By rosebell
HS2 has unveiled its first six completed platforms on the railway in the underground station box at Old Oak Common in west London.
HS2’s station construction partner Balfour Beatty Vinci Systra oversaw the construction by its sub-contractor Expanded, which began in April 2025.
Work on the 450m-long platforms started by building 1.59m-high invert walls. These were cast in situ before the pre-cast platform slabs, manufactured by Explore in Worksop, East Midlands, were lifted and secured on top. In total there are 1,946 slabs, each measuring up to 2x4m and weighing between four and five tonnes.
The team built the platforms concurrently from each end which meet in a formation of three island-style blocks. The platforms have a void below, allowing for services to be installed.
Further fit-out work on the platforms will now take place, including the construction of staff and equipment rooms. On the platforms, steelwork for lifts and escalator installation will begin, and floor finishes will be fitted once the other elements have been completed.
In addition to the six high-speed platforms, eight further platforms will be built at ground level at Old Oak Common for the Elizabeth line, Great Western Mainline and Heathrow Express services. Old Oak Common will be the 42nd stop on London’s Elizabeth line and will be one of the UK’s best-connected stations with trains reaching over 100 destinations.
HS2’s Old Oak Common area director, Kim Kapur, said the scale of the work – and the station taking shape – was 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,” he said.
“Old Oak Common will be transformative for the local area, providing a new transport hub, with a new vibrant neighbourhood developing around it.”
Balfour Beatty Vinci Systra JV project director Steve O’Sullivan, 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.
HS2’s London tunnels contractor, Skanska Costain Strabag (SCS), is due to break through the west wall of the underground box soon. This will connect the station to the railway’s Northolt Tunnel.
At the same time, work continues on the Euston Tunnel being built to the east of the station, which will eventually connect Old Oak Common with HS2’s central London terminus. Two TBMs were launched from the station box at the start of this year and are expected to complete their journey to Euston in 2027.
