Old Oak Common
A Lego model of the planned Old Oak Common Station which HS2 were displaying at London Paddington in December 2024
Old Oak Common Location of Old Oak Common in Greater London
Location	Old Oak Common
Local authority	London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
Owner	Network Rail Transport for London
Number of platforms	14[1]
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Coordinates	51°31′30″N0°14′48″W / 51.5249°N 0.2467°W /51.5249; -0.2467
London transport portal

Old Oak Common (OOC) is a railway station under construction^[2] on the site of theOld Oak Common traction maintenance depot to the west of London inOld Oak Common, approximately 500 m (1,600 ft) south ofWillesden Junction station. When built, it is expected to be one of the largest rail hubs in London, at about 800 m (2,600 ft) in length and 20 m (66 ft) below surface level.^[3]

The new station is part of theHigh Speed 2 line from London toBirmingham, covered by theHigh Speed Rail (London - West Midlands) Act 2017.^[4] Thishybrid bill conferred powers to construct and maintain phase 1, including intermediate stations. The surrounding area, including possible above-station development, is controlled by theOld Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation set up in April 2015.

The station will provide a majortransport interchange with a number of other main line and commuter rail services, including theElizabeth line and other services on theGreat Western Main Line. The High Speed 2 line will be below ground level at the Old Oak Common site, with the parallel Great Western Main Line tracks on the surface to the south.

The site of the Old Oak Common interchange station is to the north ofWormwood Scrubs and the south ofWillesden Junction inWest London, alongside the existingGreat Western Main Line. The site formerly contained theEWS train maintenance site to the north, which was converted into a construction equipment marshalling area for theCrossrail project. Also on the site are theElizabeth line'sOld Oak Common Traction Maintenance Depot and theGreat Western RailwayNorth Pole depot forIntercity Express Programme trains.

The new High Speed 2 station at Old Oak Common is planned to act as a catalyst for theregeneration of this neglected part of West London, acting as a gateway to the development of a new neighbourhood adjacent to the site, creating tens of thousands of new homes, and integrated into the local area throughurban design that maximisesgreen space and the station's connection with local bus, cycling and walking routes.^[5]

The "super-hub" station will have 14 platforms. There will be six 450 m (1,480 ft)high-speed platforms, built underground, which will connect with eight conventional rail platforms at ground level serving theGreat Western Main Line towards theWest Country andWales,Heathrow Express, as well as integrating the east–west Elizabeth line services. It will have 44escalators and 52lifts, and will have anaturally-litconcourse to create a pleasing passenger experience while reducing energy consumption. A 25,000 m² (270,000 sq ft) atrium roof, inspired by the site's industrial heritage, will link the two halves of the station, and carrysolar panels.^[5] The escalators linking the concourse to the platforms approximately 13 m (44 ft) below will be the longest on the HS2 network.^[6] It is estimated that the station will serve 250,000 passengers per day and will ultimately connect London to Birmingham via high speed rail.^[5]

The delivery of OOC is a joint venture betweenBalfour Beatty,Taylor Woodrow Construction andSYSTRA, which was awarded in September 2019.^[5]

The station received renewed Government backing in April 2020 following theOakervee Review, which allowed work to begin on removing 900,000 m³ (1,200,000 cu yd) ofLondon Clay to create the space required for the 1 km-long (0.6 mi) rectangularstation box at a depth of 20 m (66 ft). Thepiling alone will require the removal of a further 175,000 m³ (229,000 cu yd), making a total of more than 1,000,000 m³ (1,300,000 cu yd) of excavated material.^[5]

To overcome the site's limited access along the single-carriageway Old Oak Common Lane, and reduce lorry movements across London, a 1 km-long (0.6 mi)conveyor belt was assembled to transport the excavated material to Willesden Euro Terminal railhead, to be removed byrail freight and then recycled.^[5] At its peak, there will be 1,500 workers building the station.^[7]

Groundwork started on the site in 2019, following the completion of the consultation opened in February 2019.^[3] In May 2020, the station gained planning permission.^[8] In June 2020, sheet piling commenced on site and the main works contractor for the station started work.^{[citation needed]}

Permanent works began on site in June 2021, starting with the construction of 1.8 km-long (1.1 mi) underground walls which will form the underground station box for the HS2 platforms,^[9][10] the excavation of which completed in 2024.^[11]

As of August 2024^[update], the station roof is planned to start construction in 2025 and the installation of high-speed rail systems and track will begin in 2026.^[11] The first high-speed platforms were installed in 2025.^[12]

The following table illustrates the planned range of services, based on current DfT documentation on the station, additional proposed serves are described in the following sub-sections.^[13]

The business case, released in 2020, suggests that every HS2 service that calls atLondon Euston will also call at Old Oak Common.^[14]

