Two years of permanent construction completed at HS2’s Old Oak Common Station site

In March, HS2’s station construction partner, Balfour Beatty Vinci Systra Joint Venture (BBVS JV), completed installation of the 1.9km diaphragm wall for the underground box which will contain the six new high-speed platforms. The team installed 275 diaphragm wall panels and 161 bearing piles, the largest 2.2m in diameter and 57m in length. The first base slab concrete pour in the western end of the station box was completed last month.

Excavation of the box is also progressing, with over 465,000m³ of London clay already removed out of a total of 930,000m³ from across the site. The excavated clay is being taken away via part of a 2.7km conveyor network, removing thousands of lorry movements from local roads.

More than 900 of the 1,600 concrete piles have been installed 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 where the eight platforms 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.

BBVS completed demolition of the Wycombe Line Bridge, over Old Oak Common Lane, at the end of May, making way for the construction of new Network Rail bridges.

Later this year, the eastern end of the 10ha site will be handed over to HS2’s London Tunnels contractor, Skanska Costain Strabag joint venture (SCS JV), for the breakthrough of TBM Lydia, which is building the 850m-long logistics tunnel from the nearby Atlas Road site.

Two further TBMs will be delivered to Old Oak Common next year to bore the 8km Euston Tunnel.

In March, the government said it was committed to HS2 trains eventually terminating at London’s Euston Station, but for now was prioritising the service between Old Oak Common and Birmingham.

In April, HS2 confirmed that tunnelling to Euston Station had been deferred although the preparation works for the launch of the two TBMs for the Euston Tunnel would continue.