Crossrail has announced the shortlist for the refurbishment of the Connaught Tunnel, a major part of the Abbey Wood branch, and the Pudding Mill Lane Tunnel Portal.

For Contract 315 - Connaught Tunnel the following have been shortlisted: Vinci Construction UK Ltd; Hochtief Murphy Joint Venture; BAM Nuttall Ltd and VolkerFitzpatrick Barhale Joint Venture.

For Contract 350 Pudding Mill Lane Tunnel Portal the following have been shortlisted: Vinci Construction UK Ltd; Carillion Construction Ltd; Dragados-Sisk Joint Venture and Morgan Sindall.

The Invitation to Tender for both contracts will be issued next month. Crossrail intends to award contracts in 2011.

To deliver the Crossrail branch to Abbey Wood, a major proportion of the construction work involves reusing disused rail infrastructure including the Connaught Tunnel on the former North London Line branch to North Woolwich and disused National Rail tracks to Custom House - which both closed to passenger traffic in December 2006.

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The Connaught Tunnel is around 550 metres long and runs between Royal Victoria Dock and Royal Albert Dock close to London City Airport. The tunnel dates back to 1850.

Crossrail will be enlarging the existing tunnel so that it can accommodate Crossrail trains and overhead line equipment. Sections of the existing tunnel are in a poor structural condition. Around 100 metres of tunnel wall will be removed and will be replaced with a new tunnel lining. The existing brick arches, part of the tunnel approaches, will be retained and repaired.

Over at Pudding Mill Lane, the second tunnel portal for the main running tunnels will be constructed. The other tunnel portal will be located at Royal Oak. Preparatory work at the Royal Oak tunnel portal site got underway in January 2010. Work on the Royal Oak tunnel portal involves construction of a 190 metre diaphragm walled box to form the foundation for a tunnel boring machine launch. Construction of the actual tunnel portal got underway last week with the first section of the diaphragm wall installed.

Andy Mitchell, Programme Director, Crossrail said: "Construction work on the Abbey Wood branch is now underway with work advancing on the new Canary Wharf station and preparatory work underway at a number of sites. Key sections of the Abbey Wood branch already exist as they are either disused or existing rail infrastructure. We are now moving forward with the main element of the Abbey Wood branch, the refurbishment of the Connaught Tunnel and will be issuing the Invitation to Tender to shortlisted organisations in September."

Once completed, new trains carrying up to 1,500 passengers will travel through the 21km long tunnels significantly reducing journey times between Heathrow, the West End, the City and Canary Wharf and providing new journey opportunities and much needed additional transport capacity.

(CD/KMcA)