HS2 has reached another major construction milestone beneath west London, with tunnel teams breaking through into the future Old Oak Common station box.
The Skanska Costain STRABAG joint venture excavated 100,000 tonnes of London clay to create two 360-metre tunnel sections from the Victoria Road crossover box. The material has been sent to reuse projects across the UK.
A new link beneath west London
Unlike most of HS2’s excavated tunnels, these sections were built using tunnel excavators rather than tunnel boring machines. They have been lined with 30,000 cubic metres of sprayed concrete.
The breakthrough, following a similar northbound breakthrough in October, creates an 8.8-mile connection between Old Oak Common and HS2’s West Ruislip tunnel portal.
Old Oak Common is planned as a major interchange for HS2, Great Western Railway, the Elizabeth line and Heathrow Express. The station is intended to connect London with the West Midlands and support better links for communities and businesses.
HS2 says more than 80% of its major structures are now under construction or complete. Two further tunnel boring machines are also continuing their journeys from Old Oak Common towards Euston, where they are expected to arrive in mid-2027.
When services begin, trains are expected to connect Old Oak Common with Birmingham Curzon Street in around 45 minutes, while more than doubling peak-time seat capacity between London and Birmingham.
Why it matters for Britain
The project is creating specialist construction work and reusing excavated material in UK projects. Old Oak Common is also expected to boost the local economy by £10 billion over the next decade, while adding rail capacity between London and the West Midlands.
