A SOUTH Essex MP dropped in to see how Castle Point businesses are helping to shape Crossrail.

Rebecca Harris, Tory MP for Castle Point, visited Tottenham Court Road, one of the station sites under construction in the Crossrail project.

It will be a major part of the new “Elizabeth Line”, which begins services in December 2018.

It is the largest infrastructure project in the whole of Europe, building a 73-mile metro railway from Reading and Heathrow in the west, right through central London, to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east.

The project will increase central London’s rail capacity by 10 per cent with 200,000 passengers predicted to be passing through the station every day.

Mrs Harris revealed that at least five businesses in Castle Point form part of Crossrail project

These include Apex Steel Structures, on Canvey, which has provided temporary steel bridge and trestle at Whitechapel.

Paneltec Services, in Hadleigh, has provided panel based cladding solutions at Custom House station.

F. Brazil Reinforcements on Canvey has supplied prefabricated reinforced cages for walls at Tottenham Court Road.

Fastglobe, also on Canvey, has provided mastic sealant on the Connaught Tunnel.

European Tunnelling Services, experts in the design of tunnel boring machines, also played a big role in Crossrail.

Mrs Harris, says she is amazed at the progress made by Castle Point businesses and that Crossrail will help south Essex commuters.

She said: “It is amazing to see the scale of Crossrail, and great to see so many of my local residents and business benefiting from the project in the construction stage and, of course, many more when it opens up to the travelling public.”