London's most boring project: £18bn Crossrail tunnel takes shape below capital... but they've been going three years and are still only a fifth of the way through The massive project aims to overhaul the capital's rail system It will be comprised of 26 miles of tunnels and will open in 2018 More than five miles of tunnels have now been bored by vast machines After three years of subterranean drilling, the £18billion project to transform London's rail network has tunnelled out just five of the 26 miles it will eventually cover. These incredible pictures show the immensity of the task faced by engineers revamping the capital's creaking transport infrastructure. The workers are overshadowed by the vast tunnels being drilled for the new Crossrail route. The £18billion project, which is due to open in 2018, will pass through 37 stations and increase London's rail capacity by 10 per cent. Subterranean world: Workers appear tiny compared to the vast tunnel being drilled at Whitechapel Station in London Boring machine: Tunnelling machine 'Sophia' at Crossrail's Plumstead site Five huge tunnelling machines are now in operation in west, east and southeast London with more than five and a half miles of tunnels now built. A further 7.5 miles of platform tunnels are also being bored beneath central London station sites. Tunnelling work is continuing around-the-clock beneath the capital and later this year two tunnelling machines will pass through the 34.5 metre deep Stepney Green shaft, one of Europe's largest underground caverns. Crossrail is an £18billion travel infrastructure project that is projected to improve rail links in the capital Tunnellers: Workers at Canary Wharf (left) and Stepney Green shaft (right) Monolith: A tunnelling machine at Crossrail's Western tunnels site Andrew Wolstenholme, Crossrail's chief executive said: 'With over 5.5 miles of tunnels now completed Crossrail is making good progress in delivering a tunnelling marathon beneath the streets of London.' According to its website, Crossrail will support regeneration across the capital and shorten journey times, with economic forecasts suggesting the project will add up to £42billion to the UK economy. New Crossrail stations are being built through the central section of the route at Paddington, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street, Whitechapel, Canary Wharf, Custom House and Woolwich. Around 200 million passengers will travel on Crossrail each year and station platforms will be 250m in length to accommodate the 200m trains that will pass through each station, as well as enabling longer 240m trains to operate in the future as passenger demand increases. Crossrail claims the project will add up to £42billion to the UK economy Shaft: The massive project aims to reduce journey times and increase the capital's rail capacity A map showing the areas Crossrail will serve. It is expected to put a further 1.5 million people within 45 minutes of central London 42 billion - Forecasted pounds the project will bring to the UK economy 18 billion - Cost of the project in pounds 200 million - Passengers will travel on Crossrail each year 1.5 million - Additional people that will be within 45 minutes commuting distance of London 2018 - The year it will be open, with completion in 2019 980 - Tonnes each tunnel boring machine (TBM) weighs 20 - Crew work with each TBM 250,000 - Concrete segments will be used to line the tunnels 10 - The percentage increase to rail capacity in the capital 5 - TBMs now in operation in west, east and southeast London