Giant bridge fitted for rail line

The bridge will be part of the extended East London Line Enlarge Image

A giant 350-tonne bridge has been lowered into position in east London as part of a rail line extension.

Britain's biggest mobile crane was used to pick up and lower the bridge over Shoreditch High Street as part of the extended East London Line.

Traffic was diverted as the 115ft (35m) long bridge was lowered. It will be secured in place over the weekend.

The revamped line will run from Dalston Junction to West Croydon and is due to open in 2010.

The £1bn project - expanding the network to the north and south - is seen as a key part of improvements to the capital's transport system ahead of the 2012 Olympics.

But the extended line will be run by a private company, a move that has angered East London Line workers and members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union (RMT).

Last December the RMT staged a mock funeral for the line, protesting over its "unnecessary, damaging and potentially dangerous" privatisation.