Planned routes
Preceding station	Elizabeth line			Following station
Acton Main Line towardsReading orHeathrow AirportTerminal 4 orTerminal 5		Elizabeth line		Paddington towardsAbbey Wood orShenfield
Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Birmingham Interchange orStafford orPreston orCrewe orWilmslow orStockport		Avanti West Coast High Speed 2		London Euston
Slough or Reading		Great Western Railway Great Western Main Line		London Paddington

Journey times from Old Oak Common to Euston will be five minutes and toBirmingham Curzon Street 31 minutes.^[5]

Owing to the proximity of the Old Oak Common site to other lines, it has been suggested that further connections could be made with commuter rail services. The 2010 DfT command paper highlights opportunities for interchanges at Old Oak Common withLondon Underground,London Overground, andWest London line services betweenEast Croydon andWatford Junction.

Proposed interchange

	Service	Interchange	Status
	London Overground Mildmay line	Old Oak Common Lane	Proposed new station onNorth London line[15]
		Hythe Road	Proposed new station onWest London line[15]
	London Overground West London Orbital	Old Oak Common Lane	Proposed new station and route[16]
	Chiltern Railways Chiltern Main Line viaActon–Northolt line	Old Oak Lane Halt	Proposed new terminal station and route[citation needed]
	Southern West London Route	Not specified	Proposal not supported[citation needed]
	London Underground Central line	North Acton station	Existing station[citation needed]

An early report prepared in 2011 for the Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham byTerry Farrell & Partners explored several interchange possibilities and proposed the construction of an overheadlight rail,automated people mover orpersonal rapid transit system linking "Old Oak Central" [sic] withNorth Acton,Kensal Green andWillesden Junction stations.^[17] However, as of 2018^[update], no actual proposals exist to create an interchange with these lines.^[18]

Transport for London (TfL) considered several options for creating an interchange with London Overground, including a combined North London/West London Line station on the southern side of the site, adjacent toWormwood Scrubs, and two separate stations located to the south (West London Line) and to the west (North London Line) of the site.^[19]

In October 2017, TfL began a public consultation on the construction of two new Overground stations.^[20][15]

The consultation concluded that two separate London Overground stations ("Option C") on the Old Oak Common site would be the preferred option:^[15]Old Oak Common Lane on theNorth London line would be built to the west of the main station, andHythe Road on theWest London line would be located east of the station, near Scrubs Lane.^[21][22]

v t e West London Orbital
Legend
Proposed route
Midland Main Line toBedford Hendon A406North Circular Brent Cross West Dudding Hill line (currently freight only) Cricklewood West Hampstead Thameslink Midland Main Line toSt Pancras Dudding Hill closed 1902 Neasden Jubilee line Metropolitan line Chiltern Main Line   Harlesden{ Lioness & Bakerloo lines West Coast Main Line Grand Union Canal Mildmay Line toWillesden Junction Old Oak Common Lane GWML Central line Acton Central South Acton Mildmay line toRichmond District line Piccadilly line A406North Circular M4 motorway Hounslow Loop line toWaterloo viaChiswick Lionel Road proposed Hounslow Loop line toWaterloo viaKew Bridge Brentford Syon Lane Isleworth Hounslow Hounslow Loop line &Chertsey branch line

In September 2017, a proposal was made for a newWest London Orbital from Hounslow to Hendon using the disusedDudding Hill Line. If the scheme were to go ahead, London Overground services would run via Old Oak Common station located at Victoria Road and other new stations at Brent Cross West and Harlesden. Four trains per hour would run from Hendon to Hounslow and another service from Hendon to Kew Bridge via Old Oak Common.^[23] As of July 2019^[update], the scheme was being considered by TfL.^[16]

Network Rail has proposed that theChiltern Main Line should have a second terminal at Old Oak Common to increase capacity on the route as there is no room to expand the station atMarylebone. To do so, services would use theActon–Northolt line (formerly the "New North Main Line") with some Chiltern trains possibly terminating at Old Oak Common rather than at London Marylebone.^[24][25][26]

A 2017 Network Rail report on the long term plans for the Chiltern Line, included an option of providing additional platforms at Old Oak Common station area as a relief for Marylebone, with upgrading of the Acton-Northolt Line.^[27]

Although the 2010 DfT proposal for HS2 outlined a number of other possible transport links at Old Oak Common, including the addition of a direct link with theHigh Speed 1 route toMainland European services via theChannel Tunnel, it was removed following the Higgins Review^[28]

Services operated bySouthern running betweenWatford Junction andEast Croydon pass through the Old Oak Common site. The line will pass the planned location of Hythe Road Overground station to join the West London Line at Mitre Bridge, approximately 500 metres (550 yd) to the east of the Old Oak Common station site. TfL have stated that it will not be possible to construct platforms to accommodate Southern trains and that an interchange will not be provided.^[29]

