Balfour Beatty team to start work next month

A Balfour Beatty team will begin work next month on the £1.3bn scheme to build a new HS2 station at Old Oak Common in west London.

The team, which also includes Vinci and another French firm, Systra, won the job last year.

Last night, the deal to get on and build the largest new railway station ever built in the UK was given the green light by the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation.

The station will have 14 platforms, a mix of six high speed and eight conventional service platforms, with an 850m long station box.

It has been designed by a team featuring engineer WSP and architect Wilkinson Eyre.

It will feature a sequence of interlocking curved roof forms which have been designed to enhance the open environment of the station and provide natural ventilation. The arch forms also reduce the need for columns to support the roof and provide clear sight lines.

When operational, the station will be used by up to an estimated 250,000 passengers each day.

New public spaces are also being created as part of the design including a new public square directly outside the station. It will include seating and cycle parking and could also be used as a setting for public artwork.