Euston Portal Headhouse

We’re building eight headhouses in London to support the high-speed railway. These headhouses sit above shafts, which ventilate the tunnels for the railway and provide emergency access.

Of the eight, the Euston Portal Headhouse will be closest to Euston Station at the entrance to Euston Tunnel. It will contain lifts, mechanical and electrical equipment, and in the event of an emergency will provide access to and from the track.

Headhouse construction

In the Euston Approaches, we will continue with utilities diversions, works on Granby Terrace Bridge, Hampstead Road Bridge and some tunnelling enabling works. We will also continue to monitor properties and carry out protective works.

HS2 are rescheduling works in the Euston Cavern and Euston Scissor Box areas to ensure they are delivered at the lowest reasonable cost. We will keep you informed about our works programme.

Activities we will progress in the Euston Approaches include:

• The extension of Granby Terrace Bridge
• The extension of Hampstead Road bridge
• Works in the Euston Throat Retained Cut
• Utility diversion works in support of Hampstead Road Bridge and Granby Terrace Bridge
• Surveys and protective works to properties required ahead of the tunnelling
• Use of the Regent’s Park Vehicle Holding Area and the existing lorry lay-by north of Park Village East
• Design work

Activities being rescheduled include:

• Works in the Euston Cavern and Euston Scissor Cut
• Cavern Shaft welfare and office building on Park Village East
• Park Village East lay-bys south of Mornington Street bridge
• 24/7 tunnelling and major excavations
  • Cavern shaft excavation and mechanical excavations of tunnels in Camden Cutting north
  • Euston Scissor box south of Mornington Street Bridge

For further details of above construction works please follow this link to our Frequently asked questions.

Headhouse design

The Euston Portal Headhouse will be located along Park Village East, south of Mornington Street Bridge in Camden, and is inspired by the local area in which it sits. The surrounding area has a diverse mix of buildings from across different eras – from Victorian to post war styles.

The structure is a modest size in comparison to the scale of the cutting. It incorporates a noise barrier, which will absorb noise from the operational railway, keeping any disturbance to the local community to a minimum. The highest point of the building will be 8 metres above ground level and a 3.2 metre wall will separate the critical safety infrastructure for HS2 from the road. Greenery and shrubs will be planted around the headhouse, as well as on its roof, tying it in with existing greenery on Park Village East.

Design engagement

To help shape the final design, we held public engagement events on 27, 28 and 29 February, and shared a survey, which closed on 17 March, asking for feedback.

We now have a final design which incorporates the feedback received and best reflects the character of the local area with the least impact to our neighbours. We shared this design at in-person and online events between 9 and 11 July.

You can find out more information in the links below:

Euston Portal Headhouse final design

Euston Portal Headhouse FAQs