HS2 has completed construction of the six high-speed platforms at Old Oak Common, providing another visible sign of progress at the new west London superhub as the project moves deeper into station fit-out and systems work.
The six underground platforms, each 450 metres long, will eventually serve HS2 trains between London and the West Midlands, with onward connections to destinations further north via the West Coast Main Line.
Construction was overseen by HS2’s station partner Balfour Beatty VINCI SYSTRA (BBVS), with subcontractor Expanded beginning platform construction in April 2025.
While significant work remains before Old Oak Common becomes operational, completion of the platforms is an important transition point. Attention within the underground station box can now increasingly move from major structural construction towards the equipment, systems and passenger infrastructure needed to create an operational railway.
Almost 2,000 precast slabs installed
The platforms were constructed using 1.59-metre-high in-situ concrete invert walls, topped with precast platform slabs manufactured by Explore in Worksop.
A total of 1,946 slabs have been installed. Each measures up to two metres by four metres and weighs between four and five tonnes.
Teams constructed the platforms simultaneously from opposite ends before meeting in the middle, creating three island-style platform blocks.
A void beneath the platforms has been incorporated to accommodate services including electrical infrastructure, providing access for the extensive fit-out still required.
Work will now include construction of staff and equipment rooms, installation of steelwork for lifts and escalators and, later, platform floor finishes.
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.”
Major interfaces now coming together
Old Oak Common is one of the most complex interfaces on the HS2 programme, combining the new high-speed railway with the existing Great Western Main Line, Elizabeth line and Heathrow Express.
Alongside the six underground HS2 platforms, eight surface-level platforms will be constructed for conventional services. The first platform slabs for these are expected to be installed later this year.
That will eventually create a 14-platform interchange, with HS2 saying passengers will be able to reach more than 100 destinations through the station’s different connections.
Steve O’Sullivan, Project Director for the BBVS joint venture, said: “This achievement reflects the expertise of our multidisciplinary teams who have worked collaboratively to deliver one of the most technically challenging stations currently being built in the UK, drawing on world-class engineering, specialist knowledge and a shared commitment to excellence.
“As the full scale, form and function of the station is starting to come into view there is a tremendous sense of pride in what has been accomplished so far to transform an ambitious design into a functioning transport hub, with our focus now on progressing works into the next phase.”
Tunnelling programme converges on Old Oak Common
Progress at the station is increasingly being matched by work on the railway approaches.
HS2’s London tunnels contractor, Skanska Costain STRABAG, is expected to break through the western wall of the station box as work connects Old Oak Common with the Northolt Tunnel and the wider route towards the West Midlands.
To the east, two tunnel boring machines launched from Old Oak Common earlier this year are excavating the Euston Tunnel. They are expected to complete their journeys in 2027, eventually providing the connection between Old Oak Common and HS2’s planned central London terminus.
The first section of the station’s substantial roof is also scheduled to begin installation next year.
The milestone comes as HS2 chief executive Mark Wild continues the fundamental reset of the programme, with a new detailed delivery baseline being developed.
Against that backdrop, Old Oak Common is becoming an increasingly important indicator of physical progress on HS2. Completing the high-speed platforms does not mean the station is close to finished, but it does move one of Britain’s largest station projects another step from heavy civil engineering towards becoming an operational railway.
