Crossrail C530 Woolwich East and West Boxes and Portals

This project comprised the construction of two boxes: an east box designed to act as a service portal and a west box which will be the new Woolwich Crossrail Station. The east and west boxes are connected at platform level via a tunnel and together will act as a live platform when the trains start running.

Balfour Beatty appointed Kilnbridge as a specialist subcontractor to undertake the temporary works design and construction of the platform walls, basement walls and ground floor slabs on each box. This also included the RC superstructure works on both boxes, which incorporated lift/stair cores and escalator shafts. The station box is a four-storey structure with split levels and complex
pre-cast interfaces.

This project also included works to satellite Crossrail projects such as the North Woolwich Portal and Plumstead Portal. Works at North Woolwich were particularly challenging as the access date was deferred for three months, yet the original completion date was achieved due to detailed and complex sequencing and excellent collaboration between the construction teams. This section of works involved an RC frame and a large service riser.

Works at Plumstead Portal consisted of the construction of a substation and RMU building as well as a retaining wall and a substantial drainage and groundworks package.