The completion of the first six underground platforms at Old Oak Common marks another important milestone in the delivery of Britain’s new high-speed railway. Located in west London, Old Oak Common is being built as one of the UK’s most significant transport interchanges. It will connect high-speed services with the Elizabeth line, Great Western Main Line and Heathrow Express, bringing together national, regional and local rail services and providing passengers with access to more than 100 destinations.
But the progress now being made at Old Oak Common also demonstrates the wider value of investment in major rail infrastructure: building supply chain capability, creating additional capacity across the network and supporting long-term economic growth.
A major engineering and supply chain achievement
The first six completed high-speed platforms have been constructed within the underground station box and will eventually serve HS2 trains travelling between London, the West Midlands and destinations further north via the West Coast Main Line.
The work has been delivered by HS2’s station construction partner Balfour Beatty Vinci SYSTRA, working with its specialist supply chain. Construction of the platforms began in April 2025, with the installation of 1.59-metre-high invert walls, followed by pre-cast platform slabs manufactured by Explore in Worksop.
In total, 1,946 pre-cast slabs have been produced, each measuring up to two metres by four metres and weighing between four and five tonnes. The platforms were constructed concurrently from both ends before the teams met in the middle, forming three island-style platform structures.
This is a clear example of the depth and breadth of capability involved in delivering major rail infrastructure. Projects of this scale depend on specialist engineering, advanced manufacturing, skilled construction teams and collaboration across a complex supply chain.
The companies and people delivering these platforms are part of a wider national capability that has been developed and strengthened through investment in HS2. The skills, experience and capacity being built today should be recognised as a long-term asset for the UK.
For the High Speed Rail Group, this is an important part of the case for sustained investment and a clear long-term pipeline of major infrastructure projects. Businesses can invest in people, skills, equipment and innovation when they have confidence in future work. Without that certainty, specialist capability is harder to retain and the benefits of the investment already made risk being lost.
Building one of the UK’s best-connected stations
Construction is continuing across the wider Old Oak Common site. To the east of the station, two tunnel boring machines launched from the station box at the start of the year are constructing the Euston Tunnel. They are expected to complete their journey to Euston in 2027, eventually providing the connection between Old Oak Common and the new central London terminus.
At the same time, work is progressing on the station’s overground platforms, which will connect with existing services on the Great Western Main Line and the Elizabeth line. The first platform slabs are due to be installed later this year, while the first sections of the station’s vast roof are expected to be installed early next year.
When complete, Old Oak Common will bring high-speed, local and regional services together in a single interchange.
This is central to the wider value of the new railway. The benefits of high-speed rail are maximised when it is properly connected into the existing network, allowing passengers to make easier onward journeys and enabling new infrastructure to support a more integrated national rail system.
Creating capacity beyond the new railway
The benefits of HS2 will not be limited to the services operating on the new line. By moving long-distance, high-speed services onto new purpose-built infrastructure, HS2 creates additional capacity on the existing southern section of the West Coast Main Line. That capacity can support more train paths and create opportunities for more frequent and reliable local and regional services.
This is one of the most important, but sometimes overlooked, benefits of investing in new high-capacity rail infrastructure. A new railway does not simply provide additional journeys between its own stations. It can also release space on existing routes, allowing the wider network to work more effectively and creating opportunities for improved passenger and freight services.
As the UK considers future rail investment, this network-wide approach will be increasingly important. The focus should be not only on individual routes, but on how new infrastructure can create the capacity and connections needed to support economic growth and improve rail services across the country.
Supporting economic growth and regeneration
Research commissioned by HS2 and undertaken by Arcadis identified the potential for a significant economic impact in the area surrounding Old Oak Common. Within 1.5 miles of the station, the research estimated that the project could support more than 22,000 new homes, 693,000 square metres of commercial floorspace and almost 18,800 jobs, contributing an estimated £10 billion economic boost to the surrounding area.
The scale of this opportunity demonstrates why major transport investment should be considered as part of a wider approach to economic development. New rail infrastructure can support regeneration, unlock land for development, improve access to employment and education, and give businesses greater confidence to invest. But these benefits are not automatic. They require coordinated planning between transport, local authorities, developers, businesses and communities to ensure that the full potential of new infrastructure is realised.
Old Oak Common provides an opportunity to demonstrate what this can look like in practice: a major new rail interchange supporting not only better connectivity, but also housing, jobs, commercial development and wider economic growth.
Turning investment into long-term value
The progress at Old Oak Common illustrates several of the reasons why investment in major rail infrastructure matters. It is supporting a highly capable UK supply chain and helping to develop specialist skills and experience. It is creating new capacity on both the new and existing railway. It is bringing together different parts of the rail network to create better connectivity. And it has the potential to support substantial economic growth and regeneration in west London.
For HSRG, the challenge now is to ensure that the capability and capacity created through the delivery of HS2 are not treated as one-off benefits. The UK has invested in developing specialist businesses, a skilled workforce and new delivery expertise. It should now consider how that capability can be retained and built upon through a clear and sustained programme of investment in the next generation of rail infrastructure.