Thinking about the discussions at the HSRG Annual Conference in June, two key issues should be on the minds of industry leaders looking at the future of rail investment in the UK.
The first is the lessons of the HS2 reset, announced recently by Ministers. This underlines the importance of effective delivery of transport infrastructure, to protect the interests of the taxpayer and to rebuild confidence in the importance of delivering railway infrastructure. The second is the importance of investing in projects that deliver tangible benefits to the UK through delivery of infrastructure.
Taking these together, the conversation about the future of Euston should be bigger in scope than just the railway station. As the southern gateway to HS2 and one of the world’s busiest transport hubs, Euston is a strategic test of how London turns infrastructure investment into long-term economic growth. Getting it right means more than delivering rail capacity. It means creating a modern, affordable and fully integrated gateway that can unlock private investment, support regeneration across the wider campus and strengthen London’s position as a global capital.
That is why Arcadis is approaching Euston through the lens of partnership-led delivery. The challenge is not simply technical. It is stakeholder complexity: how to align transport, development, public realm and investment behind one coherent vision, and deliberately structure collaboration across government, investors, communities and delivery partners in a way that accelerates delivery and builds confidence. The theme of our sponsored fireside chat — unlocking growth through major transport infrastructure — speaks directly to that challenge. At Euston, successful delivery must shape place as well as infrastructure, combining design quality, affordability and integration to create lasting value for London.
We draw a clear line here to the report last year on the catalytic effect that the new railway is already having on private investment around new HS2 stations. Trains to Cranes found stronger concentration, acceleration and regeneration around the new stations. In Birmingham, it identified 704,000 square metres of new floorspace, 41,000 additional homes, 30,385 new jobs and £9–10 billion of gross value added over ten years. It also showed strong investor confidence in the Birmingham property market. The Birmingham Knowledge Quarter (B-KQ) is a 210-hectare, £4.2 billion government-backed investment zone and innovation district in central Birmingham’s eastern core. Delivered through a ‘triple helix’ partnership between civic leaders, Aston University, Birmingham City University, Bruntwood SciTech and Woodbourne Group, B-KQ depends on a shared strategic vision to align partners and guide development around their collective needs.
Learning from how this partnership is working matters for Euston. If Birmingham demonstrates how transport certainty can catalyse growth, Euston can go further by designing for stakeholder complexity from the outset. Our experience at Curzon Street shows that structured collaboration between city, transport and delivery partners is what turns ambition into investable, deliverable place-making. Arcadis believes Euston should be approached not just as a transport project, but as one of the most important city-building opportunities in the UK.
Written by Jonathan Sharrock, HS2 Account Executive at Arcadis