HS2 to begin work on moving Great Western main line at Old Oak Common

Elizabeth Line bosses believe that disruption over the Christmas period will be minimal as construction work at the new Old Oak Common terminus continues.

Paddington train station will be closed between December 27 and 29 as work begins on the Great Western main line. Workers will begin repositioning the track 50 metres north, bringing it closer to the HS2 station.

Scott McCloud, head of customer information at Elizabeth Line told RAIL that the Elizabeth Line had extensive plans in place for the closures.

“We’ve left nothing to chance with this closure. We’ve taken learnings from last year and have planned in length how to ensure this closure goes as smoothly as possible.”

The closure will mean trains will not run between Paddington and Ealing Broadway, with a reduced service between Ealing Broadway, Reading and Heathrow Airport. Passengers travelling west will therefore be encouraged to use the Central Line, either changing at Bond Street or Tottenham Court Road.

The Elizabeth Line is the heaviest used line on the wider London transport network and the extra passengers using the underground will likely see strain on the Underground. However, McCloud hopes that the communication and planning during this period will keep disruption to a minimum.

“We know it’s not ideal, but we’ve put a detailed plan that keeps the passengers informed that utilises multiple communication tools and planning which we believe will maintain the passenger’s experience. We think we’ve got it covered as best as possible.”

This closure is the start of a complex project of repositioning the Great Western main line. A complex and often overlooked part of the wider Old Oak Common build.

It will over the coming years involve building a new bridge over Old Oak Common Lane and another over the Central Line as well as widening the HS2 approach just north of the site as the current layout’s sharp left turn will not be suitable for HS2 trains.

Peter Gow, HS2’s Project Client Director at Old Oak Common commented, “It’s hugely complex and involves a multitude of different challenges. That includes signalling, strengthening and the movement of utilities at Old Oak Common Lane. That is alongside actual construction of the main line station.”

Gow anticipates that the platform structures for the mainline station will be in place over the “coming months” as attention will then turn towards completing the roof and envelope of the station in the next two years alongside the completion of the line repositioning. The conventional line platforms will be 250m long, allowing space for an extra carriage to be added to any Elizabeth Line or GWR formation if needed.

Whilst the disruption over Christmas is necessary, Patrick Cawley, director on network works for HS2 said that all the stakeholders were looking at how to minimise the disruption as work on the site continues. Trains are expected to run through the station without stopping from around 2028 with the station fully operational by 2033.

When asked by RAIL, Cawley wouldn’t confirm exactly the plans for the future works programme although he did say that Network Rail were looking at either having two large blocks of time or to keep two of the four tracks open during the works.

As well as work beginning on the track layout for the main line, HS2 recently unveiled the giant tunnel boring machines (TBM’s) that will dig the final stretch of the underground railway between OId Oak Common and Euston.

Named Madeleine and Karen, the TBM’s will begin boring in 2025. A logistics tunnel, starting at nearby Atlas Road has been completed, which will take spoil from the excavation as well as providing access for materials. The machines were lifted into place last summer just as the underground station box was completed.