HS2 Old Oak Common Station Construction

HS2 construction work isn't just happening at Euston.
At a site out west, Old Oak Common, a huge transport hub is being constructed. It will connect and link multiple busy lines together - including HS2, Crossrail and GWR.
We went for a look around, and studied plans of how the whole thing will come together.
More here: londonist.com/...
Drone footage/photos courtesy of HS2 Ltd.

[@richardjellis9186]

I BET... That the HS2 builders just loved the old oak complex.! It couldn't be better set out for them. It's a PERFECT way of incorporating old, in new. Rich 🥰🥰🥰

[@tobys_transport_videos]

Good to see Geoff presenting a Londonist video again! This is one to put in the archive for the future and bring out again when their is sure signs of progress (do an update and use scenes from this video) then again in 5-6 years when the whole project is completed and Old Oak Common has a station as well as the new stations on the London Overground, hopefully still with some Class 378 units!

[@thelasttimelord7550]

The only good videos on this channel knowdays are done by him and vicki

[@Inkyminkyzizwoz]

*there

[@rbcc_ab]

He def did go back to the construction site 4 years later

[@kingswoodjunction897]

Came here numerous times as a lad in the mid 80's to wander around the depot. One of the staff even let me start up a Class 50!

[@GBPaddling]

That historic turntable is, well, history.

[@kingswoodjunction897]

@@GBPaddling That was the only turntable I ever saw!

[@robloxisincryness247]

The most exciting project I've ever seen so finally we can have high speed trains like in France Spain Germany etc

[@rorymccathy6996]

won't be even be faster than 200 mph bruv

[@marcustrevor1883]

@@rorymccathy6996 Yes, still faster than any other train line in Europe, the faster you get it gets exponentially more expensive, removes a shit tonne of route options and after a certain point, doesn't increase journey times that much because of the acceleration/ deceleration times. Maybe for a larger country faster trains are on the way but we don't really need them.

[@MikeWillSee]

@@rorymccathy6996 actually it does

[@MrJimbaloid]

Yes we will FOR NO PASSENGERS. Its a total waste of time and money.

[@CRIMSONANT1]

robloxisincryness2 .. the biggest White Elephant this country has ever seen. Public transport is dead because of Covid - even experienced economists forecast that pre Covid numbers won’t be seen again for decades .. people don’t trust it anymore & won’t desert their cars as predicted. Besides, the tickets will be ridiculously expensive & out of reach for the majority of the public. It’s a project which will benefit the CEO’s of the companies involved & Tory ministers who’ve all got their fingers in the pie.

[@PodgyAsthmatic]

I have very fond memories of that area as a young train spotter many years ago, staff used to let us just wonder around, watch them working, photograph the locos etc, great days. Sadly with the demise of common sense, twats with bombs etc it's no longer possible.

[@oforid2227]

Ikr

[@SilverCanary1]

kids these days sadly don't know not to eat black snow

[@CurvedGD]

Yeah, twats who find bombs just kill themselves

[@boldford]

@@SilverCanary1 Or yellow snow for that matter.

[@bigbadjohn10]

If they dig any more tunnels under London the ground will be like Swiss cheese.

[@hairyairey]

The clay goes down a very long way! Just look at how many levels there are under Kings Cross.

[@Stefan-jk5gx]

Just dig deeper son

[@JakeyG-eq1un]

@@clintonepps3666 its simpler, less effort and much cheaper to just abandon them, making refilling them a bug waste

[@jonathanmiller5621]

I guess im asking the wrong place but does anyone know a method to log back into an Instagram account? I was stupid forgot the login password. I appreciate any tips you can give me

[@ayaanalvin7260]

@Jonathan Miller Instablaster ;)

[@DSDMovies]

Lived in the area all my life, it's incredible to see such redevelopment. The place used to be dead now it's thriving. On the negative side I'll no doubt be priced out of the area before too long.

[@danielwhyatt3278]

DSDuddles You may think it‘ll help ‘ this obsessive ridiculous drive for constant, unnecessary redevelopment’, but it will mean massive environmental and architectural destruction and landscape scarring for the rest of us. You shouldn’t just be thinking about your nearby housing areas. You should be thinking about the greater good of your country, it’s feelings and futures.

