HS2 has announced the completion of the first six underground platforms at Old Oak Common station in London. The 450-metre-long platforms are now structurally complete and ready for the next phase of works as construction of the wider station continues. These platforms will serve as the London terminus for services running to Birmingham.
Construction involved a combination of on-site and off-site methods. The platform foundations were formed using cast-in-place invert walls, followed by the installation of 1,946 pre-cast concrete slabs measuring 2 by 4 metres and weighing between four and five tonnes each. The platforms were built simultaneously from both ends and connected in the middle, with space left beneath them for electrical infrastructure.
The next stage of the project includes building staff facilities, installing lifts and escalators, completing floor finishes and electrical systems, and carrying out other fit-out works. A further eight platforms are planned for services on the Elizabeth line, Great Western Main Line and Heathrow Express, enabling rail connections to more than 100 destinations.
Kim Kapur, HS2’s Old Oak Common area director, said: “Going into the underground box at Old Oak Common, you can immediately visualise how it will look as an operational station, including where passengers will board or alight HS2’s brand new trains. The scale of the work – and the station now taking shape – is remarkable.”
She added: “However, there is much more to do. This includes construction of the conventional, surface level platforms, completion of tunnels either side of the underground box and installation of the impressive station roof, which will begin next year.”
Kapur also stated: “Old Oak Common will be transformative for the local area, providing a new transport hub, with a new vibrant neighbourhood developing around it.”
The progress comes amid ongoing scrutiny of the HS2 programme. A National Audit Office report published in June warned that the project has a final opportunity to demonstrate value for money, noting that cancelling it would now cost almost as much as completing it.
Commenting on the report, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said: “Today’s report confirms that HS2 will arrive years later, cost vastly more – up to £102.7bn – and deliver less than originally planned.” He also said: “The government must prove it has finally gripped this programme and begin to rebuild public trust in a project whose reputation has been severely damaged by a litany of failures, so that it can start delivering long-promised benefits.”
