HS2 Completes Six Underground Platforms at Old Oak Common

LONDON, UK – HS2 station construction partner Balfour Beatty VINCI SYSTRA completed the underground platform structures at Old Oak Common, placing 1,946 pre-cast concrete slabs across three island platforms. Sub-contractor Expanded executed the platform construction inside the excavated station box, with pre-cast units manufactured off-site by Explore in Worksop. The milestone advances civil works on the 14-platform interchange as twin tunnel boring machines advance eastward toward Euston for planned arrival in 2027.

What Is the Full Scope of This Project?

The Old Oak Common super-hub project encompasses 14 passenger platforms divided between six sub-surface high-speed tracks and eight surface-level conventional rail lines in West London. The underground section features three island-style platform blocks constructed atop 1.59-metre-high in situ cast invert walls, creating an integrated service void underneath for electrical and mechanical cabling. Individual platform slabs measure up to two metres by four metres and weigh between four and five tonnes. Surface-level platforms will accommodate Elizabeth line, Great Western Main Line, and Heathrow Express trains, connecting passengers to over 100 regional and national destinations. Structural steelwork for escalators and elevators will commence next, alongside construction of equipment and staff rooms, while installation of the station’s primary roof structure is scheduled to begin in early 2026. The specific capital expenditure allocation for the platform construction package was not disclosed by HS2 Ltd.

Key Project Data

How Does This Compare to Similar Projects?

Complex urban transit interchanges worldwide routinely face prolonged capital procurement disputes and structural timeline pressures during multi-tier station delivery. In the United States, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Second Avenue Subway Phase 1 contract faced protracted federal financing challenges before the final contract award was finalized for April 2026, targeting substantial completion by September 2029 (Source: Railway Supply, 2024). Domestically, Old Oak Common forms the core hub of a UK rail market valued at USD 108.15 billion in 2025 and projected to expand to USD 185.31 billion by 2034 at a compound annual growth rate of 6.65%, with passenger rail representing 45.6% of sector spend (Source: Market Data Forecast, 2024). While the station handles high-speed capacity to the Midlands, interconnected mainline routes are receiving parallel private allocations, including £119 million committed by Avanti West Coast specifically to West Midlands maintenance, catering, and cleaning facilities as part of a £700 million West Coast Main Line program (Source: Avanti West Coast, 2024).

Editor’s Analysis

Completing the concrete platform envelope at Old Oak Common establishes a tangible operational layout inside the station box even as Chief Executive Mark Wild manages an ongoing baseline cost reset across Phase 1. The strategic viability of the hub relies heavily on the Euston tunnel boring machines completing their drive in 2027 to avoid terminating intercity services permanently at an outer-London dispersal point. Furthermore, as European rail operations accelerate spending on smart signaling and predictive maintenance at a 6.95% annual growth rate through 2031 (Source: Mordor Intelligence, 2024), Old Oak Common’s subterranean service voids must support long-term digital monitoring assets to manage the projected high-density commuter throughput.

FAQ

Q: When will high-speed passenger trains begin operating out of Old Oak Common?
A: Initial HS2 passenger operations between Old Oak Common and Birmingham Curzon Street are scheduled within the revised 2029 to 2033 completion window. An exact revenue service date has not been officially confirmed by the Department for Transport.

Q: How many platforms will the completed Old Oak Common hub contain?
A: The station will operate 14 total platforms, consisting of six underground platforms for HS2 high-speed trains and eight surface-level platforms. The ground-level tracks will serve Great Western Main Line, Elizabeth line, and Heathrow Express services.

Q: What was the total cost of installing the underground platform slabs?
A: The standalone value of the sub-contract package delivered by Expanded has not been publicly disclosed. Independent verification of individual sub-contract values within the broader station delivery budget was not available at time of publication.