[@dylanmilne6683]

Which massive architectural monument is being pulled down due to HS2?

[@danielwhyatt3278]

Dylan Milne I never said monument! Although that could be subjective to those who live in those areas.

[@doomotron6160]

@@danielwhyatt3278 I personally think that France's LGV lines and railways in general do add to the environment... Pretty much all photos of a view have something other than the view in it as well, like a boat or a road.

[@GreatSageSunWukong]

I know the area well your going to get priced out, east acton is a lovely area with very village like buildings thsnks to the goldsmith company that built the whole thing, its going to end up like North Acton, empty investment flats and mostly empty students accommodation blocking out the sun

[@andyhinds542]

That's changed so much! Back in the early 90s I used to take HSTs in and out of that depot and diesel locos on and off of Old Oak Common depot.

[@barrygower6733]

I wonder what the odds are of Old Oak Common becoming the ‘northern’ terminus of HS2.

[@doomotron6160]

Admittedly a funny comment, even though I do support HS2.

[@intercity1274]

Zero chance

[@suburbia2050]

Part of a 3-way bet with London becoming an independent state with Scotland and North England being the Western fringes of USSR attempt II? I'll thow in a quid

[@jakehowie442]

Hahaha sadly yes and no one will do anything about it. Get rid of this awful government

[@calluminglis7837]

This aged well 😂

[@meloshea8991]

Thank you for keeping us updated. I did wonder what was going on. You answered my question.

[@cholloway0046]

When will you look at the HS2 site again? - some more updates would be fantastic!

[@curtiscarpenter9881]

Character is mans compass and destiny in life and life is a test of that character. HS2 is a vantage point. A catalyst.

[@12crepello]

It's strange how there are so many videos of Japanese Shinkansen on KZbin all with wonderous comments about how fantastic they are, but when we try to do the same there are so many negative comments such as the large percentage on here.

[@jakehowie442]

It’s not the same and HS2 is a political white elephant that doesn’t serve the needs of northern people, rather just drives more people into London on a faster train! Pretty easy to work out

[@ericm8811]

Hey Londonist! This vid was well better than the last one which had all the artsy crap! Lots of info in this one!

[@SomeBritishGal1]

As someone who lives in the West Midlands, HS2 will be brilliant for this area. By moving the high speed trains to London to HS2, it will free up the WCML for commuter services so instead of having just 3tph to Birmingham from my local station, it could be increased to 5 or even 6 as the Pendolinos will be gone freeing up space and once the extension to Leeds and Manchester is complete, it'll remove the need for so many CrossCountry services going through New Street.

[@karter9219]

SomeBritishDude you think cross country are just going to give up their service slots? Nope. New street station is already over capacity HS2 hardly benefits the people of Birmingham

[@davidk4926]

As someone who lives in the East Midlands, unfortunately it won’t affect me too much.

[@likklej8]

In the 60s my friends and myself used to walk the canal and there was a stair case that went to track level that was the workers access to OldOak MPD (shed) Very friendly shed great staff and Supervisor used to show us around. You had to be polite and knock on the office door to ask to see the shed and locos. No jobsworth H&S back then. Great loco shed Oldoak and Salisbury were my favourites.

[@BirbarianHomeGuard]

Always a fan of Londonist Videos with Geoff.

[@matthewdunderdale8685]

vicki looked different in this one!!

[@stephenlittle7534]

Wow Wow Wow. What a change from my old train spotting days.

[@davekirwin]

The drones shots really help get a real feel of the area of redevelopment. Hope you get a chance to revisit for a comparison.

[@Eurocoded]

Exciting times!

[@antifugazi]

NOT

[@Ethan-ik1nm]

HS2 will no doubt go over budget and terminate at Birmingham for the foreseeable future. More worthwhile project would've been Crossrail 2 or better yet Northern Powerhouse since people aren't looking to make long distance journeys anywhere near as much as regular commutes

[@reallyrekt3326]

You're right in that HS2 phase 2a and 2b really have to be built for HS2 as a whole to make sense, but saying HS2 will only cater to long distance passengers is misguided; it will free up capacity for even more services on lines like the WCML and even the ECML if/when it gets to Leeds.

