Transport Projects

Crossrail C610 (Tunnel Ventilation Transitions)

Crossrail is a transit line development project in London. It is a significant infrastructure which will result in a new underground railway line running across the capital from east to west and is arguably the city’s largest infrastructure project this century.

Exyte Hargreaves was contracted to design, manufacture, deliver and install 25 individual ventilation systems  / 54 transition pieces across five separate sites on the Crossrail network including Canary Wharf and Bond Street. These transition pieces are vital in managing air flow within the tunnels.



These ventilation systems provide fresh air flow into the Crossrail tunnels during normal operation but also have a safety function providing smoke extract in the unlikely event of an emergency.

Given the space restrictions involved with an underground project, Exyte Hargreaves had to utilise intelligent digital design and construction methodology to enable it to deliver the systems effectively. The challenges overcome have been featured on BBC’s £15Bn railway.

Our approach focussed on 2 aspects of the project to overcome the challenges; firstly logistics to the location (through tight London streets) and secondly the installation of fans and transitions in vertical shafts with very little room for manoeuvre. 

Exyte Hargreaves completed its contracted work in early 2019. On the back of its work on the Crossrail C610 project, Exyte Hargreaves was awarded Contractor of the Year at the 2018 BESA North West Awards.

Terminal 2, Manchester Airport

The smoke extract ventilation system was a part of a £1 billion investment to transform Manchester Airport and part of a 150% increase to the original size of Terminal 2 adding a further 81,000m2 floor area.

Heathrow Airport

Following a technical review led by BAA, Exyte Hargreaves were appointed to manufacture and install the new fire rated kitchen extract ventilation system.

Crossrail, Farringdon Station

Exyte Hargreaves scope of work included the manufacture, supply, installation and commissioning of smoke extract fans for the platforms located at each end of the station.

The systems each comprised two (duty and standby) fire rated smoke extract fans, attenuation and DW 144 ductwork as well as HFD-SID CE rated fire duct work which is the first project to have a CE rated accredited duct work.

• Exyte Hargreaves advanced fire rated ductwork to a CE marking the first project of its type 
• Light gauge galvanized ductwork
• Flexible ductwork
• Airturns / splitters
• Fire Dampers
• Isolation & Balance Dampers
• Attentuators – manual control and fire
• Grilles

The project consisted of two ticket halls the east ticket hall & the west ticket hall, within these two ticket halls they are 8 levels which consist of numerous small plant rooms which have plant situated with large extract fans which serve the tunnel Extract System and two AHU'S on the east and two on the west.

The Tunnel ran for approximately 1.5 miles in which Hargreaves installed numerous runs of duct to the Platform Smoke extract which was designed to, in case of a fire, keep the platforms clear of Smoke and give people a chance to escape via the fire exits for up to 2 hours.

All Fire rated duct work was successfully pressure tested on first attempt and the systems signed off and handed over to the commissioning team to balance the systems before going operational. 

Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL)

The Channel Tunnel Rail Link is a 67-mile high-speed railway linking London with the Channel Tunnel. The line carries international passenger traffic between the United Kingdom and mainland Europe; it also carries domestic passenger traffic to and from stations in Kent and east London, and Berne gauge freight traffic.



Exyte Hargreaves involvement was the manufacture and installation of fans, Saccardo nozzles and their supporting structure, in the service shafts and portal buildings.

Holmesdale Tunnels

The Holmesdale tunnels at junction 25 became a major point of congestion. A £75 million scheme from the Highways Agency scheme led to the refurbishment of the tunnels which involved the removal of jet fans located next to the carriageway to create more space. This required the engineers to develop new ventilation methods that would not occupy valuable roadside space yet capable of introducing high volumes of air in an emergency to purge the tunnels of smoke. 



After delivering a similar contract previously for the Thames Tunnels on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL) Exyte Hargreaves were in a unique position to contribute their expertise on this scheme, manufacturing and installing the crucial ventilation equipment in the Holmesdale tunnels on the M25. This equipment included the supply of the saccardo nozzles.