HS2 has announced the completion of the first six platforms in the underground station box at Old Oak Common in west London.
Each of the new underground platforms will be served by HS2’s fleet of new high-speed trains, which will transport passengers between the capital and the West Midlands, as well as destinations further north via the West Coast Main Line.
Work to construct the platforms was overseen by HS2 station construction partner Balfour Beatty Vinci SYSTRA (BBVS) from its sub-contractor Expanded, with work having began in April 2025.
Tall, 1.59-metre-high walls, known as invert walls, were first cast in situ on site before the pre-cast concrete slabs, manufactured by Explore in Worksop, East Midlands, were lifted and secured on top. In total, 1,946 slabs have been installed, each of which measures up to 2 metres by 4 metres, and can weigh between four and five tonnes.
Each platform was built concurrently from each end, before meeting in the middle in a formation of three island-style blocks. The platforms currently have a void below, which allows for the easier installation of services such as electricity underneath.
Work will now begin to further fit out the platforms, including the construction of staff and equipment rooms. On each platform, steelwork for lifts and escalator installation will commence, and floor finishes will be fitted once other elements have been completed.
In addition to the six high speed platforms; eight further platforms are set to be built at ground-level at Old Oak Common, which will be served by the Elizabeth line, Great Western Mainline and Heathrow Express. Once operational, Old Oak Common will serve as the 42nd stop on the Elizabeth line, and act as one of the UK’s best-connected stations, with trains reaching over 100 different 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.
A wide of range construction efforts are now underway at Old Oak Common, with HS2’s London tunnels contractor, Skanska Costain STRABAG, due to break through via the west wall of the underground box soon, connecting the station to the Northolt Tunnel and opening it up to the wider HS2 route further north.
Meanwhile, work is continuing on the Euston Tunnel, which is being built to the east of the station, which will eventually connect Old Oak Common with HS2’d central London terminus. Two tunnel boring machines were launched from the station box at the start of the year, and are expected to complete their journey to Euston in 2027.