[@Ethan-ik1nm]

@@reallyrekt3326 that's true but there are far better things to do with 50 billion or so pounds. Electrify Chiltern for example and improve travel in the north, they deserve it. Dispatches on channel 4 spoke about HS2, there won't really be any benefits for a very long time. All we will be left with is 4 different options between London and Birmingham (Chiltern, LNWR,Virgin,HS2). Northern cities need to be linked, not yet another railway in the south that's supposed to go to the north but due to spiralling costs might not. Nevertheless I agree, if it does happen, there will be benefits but we could've seen bigger benefits elsewhere and faster

[@avroredgrave954]

@@Ethan-ik1nm HS2 is as much about the capacity it will free up on the WCML for freight paths as anything else. In 2011 we transported around 15 million tons of container traffic on the network, with the majority travelling up the WCML corridor. By 2030 that number is projected to be 43 million tons. So far, a new railway is the only long-term solution to this issue that I can see, but I'd be more than happy to see genuine alternatives (and that doesn't mean vague suggestions like "improve the existing network" and "electrify x line")

[@reallyrekt3326]

@@Ethan-ik1nm Electrifying the Chiltern Main Line won't do much for capacity all by itself since it's double track literally from Marylebone all the way to Moor Street. Your other schemes are good, and NPR should go ahead, but alongside HS2, and saying that because transport in the North isn't perfect is like saying the QEII bridge shouldn't have been built because my local high street has loads of potholes.

[@ChilternTransportProductions]

The Chiltern Mainline doesn't need electrification yet. I would have thought the Midland Mainline is more important if anything

[@Cloudrak]

R.I.P Old Oak Common HST Depot.

[@richardjellis9186]

Cheers Geoff. Grand job.!😁!.

[@DavidShepheard]

Having a new London Overground station at Old Oak Common Lane is a real lost opportunity. They should move it south and build it smack on top of the Central Line, stick in some tunnels and connect both the Central Line and North Acton directly to HS2 and Crossrail.

[@HST_Productions]

The currently set alignment connects it to GWR/Crossrail, whilst putting it a bit further south wouldn't do this. Crossrail will connect easily to many underground lines anyway.

[@rinocerota]

Amazing !!!👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@l1nus0nl1neproductions9]

I just love to see cities expand and develop into a better more efficient systems. For example , in Stockholm Sweden we're also expanding our tube and rail networks although the only downside to these infrastructure projects is that they always take such a long time to Finish

[@88fredmcfred]

Curiously the Stockholm System is run by MTRC which is based out of Hong Kong. The foundation of their success is improving upon the template set by The Tube. Funny Old World!

[@ChilternTransportProductions]

Crossrail is a new railway going through Central London underground in deep level tube tunnels to relieve the London Underground "tube" lines such as the Central, District and Jubilee Lines and provide a quicker way of serving all these stations including the future Old Oak Common hub. The only problem with this is it hasn't opened yet, it's been delayed by at least a year and it's gone overbudget A less important scheme that is also happening is the Northern Line Extension from Kennington to Battersea Power Station and in the future, I reckon the Bakerloo Line Extension will happen once they figure it all out like the terminus, route it'll take, the number of trains required to make up the PVR, overall cost etc. Starting within the next 3-4 years and lasting for 10 years, the New Tube for London project will introduce walkthrough trains with air conditioning and capable of fully automatic driverless operation although the driverless featured may not necessarily be used. I like to think of this as future-proofing

[@GaryJohnWalker1]

Please far more on what's happening here and the whole surrounding area - Acton, Willesden and the other side of the west coast line around Wembley itself. Truly massive regen and would be good to get an overall idea.

[@christinegower9177]

The TREES, especially the OLD OAKS want you to know that they have no suicidal thoughts or ideologies of burning them selves down. They wish you to know they are happy and intend to live a long and healthy live helping humanity breath clean air and making homes for wildlife and birds.

[@vinniesuperstar8923]

Going to look nice but will add time to journeys into and out of Paddington with everything stopping there.

