Procurement process underway for remaining Crossrail tunnel portal

Crossrail today announced that a contract notice has been placed in the Official Journal of the European Union seeking expressions of interest for the remaining tunnel portal at Victoria Dock. The value of the contract is in the region of £50m.

Construction of Victoria Dock Portal will get underway in autumn 2012. It is anticipated that the contract will be awarded in spring 2012.

Five new tunnel portals will be constructed as part of Crossrail at Royal Oak, Pudding Mill Lane, Victoria Dock, North Woolwich and Plumstead.

The Western and Eastern running tunnels will have tunnel portals at Royal Oak, Pudding Mill Lane and Victoria Dock. The Thames Tunnel between North Woolwich and Plumstead will have tunnel portals constructed at either end.

Construction of the first tunnel portal got underway at Royal Oak in January 2010 and is due to complete in early 2012. The first Crossrail tunnel boring machine will set out on its journey from Royal Oak towards Farringdon in spring 2012.

The North Woolwich and Plumstead portals are included as part of main works for the C310 Thames Tunnel contract. Enabling and mobilisation works are currently underway at Plumstead with utility diversion and ground clearance works ongoing at North Woolwich.

Enabling works for Pudding Mill Lane Portal started over a year ago and are on schedule to be completed at the end of 2011. Main construction for Pudding Mill Lane Portal is now underway.

Due to the close proximity of the Crossrail worksite to the Olympic Park, work on Pudding Mill Lane Portal will be suspended during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympics Games.

Andy Mitchell, Crossrail Programme Director said: “The procurement process for the remaining Crossrail tunnel portal is now underway. The contract for Victoria Dock Portal will be awarded next year. Construction of Royal Oak Portal is advanced and is due to complete in early 2012 ahead of the first tunnel boring machine being launched from Royal Oak in spring 2012. Main construction at Pudding Mill Lane Portal is now underway with advance and enabling works progressing at the North Woolwich and Plumstead portal sites.”