Crossrail has declared five organizations are shortlisted for contract C610: Alstom Transport/TSO/Costain Ltd JV; Balfour Beatty Rail Ltd; BAM Nuttall/Ferrovial Agroman/ Kier Construction JV; Laing O’Rourke Construction/Volker Rail JV; and Rhomberg Bahntechnik/Alpine Bau/ FCC Construccion JV. Indicative contract value EUR457 million, duration 70 months. Contract will be awarded in early 2013. For further information contact Crossrail press office, tel +44 (0)20 3229 9552, e-mail pressoffice@crossrail.co.uk. Visit www.crossrail.co.uk.

Meantime, the first Crossrail TBM Phyllis has been moved to the Royal Oak Portal site in west London for final testing prior to launch on the 6.4 km drive east to Farringdon via Bond Street and Tottenham Court Road. The second TBM Ada will not be far behind, mining the second tube. The machines are each 150 m-long and weigh 1,000 t. Click uk/40 for tunnelbuilder archive and visit www.crossrail.co.uk/news/site-news/phyllis-moved-to-royal-oak-portal-as-she-prepares-to-start-her-dig. 13/12.