Balfour Beatty Vinci SYSTRA joint venture (BBVS) has completed the foundation work for the High Speed 2 (HS2) project’s Old Oak Common high-speed railway station in London, UK.
The 850m underground station base features six platforms for high-speed trains. It was built with 76,000m³ of concrete and 17,000 tonnes of reinforced steel.
The base slab covers 45,000m2, or over six football pitches. At its deepest point, it reaches nearly 2m thick.
Construction began in April 2023, with 91 concrete pours to complete the project.
Upon completion, the station will have six underground platforms and services running further north via the existing railway. Eight surface-level platforms will provide interchange to the Great Western Railway, Elizabeth Line, and Heathrow Express.
HS2 Old Oak Common project client Peter Gow said: “This is the final stage in completing the foundations for the high-speed station, and will be where HS2 tracks are laid, platforms are constructed and the station building and roof and built above.”
The excavation of the box was finished in summer 2024, with 1.3 million tonnes of London clay removed.
London Concrete, part of the Holcim Group, supplied over 90% of the concrete for the base slab from a dedicated on-site batching plant.
BBVS project director Steve O’Sullivan said: “This latest step will enable us to progress to the next phase of works, with construction of the high-speed platforms already underway.”
Work is in progress on the six HS2 service platforms, with wall frameworks being installed for concrete pouring. Also, the work is in progress for high-speed platform slabs and construction of the ground floor level.
Tunnelling work to connect the station to the HS2 network is underway by HS2’s London tunnels contractor, Skanska Costain STRABAG JV.
In the east, two giant tunnelling machines are being launched towards Euston, while the western team will excavate using the sprayed concrete lining method.
Old Oak Common station in West London is being built on former railway depot land. This will allow Elizabeth Line, Great Western Mainline, and Heathrow Express trains to serve the station.
For HS2, stations are also being built at Curzon Street, Interchange, and Euston. Recently, MPB Structures secured a contract to build the substructure foundations for Curzon Street Station in Birmingham.
