Work will start on the C360 contracts at Eleanor Street and Mile End Park during the later half of this year.

The Costain Skanska team beat-off competition from a list of industry heavyweights:

• Barhale Construction
• BAM Nuttal Kier JV
• Dragados Sisk JV
• Ferrovial Agroman
• Morgan Sindall plc

The shafts will house ventilation and emergency exit facilities between Stratford and Liverpool Street stations.  Both shafts will extend around 30 metres below ground.

At Mile End, the works will include the relocation of a coach park and all-weather football pitch within the grounds of the park.

Andy Mitchell, Crossrail Programme Director said: “To enable future rail services to operate through the new rail tunnels, ventilation and access shafts are required to be constructed at various locations along the route including Eleanor Street and Mile End Park in east London.”

The ventilation shafts along the Crossrail route have been designed to ensure optimal air movement within the tunnels.

As Crossrail trains will be air-conditioned, they will release warm air into the tunnels. The shafts will help extract this warm air out of the tunnels.