en.Wedoany.com Reported - On August 14, the construction of six underground high-speed rail platforms at the Old Oak Common station on High Speed 2 (HS2) in the UK was completed. Work at the station will continue with equipment rooms, mechanical and electrical systems, vertical transportation facilities, and interior finishing.

The six high-speed rail platforms are located within an underground station box in west London, approximately 850 meters long and 20 meters deep, arranged as three groups of island platforms. They will serve HS2 trains running between London, the West Midlands, and continuing north via the West Coast Main Line. The platforms were built to accommodate high-speed trains approximately 400 meters in length, with space reserved at the base for station service systems such as power supply.

The platform works are managed by the BBVS joint venture, comprising Balfour Beatty, VINCI, and SYSTRA, with Expanded responsible for construction. Work began in April 2025, with crews first pouring the base side walls approximately 1.59 meters high, followed by the installation of precast platform slabs from both ends of the station box toward the center.

A total of 1,946 precast concrete slabs were installed, with the largest individual slabs measuring approximately 2 meters by 4 meters and weighing around 4 to 5 tonnes. The precast slabs were manufactured by Explore Manufacturing in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, UK, and then transported to the London site for lifting into place.

The base slab of the underground box at Old Oak Common station was completed in February 2025, covering an area of approximately 45,000 square meters, using around 76,000 cubic meters of concrete and 17,000 tonnes of reinforcing steel. Platform slab installation entered full-scale construction in May 2025, making it the first station along the HS2 route to build high-speed passenger platforms.

In the next phase, BBVS will build staff and equipment rooms, install mechanical and electrical systems including power supply and distribution, communications, fire protection, and water supply and drainage, and proceed with lifts, escalators, and floor finishing. According to HS2's construction schedule, mechanical and electrical works in the underground station box will continue until May 2027, with overall mechanical and electrical works at Old Oak Common station planned to extend to the end of March 2028.

Eight conventional rail platforms will also be built at ground level at the station, serving the Elizabeth line, the Great Western Main Line, and the Heathrow Express. Platforms 3 to 8 and the associated control building are scheduled to complete the current phase of works by early 2027, followed by the station roof, platforms 1 and 2, and the re-alignment of existing railway lines. Once completed, Old Oak Common station will have 14 platforms and will connect to more than 100 rail destinations across the UK.