Board papers hint at ten platforms favoured at Euston terminus

Transport for London agenda papers released ahead of a

February 3 board meeting (taking place as this issue of RAIL went to press) appear to suggest that the Department for Transport is favouring the building of ten platforms at HS2’s Euston terminus.

A long-running debate has centred on whether to construct ten or 11 platforms at Euston, with fears that limiting it to ten would lead to constraints on the number of trains per hour that would be able to operate on associated lines ( RAIL 920).

In his update on the HS2 project on January 6, HS2 Minister Andrew Stephenson said that Euston remains the biggest risk to the project in terms of cost but added that no decision about platforms had been made ( RAIL 923).

However, in its agenda papers, TfL wrote: “We continue to provide input into the DfT-led study on proposals for Euston following publication of the Oakervee

Review in 2020.

“The DfT has recently instructed HS2 to proceed with further design development for one of the options, which provides a solution based around ten HS2 platforms, a single-stage build and increased oversite development.

“However, the impact on our infrastructure, operations and passengers needs further consideration. We are therefore working alongside other key stakeholders, including HS2 Ltd, Network Rail, London Borough of Camden and Lendlease, under the umbrella of the newly formed Euston Partnership, to assess the proposals and refine early scheme designs.”

An HS2 Ltd spokesman said: “A lot will ultimately depend on where the final design ends up, and whether we go for 11 platforms or ten and the level of oversite development we want to pursue. There is still a range of unanswered questions.”

A DfT spokesman told RAIL that a smaller Euston HS2 station would not prevent the future operation of services on the eastern leg (which has yet to receive approval).

“The current focus of work is developing an optimised design and delivery strategy, which considers opportunities and efficiencies to address identified cost pressures,” he said.

“This includes exploring the potential for the station to be constructed in a single stage, helping reduce costs and risks. This work will inform the final design.”