[VIDEO] HS2 Old Oak Common platforms completed

The first platforms of the HS2 line have been built and revealed in London

The Old Oak Common platforms are 450 metres underground and are ready for further fit-out as the rest of the station continues its construction.

There are six of the platforms which will mark the beginning of the line’s journey from London to Birmingham.

A mixture of on-site and off-site construction

The 1.59 metre tall walls, known as invert walls, were built first, being cast in situ on site, and then the slabs that topped these walls were pre-cast. 1,946 of these slabs, measuring 2×4 metres and weighing 4-5 tonnes, were required to cover the area.

The platforms were built concurrently from each end, meeting in the middle in three island-style blocks, with a void left below the platforms for electricity installations.

The construction of staff and equipment rooms, steelwork for lifts and escalators, floor finishes, electronics, and other fit out works will now take place. Another eight platforms are also scheduled to be built at Old Oak Common to be served by the London Underground’s Elizabeth line, Great Western Mainline, and Heathrow Express services, meaning Old Oak will be connected by train 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.

“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.”

HS2 on thin ice?

In June, the National Audit Office published a report warning that HS2 was on its last chance to deliver a profitable project, as now a full cancellation would cost nearly as much as just finishing the line.

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, the chair of the Committee of Public Accounts, said: “Today’s report confirms that HS2 will arrive years later, cost vastly more – up to £102.7bn – and deliver less than originally planned.

“While governance is improving and HS2’s designation as a mega-project has introduced more streamlined decision-making, more work is needed to complete the reset and restore confidence. 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.

“The works at Euston present an opportunity to regain reputation, not only by integrating HS2 with a central London terminal, but also by driving regeneration and bringing huge benefits to the local area.”

Read more about the report’s findings here.

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