HS2 unveils designs for Old Oak Common hub

The interchange station will be built on the site of the former Great Western Railway depot at Old Oak Common. The six 450m-long HS2 platforms will be constructed in a 1km-long underground box, with twin tunnels taking high-speed trains east to the terminus at Euston and west to the outskirts of London. Spoil excavated from the tunnels will be removed by rail from the nearby former Willesden Euroterminal depot.

Escalators will take passengers down to the HS2 platforms, with a public park built above them.

The high-speed platforms will be connected a new adjoining at-grade conventional station via a shared overbridge, providing connections between HS2 and Elizabeth Line (Crossrail) services. The current station design also includes the potential for provision of future services to Wales and the west of England from Old Oak Common.

The station, designed by a team led by WSP and architects WilkinsonEyre, will feature a roof inspired by the site’s industrial heritage. An estimated 250,000 passengers are forecast to pass through the station daily.

HS2 says the new station will help kick-start a regeneration project which aims to transform the former railway and industrial area into a new neighbourhood supporting up to 65,000 jobs and 25,500 new homes.

Work is ramping up with teams clearing the site for the start of station construction. The number of workers on-site will reach a peak of more than 1500 during the main construction phase.

The long-term planning and development of the wider site is being led by the mayor of London’s Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC) which is planning a mixed-use development, with commercial, residential and leisure uses.

The station and the first phase of HS2 from London to Birmingham is due to open in 2026.

“The arrival of HS2 has the potential to transform Old Oak Common, unlocking thousands of new jobs and homes around Britain’s best connected transport hub,” says HS2 Old Oak Common project director, Mr Matthew Botelle. “Linking HS2 and Crossrail, our new station will be a landmark piece of architecture at the heart of the development, designed around the passenger to ensure seamless, accessible and stress-free travel.”