It’s been the talk of the town since plans were first proposed back in 2010 – but now (over a decade-and-a-half later), a colossal step chug has just been taken in the direction of making a huge new ‘superhub station’ a reality. Here’s the lowdown, Londoners.
The station in question comes in the form of Old Oak Common, a west London spot that will serve as a hub for the HS2 railway and a major interchange for many other lines and services. Old Oak Common has been under construction for the past five years. And whilst there is still a hefty way to go before the station will be up and running, a rather mighty milestone has just been reached.
Old Oak Common station
Hailed ‘one of the most technically challenging stations currently being built in the UK’, Old Oak Common is expected to be used by up to 250,000 passengers each and every day. The transport hub will boast 14 platforms in total; six of which will be subterranean and eight of them will be built at ground level.
HS2 has now officially completed construction of the six underground platforms at Old Oak Common. Each of these platforms is 450-metres long and will be served by HS2’s high-speed trains. Forming part of the underground station box, the freshly-constructed platforms have been built concurrently from each end – meeting in the middle ‘in a formation of three island-style blocks’. And now these platforms are in place, further work can take place, including the construction of staff and equipment rooms.
Once the suberhub station is fully operational, it will be one of the biggest (and best-connected) stations in the UK. Offering quick and reliable transport links from London to the Midlands, the North, and Scotland, Old Oak Common will connect passengers to over 100 destinations across the country. The eight ground-level platforms will be served by the Elizabeth Line, Great Western Mainline, and Heathrow Express trains.
Alongside the station itself, a public green space is being created, complete with pocket gardens, trees, shrubs, and a wetland area. Old Oak Common is set to open at some point between 2036 and 2039, ready for the first high-speed HS2 services.
Kim Kapur, HS2’s Old Oak Common Area Director, said: “Going in to 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.
“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.
“Old Oak Common will be transformative for the local area, providing a new transport hub, with a new vibrant neighbourhood developing around it.”
Find out more and stay up to date with the construction of Old Oak Common station here.
