Crossrail has announced the shortlist for C435 Farringdon station.

The following organisations will be invited to tender for the main construction contract:

• Balfour Beatty, Alpine BeMo, Morgan Sindall & Vinci JV
• Costain Skanska JV
• Laing O'Rourke & Strabag JV
• BAM Nuttall, Ferrovial Agroman & Kier Construction JV

Andy Mitchell, Crossrail Programme Director said: "With the major tunnelling contracts awarded last year, 2011 will be the year of the main station contract awards. Farringdon is the second central London station to be shortlisted following Paddington last month. Crossrail intends to award the main construction contracts for all central London stations by the end of the year. The total value of the six central London stations contracts is £1.5bn.

"Farringdon is a key station on the Crossrail route and will be a major passenger hub for Tube and rail services. The scale of the new Crossrail station is such that it will stretch all the way from Farringdon to Barbican. The station will connect to three Tube lines and provides the strategic and only connection between Crossrail and an upgraded Thameslink network. In construction terms, Farringdon is a hugely important station as it is the meeting point of the two major tunnelling drives."

Farringdon Crossrail station is being delivered in conjunction with Network Rail, who are leading on the wider redevelopment of Farringdon as part of the Thameslink scheme. The Crossrail contract includes construction of both the eastern and western integrated ticket halls, providing access to Crossrail, London Underground and Thameslink services. When complete, it is planned that over 140 trains per hour will flow through the Farringdon interchange; making it one of Britain’s busiest train stations. An estimated 140,000 passengers will use Farringdon station every day.

Passengers using Crossrail from Farringdon will be able to reach Heathrow in 33 minutes and Canary Wharf in less than 15 minutes.

(CD/GK)