Portakabin of York is building offices which will accommodate 900 people in less than six months flat.

The contract, worth nearly £5 million for a four-storey structure next door to the new domestic and international gateway at St Pancras station will be a new headquarters for the £3.3 billion Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL) project. It should be ready by mid-May.

The construction of Britain's first major new mainline railway for more than a century meant that quality office accommodation for the project was needed quickly.

The solution offered and accepted was Portakabin's Duplex Building System, using modules to construct buildings of up to four storeys with unlimited floor space.

The contract will mean supplying 272 Duplex modules to create 10,000 sq metres of office space.

The buildings will be equipped with toilet and shower facilities on each floor, private offices, and a main reception area as well as two shops selling convenience goods.

Portakabin is also responsible for fitting out the building with CCTV, fire and intruder alarms. emergency and recess lighting, two lifts, IT facilities and storage.