Balfour Beatty lands £130m Crossrail contract

Balfour Beatty has landed a £130m contract to build a two-mile overground section of the Crossrail route to Abbey Wood.

The contractor’s rail division will build two dedicated Crossrail lines from Abbey Wood to Plumstead, where the route descends underground heading west towards central London.

The contract includes construction of a new station building and platform at Abbey Wood and works to modify several bridges along the route.

Main construction works will start in 2014, but some preparatory work is expected to start this year.

Peter Mason, Network Rail’s Crossrail senior programme manager, said: “Network Rail is undertaking a major upgrade of the existing rail network for Crossrail, including a significant programme of track renewals as well as station improvements.

“The transformed Abbey Wood station will act as a catalyst for the regeneration of the surrounding area and provide opportunities for local employment, meeting the development aspirations of the two London boroughs it serves, Greenwich and Bexley.

“We’re now looking forward to continuing our excellent partnership with Balfour Beatty Rail to deliver this exciting project.”

Matt White, surface director at Crossrail said: “Crossrail will transform rail travel for local residents and contribute significantly to regeneration in this part of southeast London.

“Fast, frequent and direct services will link residents with central London and beyond, slashing journey times and making it easier to get to a whole range of destinations.”