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Artist's impression of Old Oak Common Station.
Artist's impression of Old Oak Common Station.

Old Oak Common

Old Oak Common is a new super-hub set to be the best-connected and largest new railway station ever built in the UK. The station will have fourteen platforms, a mix of six high-speed and eight conventional service platforms, with an 850m-long station box, big enough to fit 6,300 Routemaster buses inside.

Old Oak Common will become one of the country’s most vital transport super-hubs. The station is expected to be one of the busiest railway stations in the country with high-speed rail services to the Midlands, Scotland and the North, and access to central London and Heathrow via the Elizabeth line. Passengers will also be able to travel to Wales and the South West.  Its construction and operation will also drive the regeneration of the area around it in West London.

Station construction

In June 2021, the then Secretary of State for Transport, the Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP, gave the thumbs up for permanent work to begin on HS2’s super hub station, Old Oak Common, in West London. Work on the site has gathered pace and significant progress has been made. A total workforce of 1,900 people are supporting the delivery of the HS2 ‘super-hub’ station, with the site itself welcoming around 1,000 workers each day.

After being given the signal to start permanent construction, HS2’s Station Construction Partner, Balfour Beatty VINCI SYSTRA Joint Venture (BBVS JV) started work on the the installation of the 1.2 mile diaphragm wall for the underground box which will contain the six new high-speed platforms. The wall was completed back in March, with the team having installed 275 diaphragm wall panels and 161 bearing piles, the largest of these being 2.2m in diameter and 57m in length. The first base slab concrete pour in the western end of the station box has also taken place.

The excavation of the box is also well underway with over 465,000m3 of London clay already removed out of a total of 930,000m3 from across the site. The excavated clay from the site is now being taken away via part of a 1.7 mile conveyor network, removing thousands of lorry movements from local roads. The conveyor was officially switched on in November 2022 by the HS2 Minister, Huw Merriman MP.

Over 900 of the 1,600 concrete piles have been installed into the ground where the HS2 station superstructure and overground platforms for the conventional train network will be constructed.

Piling work began earlier this year on the second half of the super-hub – the eight platforms that will be served by Great Western Mainline and Heathrow Express services. It will also become the 42nd stop on the Elizabeth Line. Platform construction will start later this year.

The team also successfully completed the demolition of the Wycombe Line Bridge, over Old Oak Common Lane, at the end of May 2023. The disused rail bridge was removed following a weekend road closure, and makes way for the construction of the new Network Rail bridges which allow the Great Western Mainline track alignment to be widened as it approaches the new station.

The team are not just focused on what they are building but also how they are building. HS2 is committed to eliminating the use of diesel on all its construction sites by 2029 and significant progress has been made towards this at Old Oak Common. The site has set a goal to achieve diesel-free by the end of 2024, with a collaborative team working on plans. Amongst a number of measures being taken at the site is a transition to electric equipment including the use of two fully electric crawler cranes, two of only five used across the world. There is also an abundance of green technology being used, including hybrid excavators and diesel equipment retrofitted to use more sustainable fuels. “Here at Old Oak Common, we are well underway in our work to construct London’s newest super-hub station. Our work is supporting nearly 2,000 jobs and we are already seeing that the new station is becoming a catalyst for regeneration in the Old Oak and Park Royal area.

Later this year, the eastern end of the ten-hectare site will be handed over the HS2’s London Tunnels Contractor, Skanska Costain STRABAG joint venture (SCS JV), for the breakthrough of the Tunnelling Boring Machine, named Lydia, which will have completed the construction of an 850m long logistics tunnel from the nearby Atlas Road site.

The SCS JV team will then receive two further TBMs delivered to Old Oak Common, in 2024, which will be assembled in the station box, ready to bore the 5 mile Euston Tunnel.

Station design

Old Oak Common Station will incorporate passenger and retail facilities, providing a high-quality and exemplary customer experience for all passengers and visitors to the station. It will provide direct interchange between high-speed rail and conventional rail services. This will be through eight conventional train platforms, to be served by the Elizabeth line, taking passengers to Heathrow and Central London, and trains to Wales and the South West.

The station will have 14 platforms in total. Designs for the station show that the six high-speed platforms will be situated underground. They will sit within a 850m-long station box, with a volume sufficient to fit 6,300 Routemaster buses in it.  There will be an integrated connection to the adjoining conventional station at ground level via a stylish shared overbridge. A light and airy concourse will link both halves of the station, unified by a vast roof inspired by the site’s industrial heritage.

Station designs have been awarded an outstanding rated score under the internationally recognised Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) assessment. BREEAM is the sectors principle indicator for excellence in building design, construction, and sustainability, and the award puts the new station in the top 1% of UK buildings for eco-friendly status.

The Old Oak and Park Royal area

Once open, Old Oak Common station will become one of the country’s most vital transport hubs, with services East, West, North and South. Plans to transform the wider area around the station, a former railway and industrial site, are being led by the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC) and it projects that tens of thousands of new jobs and homes will be created around the new HS2 station

To the west of the station, above the HS2 platforms, there will be a new public park, a green space which will welcome visitors to Old Oak Common and provide a new focal point for the growing community. Its planning submission also includes an application to lower and widen Old Oak Common Lane, which will improve access to the station for buses and pedestrians.

Working in partnership with the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC), HS2’s new station will be a catalyst for the UK’s largest regeneration project in the Old Oak and Park Royal area. The planning application for Old Oak Common was approved by the OPDC in May 2020, allowing construction to continue towards the station’s main works.

What we're delivering for Old Oak Common Station

Old Oak Common Lane Bridge

Old Oak Common Lane Bridge

The new Network Rail bridges will span the Transport for London (TfL)/London Underground Central line and Old Oak Common Lane.

London conveyor belt network

London conveyor belt network

A 2.7km (1.7 miles) long network of conveyors has begun operating in West London, and will move over five million tonnes of spoil.

Victoria Road Crossover Box

Victoria Road Crossover Box

The Victoria Road Crossover Box, near to Old Oak Common in West London.

Explore the In Your Area Map

Archaeology

Archaeology

The map displays information about our archaeological sites along the route.

Green Corridor

Green Corridor

The map displays information about our environmental sites along the route.

HS2 funded projects

HS2 funded projects

The map displays information about our funded community and business projects along the route.

Keeping you informed about our works

Stay informed about the works

Stay informed about the works

Find information about HS2 works and activities taking place in your area.

Managing impacts of construction

Managing impacts of construction

Find out information about how we manage construction impacts.

Construction look ahead

Construction look ahead

Read our three-month lookahead for associated work in Old Oak and North Acton.

Find out what HS2 means for Old Oak and North Acton

This section provides you with information about HS2 works and developments in your area.

Find out more

Further information

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