Old Oak construction work imminent as HS2 seeks contractors
CONSTRUCTION of the UK's largest new railway station is set to begin this month after Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC) granted planning permission.
With 14 platforms on two levels the £1.3billion station will be used by up to an estimated 250,000 passengers each day when it is fully operational in the 2030s.
Eight surface platforms will be served by Crossrail, Heathrow Express and Great Western Main Line long-distance trains and a further six high-speed platforms for High Speed 2 Phase 1will be located in an 850metre-long underground box.
A spacious concourse and wide platform have been designed to accommodate passenger growth to 2041 and beyond, as well as facilities for interchange with other transport modes. A new public square will be created outside the station with seating and cycle parking. The HS2 interchange is intended as a catalyst for the regeneration of the Old Oak and Park Royal area of west London, creating thousands of homes and tens of thousands of new jobs on the site of the former Old Oak Common depot.
Industry standards
The station is designed to meet industry recognised standards for buildings that reduce energy usage and materials waste, and minimise impact on the natural environment. Ajoint venture of Balfour Beatty, Vinci and Systra (BBVS) was awarded the contract to build the new HS2 station in September 2019.
HS2 Ltd has also started the search for the delivery of track and signalling systems for Phase 1/2a of the new 360kph railway.
The successful track systems contractors will be required to design and install around 280km of high-speed concrete slab track.
Valued at almost £2bn, the work is split into four packages covering urban areas in London and Birmingham (£434m), Open Route Central (£526m), Open Route North (£566m), and Phase 2a, between the Birmingham area and Crewe (£431 m).
Track systems contractors will coordinate the design and installation of the complex interfaces between the track and other elements of the rail systems - contracts for rails, switches and crossings and pre-cast slab track systems will be awarded separately.
A specialist contractor is also being sought for the design, manufacture, installation and commissioning of European Train Control System (ETCS) ,. and Traffic Management (TM) Systems for Phase 1/2a.
The £540m contracts will include up to 25 years of technical support, the potential extension of the system to cover Phase 2b and signalling, and TM for the redeveloped London Euston station.
Control centre
Five more sets of rail systems contracts are due to be launched later this year, covering the 25kV AC catenary, mechanical and electrical systems, high-voltage power supplies, communications systems, and the depot and control centre at Washwood Heath in Birmingham.
In another contract valued at up to £465m, HS2 Ltd is also seeking companies to design, deliver and maintain almost 300 lifts and escalators for HS2's four major new stations.
Shortlists will be announced next year, with the contracts due to be awarded in 2022.