HS2 is celebrating two years of permanent construction at its groundbreaking super-hub station at Old Oak Common
The super-hub station was given the green light by the then secretary of state for transport, Grant Shapps, in June 2021. Since then, a workforce of 1,900 individuals has worked on the super-hub station, with approximately 1,000 workers arriving at the site each day.
HS2 worked with Balfour Beatty VINCI SYSTRA Joint Venture (BBVS JV), to create a 1.2-mile diaphragm wall for the underground box housing the six new high-speed platforms. This was completed in March, with the team successfully installing 275 diaphragm wall panels and 161 bearing piles.
The largest piles measured 2.2 meters in diameter and 57 meters in length. Additionally, the first concrete pour for the base slab at the western end of the station box has been successfully installed.
Significant progress has been made in excavating the box, with over 465,000 cubic meters already being extracted from the site. The excavation process aims to remove 930,000 cubic meters of clay from the site.
To facilitate the removal of the excavated clay, a section of a 1.7-mile conveyor network has been installed, reducing the need for numerous lorry movements on local roads. This solution minimises disruption and congestion caused by transportation.
The super-hub station will form part of the Elizabeth Line
Work has also begun on the piling for the eight platforms that will serve Great Western Mainline and Heathrow Express services in the second half of the super-hub station. This station will also serve as the 42nd stop on the Elizabeth Line. Platform construction is scheduled to begin later this year.
In May 2023, the team completed the demolition of the Wycombe Line Bridge over Old Oak Common Lane. The disused rail bridge was dismantled during a weekend road closure, clearing the path for constructing new Network Rail bridges. These bridges will enable the expansion of the Great Western Mainline track alignment as it approaches the new station.
Sustainable construction at Old Oak Road
HS2 is attempting to end diesel usage on its construction sites by 2029. At Old Oak Common, efforts are underway to achieve diesel-free operations by the end of 2024. This includes transitioning to electric equipment, such as fully electric crawler cranes, and using green technology, such as hybrid excavators and sustainable fuels for retrofitted diesel equipment.
“Here at Old Oak Common, we are well underway in our work to construct London’s newest super-hub station. Our work is supporting nearly 2,000 jobs, and we are already seeing that the new station is becoming a catalyst for regeneration in the Old Oak and Park Royal area,” said HS2’s project client, Huw Edwards.
The station development will create jobs in the local area
Later this year, the eastern section of the site will be handed over to HS2’s London Tunnels Contractor for the breakthrough of the tunnelling boring machine. Two more tunnel boring machines will be delivered in 2024 for the Euston Tunnel. The Old Oak Common station will serve as a vital transport hub, and plans led by the OPDC and create numerous jobs and homes in the area.
“Together with HS2 and our supply chain partners, we have made great progress at Old Oak Common having most recently celebrated the first concrete base pour for the station box,” said Nigel Russell, project director for Balfour Beatty VINCI SYSTRA.
“We now look forward to continuing this momentum as we work hard to complete HS2’s ‘super-hub’, which will become one of Britain’s largest, best connected and most sustainable railway stations,” he concluded.
