Crossrail has welcomed a 465 metre long concreting train to help fit-out the tunnels on the infrastructure project.

The train will lay concrete within the tunnels to enable tracks to be laid.

Following the end of the 26 mile tunnelling operation, the train arrived at the Plumstead railhead in southeast London.

The machine, which was refurbished and brought to the UK from France via the Channel Tunnel, is as long as four football pitches when fully assembled and is a self-contained concrete batching factory on wheels.

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The trains arrival marks the next major stage of the project.

Simon Wright, Crossrail Programme Director said: "Crossrail is being delivered on time and within budget. Following the completion of Crossrail's 26-mile tunnelling marathon, our focus has shifted to the fit-out of the tunnels and stations.  The arrival of the concreting train at Plumstead - the logistical nerve centre for this phase of Crossrail's delivery - will bring us another step towards the completion of this major new railway for London and the South East."

The train will be used in the fit-out of Crossrail's standard track slab along the Crossrail route from Plumstead and will enter service next month.

(LM)