Old Oak Common station – United Kingdom

The new Old Oak Common station will be the UK’s future HS2 (High-Speed 2) interconnection hub and the largest railway station to be built in London for a century. It will help kick-start the UK’s largest regeneration programme, which aims to transform this former industrial and railway area into a new district with up to 65,000 jobs and 25,500 new homes.

In 2019, SYSTRA, in a consortium with Balfour Beatty Group Ltd, VINCI Construction UK Ltd and VINCI Construction Grands Projets SAS, was selected to build the new Old Oak Common station.

This contract follows the appointment of Balfour Beatty VINCI in 2017 to carry out lots N1 and N2 of the main civil engineering works for HS2, in a two-part design and build contract.

COMPLEMENTARY EXPERTISE

Balfour Beatty’s expertise in the construction of large transport terminals around the world will be combined with VINCI’s know-how in the construction of high-speed lines and SYSTRA’s skills in the design, integration and project management of transport systems.

The consortium is working with HS2 Ltd and the architects to coordinate the construction of this station, the largest of the four stations in the current HS2 network. The project includes the construction of the platforms, the interchange and the various connections with the London Underground and Network Rail’s rail transport network. Old Oak Common will increase the visibility of the SYSTRA brand in the UK market and will be a springboard for the diversification and growth of our activities in this country.

A PROJECT DESIGNED USING THE BIM METHOD

SYSTRA staff currently have some key project roles including Design, Project Controls, Health Safety Security Quality & Environment, BIM and Digital Information Management, and are also bringing support in many other areas such as Community Engagement. The station will be completely designed using the BIM method, capitalising on SYSTRA’s expertise in this area.

The completion of the Old Oak Common project also illustrates the change in dimension of SYSTRA’s mission as part of the HS2 programme: for the first time we have been selected as a Tier 1 partner. As Construction Partner, BBVS is responsible for designing, supervising the construction and commissioning the new station.

• At the end of 2020, the site began to take shape with the preparation of the station foundations (shallow excavation prior to the creation of the cast walls and the installation of temporary abutments). Only then will it be possible to empty the inside of the ‘box’ to a depth of around 20 metres.

• In 2023, SYSTRA continued to promote its values of diversity and inclusion on the ground by integrating the RESPECT programme as part of the construction of the Old Oak Common station. This initiative, supported by RESPECT International, is designed to promote behavioural change in the construction and major works sector.

A PROJECT AWARDED FOR ITS SUSTAINABILITY

Old Oak Common station was awarded an Outstanding rating by the internationally recognised Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), the sector’s main benchmark for excellence in building design, construction, and sustainability.

In 2024, construction on Old Oak Common made further progress, with the completion of the foundations for the conventional rail station.

A total of 1,706 piles have been drilled into the London soil to support platforms 3 to 8 of the station, which will be used by trains on the Great Western Main Line, the Heathrow Express airport link and the Elizabeth Line underground.

The bore holes also cover the area occupied by the station’s passenger and technical buildings, shops and operations control centre. The conventional platforms at Old Oak Common will be interconnected with those of the high-speed line station, which are located underground.

Excavation has been completed after three years of effort. The gigantic underground ‘box’ formed by the moulded walls, which will include 6 platforms 450 metres long, is ready to house tracks and equipment.

Section by section, the work began at the western and eastern ends of the caisson formed by the sometimes-moulded walls, before coming together in the centre of the box. Now that the void has been filled, the construction teams can get down to pouring the final sections of the invert slab, which will close off the underside of the caisson.

The station has 8 other platforms being built above ground and will connect HS2 with the Elizabeth Line underground line, the Great Western Mainline regional lines and the Heathrow Express airport shuttle. It is scheduled to open in 2030.