything is good.
0:54:34 > 0:54:36It's the biggest project that we've done.
0:54:36 > 0:54:38It's something to be proud of, I suppose.
0:54:38 > 0:54:43Final piece of the jigsaw - 780 inflatable cushions
0:54:43 > 0:54:46that will fill the gaps and cover most of the rooftop garden.
0:54:48 > 0:54:50In charge of this part of the build
0:54:50 > 0:54:52is Roy Butcher and Christoff Schmidt.
0:54:54 > 0:54:56- Do I look good?- Very good. - Is it straight?
0:54:58 > 0:55:01He loves to hate me. I love to hate him.
0:55:01 > 0:55:03- That's what we call teamwork. - Teamwork, yeah.
0:55:03 > 0:55:07Installing the cushions requires a head for heights.
0:55:07 > 0:55:09So they've assembled a crew of highly trained specialists
0:55:09 > 0:55:11from all over the world.
0:55:12 > 0:55:17Romanians, Hungarians, Dutch, English...
0:55:17 > 0:55:18Who's English?
0:55:19 > 0:55:21- You?- I'm Welsh!
0:55:21 > 0:55:23- Ah, you're Welsh. I'm sorry. - Yeah. Cut!
0:55:24 > 0:55:27They're rock climbers and mountain climbers,
0:55:27 > 0:55:31so they're used to heights, but, yes, a very skilled trade.
0:55:34 > 0:55:37Basically, they're just unwrapping the cushion now.
0:55:37 > 0:55:40It comes all folded up, they unfold it.
0:55:40 > 0:55:44They have to put aluminium sections which run down the edge.
0:55:44 > 0:55:46Then they'll connect it into the system,
0:55:46 > 0:55:49connect the air pipes and blow it up.
0:55:49 > 0:55:51Sounds simple, little bit more difficult.
0:55:52 > 0:55:55Fitting the first cushion on the lower outside edge
0:55:55 > 0:55:56will be a real test.
0:55:59 > 0:56:01Below is a 20-metre drop.
0:56:01 > 0:56:05Because we're installing the cushion almost on the vertical face,
0:56:05 > 0:56:07there is no area for a safety net.
0:56:08 > 0:56:12This is the most susceptible point of the installation,
0:56:12 > 0:56:14is when it's opened.
0:56:14 > 0:56:18If the wind catches it then that's the worst-case scenario.
0:56:18 > 0:56:21Once it's got the rails on it and it's attached, it's secure.
0:56:23 > 0:56:26They're now fitting the air inlet,
0:56:26 > 0:56:30so any moment now you'll see the cushion inflating.
0:56:35 > 0:56:37It is actually starting to inflate now.
0:56:40 > 0:56:44One done, about 750 to go.
0:56:47 > 0:56:49I'm a happy bunny.
0:56:56 > 0:57:00It's growing, you know? It's getting more beautiful every day.
0:57:03 > 0:57:0540 metres below the roof,
0:57:05 > 0:57:10James' 240-metre-long platforms are almost fitted out.
0:57:10 > 0:57:13It's an immensely satisfying project to walk away from.
0:57:13 > 0:57:15It's probably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
0:57:15 > 0:57:17to work on something like this.
0:57:17 > 0:57:21Brushed steel louvres add the finishing touches to Neil's vents.
0:57:23 > 0:57:25It might look poncey,
0:57:25 > 0:57:28but the amount of engineering that's gone into this is outstanding.
0:57:28 > 0:57:30I would say the whole team's proud.
0:57:30 > 0:57:33And the final timber slots into place on the roof.
0:57:33 > 0:57:37All our timbers are fitted. Everything is done now.
0:57:38 > 0:57:42Someone else's problem now, I'm out of here. Back to Ireland.
0:57:42 > 0:57:47THEY SING
0:57:53 > 0:57:55Four years from now
0:57:55 > 0:57:57and the ticket halls open.
0:57:57 > 0:57:59The escalators start running.
0:58:01 > 0:58:06Before then, the team must lay the tracks and build the trains.
0:58:08 > 0:58:11London's population is set to pass nine million in 2018.
0:58:13 > 0:58:17Only then will the architects of this £15-billion railway
0:58:17 > 0:58:21discover if Crossrail is enough to keep London moving.