A BURY firm is to channel its expertise into a major rail link after clinching two contracts worth £6 million.

The orders secured by ventilation specialist Senior Hargreaves have been won for work on the final phase of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL).

Last week, the Lord Street company announced it had scooped a £7 million contract for work on the new Wembley Stadium. This resulted in the firm withdrawing redundancy notices earlier served on 20-25 staff.

The tunnel contract includes the provision of standard ventilation and emergency ventilation systems.

The special systems are housed in five shafts that link the tunnels to the surface and portal buildings along the Thames.

The main function of the ventilation systems is to either supply or extract air from the tunnels in the event of an incident. Sophisticated computer control will enable maximum flexibility of use and be able to provide air for passenger comfort in a stationary train and for maintenance work in the tunnels.

St Pancras rail station in central London is to be extended where Hargreaves ventilation work will include environmental comfort control and emergency smoke exhaust.

Work has started on site and the contracts will run until 2006, with the new rail link from Ebbsfleet in north Kent to St Pancras becoming operational in 2007. Hargreaves will carry out ventilation work on the tunnels in a contract with Emcor Rail Ltd. At St Pancras, they have a supply and installation contract with CORBER.