High Speed 2
Legend
As of October 2023
toLiverpool,Glasgow &Edinburgh Handsacre Junction West Coast Main Line Snow Hill lines Birmingham New Street Birmingham Curzon Street Birmingham Moor Street Birmingham International Birmingham Interchange West Coast Main Line Old Oak Common Euston pedestrian walkway to St Pancras International interchange withNational Rail at all stations
Original plan, pre-2021 Northern Powerhouse Rail Manchester Piccadilly Leeds toEast Coast Main Line toYork &Newcastle West Coast Main Line toLiverpool,Glasgow &Edinburgh Midland Main Line Manchester Airport High Speed Classic-compatible loop Sheffield Crewe Chesterfield Classic-compatible loop East Midlands Hub Handsacre Junction toNottingham,Derby &Leicester West Coast Main Line   Phase 1 ╲ Phase 2   boundary Snow Hill lines Birmingham New Street Birmingham Curzon Street Birmingham Moor Street Birmingham International Birmingham Interchange West Coast Main Line Old Oak Common Euston pedestrian walkway to St Pancras International interchange withNational Rail at all stations
This diagram: view talk edit

The construction companyParsons Brinckerhoff submitted a detailed plan to High Speed 2 which included West London Line, North London Line, West Coast Main Line andDudding Hill Line platforms,^[30] although this pre-dated the announcement of the HS2 London terminus such that their proposed alignment would not be possible.

Network Rail'sLondon and South East Route Utilisation Strategy published in 2011 examines the possibility of constructing a chord through the Old Oak Common area to connect Crossrail to the West Coast Main Line. The report notes that a proportion of trains on the Elizabeth line service are planned to terminate at Paddington, and that a new western branch of Crossrail would enable those services to continue on towardsWatford Junction and beyond. The proposed link would also relieve pressure on Euston station by diverting WCML suburban trains onto the Crossrail route instead of terminating at Euston.^[31]

A separate proposal promoted by theCampaign for Better Transportadvocacy group, theNorth and West London Light Railway, suggests running alight rail line past the Old Oak Common site betweenEaling Broadway andBrent Cross.^[32] This scheme is not, however, supported by any government plans.

The Old Oak Common plans were unveiled two months before the2010 United Kingdom general election by theLabour government. While theConservative/Liberal Democrat administration supported the HS2 project, the Conservative Party has indicated a preference to an alternative proposal, put forward byArup, for the HS2 line to go directly to ahub station at Heathrow Airport.^[33] Under this scheme, the west London interchange would be situated at Heathrow rather than at Old Oak Common.^[34] Conservative MPTheresa Villiers (the formerMinister of State for Transport) referred to the Old Oak Common scheme as "Wormwood Scrubs International", and criticised it on account of its distance from the airport and the inconvenience to airport passengers having to change trains. When he wasMayor of London,Boris Johnson was non-committal in supporting the Old Oak Common site, and takes the view that further evaluation is required.^[35]

When asked about a High Speed Rail / Crossrail interchange at Old Oak Common, the Transport SecretaryPhilip Hammond stated "Lug your heavy bags down a couple of escalators along 600 m of corridor and then change trains at a wet suburban station somewhere in north west London. That is not an option.".^[36]

The Old Oak Common plans are supported by the London Borough ofHammersmith and Fulham.^[37]

Lord Mawhinney, a former Conservative MP forPeterborough concluded that the London High Speed 2 terminus should be at Old Oak Common, not at Euston. That was because of tunnelling costs and possible fast turnaround times at Old Oak Common.^[38]

In summer 2011, Hammersmith and Fulham launched a wider 'Park Royal City' plan for Old Oak Common, includinglight rail orpersonal rapid transit lines to the surrounding areas.^[39]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toOld Oak Common railway station.

• "High Speed Rail". Department for Transport. 15 January 2009. Retrieved30 May 2010.
• "HS2 phase one revised line of route maps".Inside Government website. Department for Transport and High Speed Two Limited. 10 January 2012. Retrieved17 June 2013.
  • a detailed map of Old Oak Common station is presented onMap 2: Route from West Kilburn to Park Royal - drawing number HS2-ARP-00-DR-RW-05002 (PDF, 10214KB)
• "Route 3 Plan and Profile"(PDF).High Speed 2 Feasibility Study. Department for Transport/Arup. 4 December 2009. p. 2. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 31 March 2010. Retrieved17 June 2013. - official 2009 DfT map of the Old Oak Common site
• "Old Oak Common area rail services"(PDF). Campaign for Better Transport. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 24 July 2011. Retrieved24 October 2010.
• "Old Oak Common TfL studies". Transport for London (TfL) via external web site. Retrieved23 December 2011.
• Park Royal City International: We built this city on rails and road! onYouTube (promotional video by Hammersmith & Fulham Borough Council)

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