[@Gorantaylis]

The majority of comments below are against HS2 despite this being a train enthusiast and London heavy audience. If these people are against HS2 the general public are even more so.

[@1chish]

really? well no doubt you have some facts to prove this? And of course NIMBYS are everywhere. Try building a house extension ... So many people objecting to HS2 are happy to use HS1 and don't care about the disruption HS1 caused in Kent and London. they will also be using motorways that caused disruption when they were built or widened. And of course happily use Heathrow and inflict daily huge amounts of noise and pollution on the people in London. Show me a NIMBY and I will show you an utter hypocrite

[@andyhinds542]

Wow! That new station reminds me of the the main station in central Berlin!

[@Andrewjg_89]

Old Oak Common depot used to be the best place to see all kinds of trains. But as it’s now demolished to make way for a new HS2 station that is under construction and is due to be completed in 5 years time. Plus with the Elizabeth Line to serve Old Oak Common as well.

[@Uftonwood2]

Odd that we didn't have the money to keep the branch lines, or the room to preserve the handsome steam engine, but for HS2 and vanity our purse has no bottom.

[@agent_605]

That's because Beeching happened half a century ago

[@DavidKnowles0]

Beeching happen when the country was fairly poor, still recovering from a major World War, we are much richer now and can undertake these new projects and even reopen shut lines where they make sense.

[@Uftonwood2]

‘Sorry Mr Hitler, we would have a war with you, but the country is rather poor at the moment after the 1930’s depression.’ In war the money is always found.

[@agent_605]

Uftonwood2 What? War is a last resort and is a matter of national security. We aren’t in anywhere near the same financial troubles we were in in the run up to the War either. And if you actually remember Chamberlain tried (and utterly failed) to avoid a war until he resigned when Hitler broke all the agreements he ‘negotiated’

[@DavidKnowles0]

@@Uftonwood2 There always money for a war, no matter how poor this or any other country is.

[@olivergray1367]

This will give Paddington the huge relief it needs, far too many people trying to pile onto the Bakerloo and H&C lines, and hopefully maybe a link to the central line please

[@nicolek4076]

It's very lovely to see investment in our railways. Do we need HS2? It might be nice to see a percentage of this money going to electrify the trans-Pennine routes which has been delayed yet again for lack of funds.

[@TheWkc19]

West coast mainline is congested and there are areas in badly need of upgrading that involves closing the line. So yes we do but it could be rerouted

[@ThorneyPolitics]

@TheRenaissanceman65 no we don't

[@ThorneyPolitics]

@TheRenaissanceman65 commuter rail is overcrowded. Rural railways are in need to investment. Electrification of the entire network would be better. Also intercity trains and not even full at peak if you look at be stats

[@agent_605]

@@ThorneyPolitics The whole point of HS2 is to free up capacity on local trains on the West Coast, Midland and East Coast Main Lines, by removing the InterCity services from them increasing the number of services that can run. Rural railways don't necessarily need investment, and would likely be unable to pay for it as, well they're rural so few use them. Electrification is already happening in a number of places, and HS2s funds would not electrify all the rail network, and would not fix the fundamental capacity problem we are having

[@doomotron6160]

Both HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail/HS3 are needed. Personally, I'd like to see HS3 built first but really I don't care.

[@jayseabie215]

If the Elizabeth line is anything to go by, this should be completed at least 3 years late and cost about twice as much as originally intended.

[@MatthewPlato91]

The most exciting aspect for me is the resurrection of the old New North Main line to Northolt allowing Chiltern Railways access to Old Oak Common from High Wycombe and perhaps Milton Keynes. This'll make getting to the city and Docklands much easier using Crossrail than via Marylebone.

[@Theoobovril]

The New Line that ran by Heathrow Express and the GWR depot, at Old Oak Common, was permanently removed during this HS2 project, so I suspect Chiltern Railways will not have line access to the Old Oak Common Station.

[@tomwoodburn97]

Really good video, and clear graphics

[@nickdsnik1675]

It seems a funny place for a big station. There is not a lot there except rail depots and a common. Admittedly I haven't been there for 40 years.

[@tackline]

Well no there isn't much there. That is the point. It's in a massive "development opportunity" zone.

