North Dock drained as part of Crossrail Canary Wharf construction

Date: 11/2/2010

A total of 100 million litres of water is being pumped out of North Dock, the site for the new Crossrail Canary Wharf Station.

The water is being transferred at a rate of 13,500 litres per minute.

Transport minister Sadiq Khan turned on the pumps today, marking a new phase in the construction of the first Crossrail station.

The equivalent of 40 Olympic swimming pools of water will be removed from the worksite over the next six weeks.

Specialist contractors will safely relocate any aquatic life present when water levels have dropped to around one metre, according to the Department for Transport.

Mr Khan commented on the project: "The Canary Wharf station will be a vital commuter link to the financial heart of Britain, and I'm glad to see it's on schedule to deliver the benefits of Crossrail to passengers in this corner of the capital as soon as possible."

It is hoped Crossrail will boost the British economy by at least £20 billion once it is complete.

Meanwhile, a new report has estimated a high-speed rail service between London and Manchester would cost £27.5 billion to build.