UK's £2billion ‘super station' reveals huge step forward with new train platforms & plans for 250k passengers a day
A HUGE step forward for a £2 billion 'super station' has been announced.
Work has begun at the site as part of the Government's plans to build a station which will serve 250,000 passengers a day.
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Engineers have started installing the concrete slabs that passengers will use when boarding at the HS2 station Old Oak Common.
Six platforms at the London station are being constructed to serve the high-speed trains which measure a staggering 400m long.
As work continues, the delivery director for stations at HS2 said the station will benefit 'generations to come'.
Huw Edwards said: 'The installation of the first passenger platforms represents a real step forward in taking HS2 from purely a construction project to the future of Britain's railways.
'Whilst there is still much more to work to do, standing where passengers will alight HS2 services is a reminder of what this railway will achieve – creating connections between people and places, that will benefit generations to come.'
Old Oak Common will be the launching point for HS2 services, while development continues at Euston station.
The Labour Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced last year that her government would be funding a pair of 4.5 mile tunnels between the two stations to make travelling even easier for commuters.
It is not yet known when the widely-criticised Euston station will reopen in its new form, after development was halted under Rishi Sunak's government.
The then-Prime Minister had hoped to pay for the station's refurbishment using private funding.
Old Oak Common will also have platforms for eight other train lines, including the Heathrow Express and the Elizabeth Line.
Labour Govt will invest in job training under Rachel Reeves
The Elizabeth Line will be the first train route to use the station when it opens.
A massive public parkland will be opened outside, along with pop up events such as markets, to make commuting easy.
Peter Gow, the HS2 project director for Old Oak Common, said: "We will open between 2029 to 2033 [and] will aim for the front end of that but there are lots of things still to do.
'It's going to make a massive difference to Londoners and nationally."
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