Work starts on Old Oak Common rail super-hub

HS2 Ltd has commenced permanent works on its west London super-hub station at Old Oak Common, a project that will eventually require 73,000t of steel.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps gave the green light to a project that represents the biggest newly-built railway station in the UK, which will support over 2,300 jobs during peak construction.

Grant Shapps said: “The start of permanent works at Old Oak Common marks yet more progress in delivering HS2, the high-speed, high-capacity and low carbon railway that will form the backbone of our national transport network.

“This ‘super-hub’ station shows our Plan for Jobs in action – kick-starting major regeneration, creating jobs and apprenticeships in construction – and underlines this Government’s determination to Build Back Better.”

Once complete, HS2’s Old Oak Common station will offer unrivalled connectivity, with fourteen new platforms; six HS2 platforms offering high speed services to the North and Midlands, four Crossrail – or Elizabeth Line – platforms, and four conventional rail platforms, which will be served by trains to Wales and the South West.

Bringing the station together will be the station’s immense roof, covering an area of over three football pitches. The lightweight roof structure has been designed to minimize the use of materials and allow as much natural light in, which reduces the carbon impact of the station.

The environmental credentials of the station will be boosted by solar panels covering the roof, generating a supply of renewable energy for the station. The station design development has been led by engineering professional services consultancy WSP with architectural support from WilkinsonEyre.