Passengers using the Elizabeth line at HS2’s Old Oak Common superhub station will benefit from level boarding and step-free access, following agreement between HS2 Ltd, Network Rail, Transport for London and the Department for Transport.
Old Oak Common, in west London, will become the 42nd station on the Elizabeth line, providing connections to more than 100 destinations and interchange with HS2 services.
The Department for Transport has approved an exemption from standard national platform height requirements, allowing platforms 5 to 8 at Old Oak Common to be constructed at a height optimised for Elizabeth line trains while meeting applicable accessibility requirements.
The resulting reduction in the step and gap between trains and platforms will enable many passengers with reduced mobility to board and leave trains independently, without the need for ramps or staff assistance.
The improvement will also benefit a much wider range of passengers, including people travelling with luggage, parents and carers with pushchairs, older passengers and anyone who finds it difficult to negotiate the conventional step between a train and platform.
The underground HS2 platforms at Old Oak Common will also be step-free, creating a seamless interchange between Elizabeth line and HS2 services within the new station.
Collaboration delivers a better passenger experience
The decision follows extensive technical and operational work, alongside engagement with accessibility groups, campaigners and train operators.
Under previous plans, the Elizabeth line platforms would have been constructed to the standard height used across the national rail network, meaning ramps would have been required to provide step-free access to trains.
The engineering solution has been enabled through the new Old Oak Common area delivery model, established as part of the HS2 Reset. The model brings together the organisations responsible for the station’s design, construction and future operation, supporting closer collaboration across the project.
The development is another example of how decisions made during the construction of major rail infrastructure can have a significant impact on the quality and accessibility of the passenger experience for decades to come.
Old Oak Common is expected to become one of the UK’s best-connected stations, providing a major interchange between HS2, the Elizabeth line and the wider rail network. Its development is also expected to support significant economic growth in west London, with HS2 projecting a £10 billion boost to the local economy over the next decade.
The station is planned to form the London gateway for HS2 services to Birmingham Curzon Street, with the railway currently targeted to open in 2037.
For the rail industry, the decision reinforces the importance of designing new infrastructure around passengers from the outset – and of bringing infrastructure owners, operators, government and accessibility groups together to find practical solutions that improve journeys.