Alimak hoists access UK rail tunnel

Alimak Hek has supplied hoists for an access shaft at the Crossrail project in London, UK.

One of the two Scando 650 27/39FC hoists is being used to lower personnel and equipment down the shaft at Limmo Peninsula, next to Canning Town railway station in London.

A pair of tunnelling machines, named Elizabeth and Victoria, was lowered down the 40 m shaft in November 2012 for the Crossrail C305 Dragados-Sisk Joint Venture (DSJV). They have now started their 8.3 km eastern tunnel drive.

Once the tunnelling machines were positioned the first hoist was installed. The Alimak engineering team worked closely with DSJV to determine the best position for the hoists within the shaft, to ensure there was room to install tunnel machinery.

The second Scando hoist is to be installed in the 30 m deep Stepney Green service shaft in January 2013. A third hoist, which is a standard speed Scando 20/32, is already installed in the auxiliary Limmo shaft on a short term basis.

Crossrail is a 118 km railway project in South East England, which will link counties Berkshire and Buckinghamshire via Greater London to Essex and Kent.