The Crossrail project has successfully completed its path through Parliament, paving the way for work to start on the largest civil engineering project in Europe.

The line will run from Maidenhead and Heathrow in the West to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east.

It will stop at new stations in central London along the way, including Paddington, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street, Whitechapel and Canary Wharf.

Prime minister Gordon Brown announced that a £16bn funding package had been secured for the project in October 2007.

Crossrail is expected to be operational by 2017 and should mean extra capacity and faster journeys for passengers.