J Murphy & Sons has been awarded a £1 million enabling works contract by Crossrail to carry out civil engineering works at Swanlea School in Whitechapel, London.

Preparatory work for the contract has begun already and completion on site is programmed for January 2011. Murphy was awarded the contract over six other framework contractors, including Balfour Beatty, Carillion, Laing O’Rourke and Kier.


The scheme at Swanlea School will include utility diversions, the construction of a new substation and utility building, demolition of some existing structures and provision of a new access road to make way for the new Crossrail route.

Crossrail will run 118 km from Maidenhead and Heathrow in the west, through new twin-bore 21 km tunnels under central London to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east. It will bring an additional 1.5 million people within 60 minutes commuting distance of London's key business districts.

(CD)