by Mark Collins

Living in London, you can’t help but be affected by the developments of the CTRL – it’s a massive operation. In fact it will affect rail travel to mainland Europe for the whole of Great Britain.

If you took what they are doing in and around Kings Cross/St Pancras and flipped it over 180 degrees, it would reach down as far as The Strand and possibly the Thames.

It’s good to know that everyone is positive about it being finished on time in 2007 and I’m glad that it not only opens up the rest of the country to Europe but will also be a shining example of an integrated transport system.

Once completed, 35 minutes will be cut from journey times to Paris and 40 minutes from services to Brussels making Paris just 2hrs 20 minutes and Brussels 2hrs away.

Between St Pancras and Stratford work will comprise of twin bored tunnels with ventilation shafts in Hackney and Islington, tunnels under the Thames between Thurrock in Essex and Swancombe in Kent, the overhead cabling work and the dismantling and storage of the gas holders situated behind St Pancras.

A big thank you to everyone I interviewed that day. David Joy, the Director of Planning for London and Continental Railways, Alastair Lansley, the Lead Architect and Ian Gardner the Rail Link Engineering Project Manager for Area 100 (the area between St Pancras and Stratford).

If we make a second series of trainspotting then I will definitely update viewers as to the progress of the CTRL. It’s an amazing construction.

Trainspotting.links (will open in a new window)

www.lcrproperties.com/html/nav1.html
www.ctrl.co.uk/
www.ctrlphoto.freeuk.com/