Transport for LondonShip ahoy for Crossrail
Barges and ships will be used to move 5 million tonnes of earth from the building of the new railway, which links Maidenhead in the west to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east.
To move the equivalent material by road would need up to 500,000 lorry journeys.
The earth will be used in a range of landscaping projects, including a new 1,500-acre nature reserve at Wallasea Island in Essex.
Mayor of London Boris Johnson, said: 'Moving 5 million tonnes of earth excavated from the centre of London requires a solution of Herculean proportions.
'Using the barges rather than the roads is a supremely brilliant plan and it brings joy to my heart to see them make their way up and down the Thames.'
