HS2’s proposed Old Oak Common station has gained planning approval and is set to be the largest newly built railway station in the UK.

The planning application for HS2’s west-London super hub was approved by the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC) on 19 May, and the green light means that work can progress on building what will be the largest new railway station ever built in the UK. 

A joint venture of Balfour Beatty, Vinci and Systra (BBVS) were awarded the contract to build the new HS2 station in September 2019 and are set to begin work on site next month. The station design development has been led by WSP, with architectural support from WilkinsonEyre.

The station will have 14 platforms, a mix of six high speed and eight conventional service platforms, with an 850 metre long station box, with a volume to fit 6,300 Routemaster buses.

When operational, the station will be used by up to an estimated 250,000 passengers each day and is set to become one of the busiest railway stations in the country. 

The station design has a sufficiently sized concourse and platform space to accommodate passenger growth to 2041 and beyond, provision of a dedicated bus and taxi facility, dedicated drop-off and pickup areas, pedestrian and cycle links, and upgraded highway infrastructure comprising a new traffic signalised junction.

HS2 say the new station will be a catalyst and gateway for Old Oak and Park Royal, one of the largest regeneration sites in the UK. Plans to transform the wider area around the station, a former railway and industrial site, are being led by the OPDC and they project that the area around the new station will become a neighbourhood with the potential to create tens of thousands of homes and jobs.

Matthew Botelle, HS2 Ltd’s stations director said: “The planning approval for the Old Oak Common super-hub station is an important milestone in the delivery of Britain’s new world-class low carbon railway. Building a new railway station for the UK on this scale and size will be an incredible achievement for British engineering.”

Liz Peace, chair of OPDC said: “The approval of HS2’s Old Oak Common Station design marks a significant milestone in the delivery of this nationally important project. The new station will unlock a huge regeneration opportunity, bringing billions of pounds of investment into the local community and the wider UK economy.”

The news follows the planning approval granted on 23 April for HS2’s landmark Curzon Street station in Birmingham.