Five on shortlist for £500m Tottenham Court Road station revamp

Five groups of contractors are in the frame to undertake one of the biggest-ever station redevelopments in central London -the £500m revamp of Tottenham Court Road.

The shortlisted bidders are:

• Balfour Beatty
• Morgan Est
• Taylor Woodrow
• A joint venture between Skanska & Mace
• A joint venture between Costain, Laing O'Rourke and Bachy

The works, which are expected to begin in early 2010, involve the expansion of the existing ticket hall by six times and a doubling of the station's capacity.

The winning contractor will also be expected to build a new escalator shaft known as the "Goslett Yard Box" which will connect to the new Crossrail station at Tottenham Court Road. The contract to build the new station will be let separately.

Tenders for the redevelopment of the existing station are due to be returned by the end of June, with a winning bidder expected to emerge in November this year.

A Transport for London spokesman said: "It's clear that London Underground's plans for the redevelopment of Tottenham Court Road station have excited the construction industry, given the high level of response to an OJEU notice seeking expressions of interest in late 2008."

Meanwhile, demolition contractor McGee is understood to be on schedule with the soft-strip of buildings, including the London Astoria, which were compulsorily purchased ahead of the redevelopment.

Physical demolition will get underway in mid to late May, and the works are expected to be completed by late October.

The entire project to redevelop the existing station and build the new Crossrail station is due to be completed by 2017.

Tottenham Court Road's revamp is designed to double the station's capacity.