[@1chish]

Rob Avery should have said that GWR train maintenance has moved to the other side of the GWML from Old Oak to North Pole where Eurostars used to serviced. Its now a Hitachi depot. HSTs are basically all gone now and some will be reformed into new 'Castle' services further West

[@dyslexiksteve2488]

Went passed this today and couldn't believe the change

[@zardoz2006]

I used to work nearby. I always wondered what happened to the original old oak.

[@sashakimknechtinruprecht]

The dimensions are huge, but also in wasted opportunities of connecting to the existing lines of the Underground and well as the Overground. A new station is built for a lot of money but the overground only will be connected by two stations “within walking distance” and the central line running by will not be connected at all. If this location really was a considerate choice to create a major rail hub with long-distance high speed service in the western part of Greater London then please remind that the existing rail lines need to be connected from the beginning or at least alterations to do so have to be considered already in the layout of the new station. The Overground branches could be connected by (tight) curves to a new station paralleling the Great Western Main Line. Also for the Central line (at least for the trains of the West Ruislip branch) a solution should be found to integrate into the new hub, be it by a new station on the existing line or by relocating or branching off a new line running between North Acton and White City stations via Old Oak Common, while the Ealing Broadway trains could stay on the existing line via East Acton, as Ealing broadway will have direct connections to OOC stn. All this is not a simple task, but I fear with the inauguration of the new station the demand for better embedding it into the rest of the rail network will get obvious quickly.

[@DSQueenie]

The whole area is mostly warehouses but there are enough houses and roads (including the A40) that there is no way to link up the Central line without a new tunnel at a phenomenal cost. Commuters who need the central line can just change at Ealing.

[@TheDaf95xf]

Great video Geoff 👍🏻

[@richardjellis9186]

Great video 👌 Said what it said it was going to say. And, said what it said well 🧐😁. Rich 🥰🥰🥰

[@robtyman4281]

Looks like the new government are about to pull the plug on the entire HS2 project. In some respects this is sad, but in alot it's a blessed relief. It's just NOT the right time at all to be starting to build a new network of railways from scratch. The biggest problem with HS2 (and there are many!) is that it didn't reckon on Brexit. Us leaving the EU wasn't factored into the equation when the whole HS2 idea began rolling ten years ago. No one then, could forsee the UK voting to leave the EU. It wouldn't have crossed anyone's mind back then. Now we are no longer in a position to justify the huge expenditure the project would cost us all. By the time we've removed the last strand of law linking us with the EU and expenditure this will entail, there won't be much money left for HS2. Oh, and also there's the small matter of the divorce bill. We're going to have to pay the EU something - this is obvious. Just how much?? They're not going to let us leave the EU for free. This is patently obvious, and the more we try to insist we owe them nothing the greater the damage will be to relations with other European countries. In the long run this would harm us........and them. So we need to focus on improving the existing rail network we have. We also need to get on and build this 'Northern powerhouse' rail link between Liverpool and Hull ( via Manchester and Leeds). This is long overdue, and the fact you can't travel on one train continuously from Liverpool to Hull is, in 2019, frankly not good enough. Another thing, there's alot of appetite for some rail lines closed by Beeching, to reopen. These projects (and the Northern Powerhosue rail link) are what we now need to focus on - not HS2. I'd say HS2 is pretty much dead in the water. Sorry Old Oak Common, but it ain't gonna happen. It was very ambitious, but ultimately Brexit has made it virtually impossible.

[@Chris_from_yealand]

Wonder if this project will survive Brexit. They will probably somehow get it up to Birmingham a few years delayed but that'll be it I reckon.

[@boldford]

And Birmingham is about as far as it will get. Anything much north of Watford gets ignored by Westminster.

[@Ashleigh_T]

In my view, if anything, Brexit needs this more than anything. In times of financial hardship (of which Brexit will undoubtedly bring upon us for the first few years), the government should be investing in such large schemes as this. That's because their cash injection filters through the supply chain to the suppliers and all its workers, which in turn keeps other businesses open due to those workers then buying said businesses products.

[@nov3019892008]

@@Ashleigh_T you clearly spend too much time listening to the British brainwashing channel

[@kennethmoxon7337]

Great to see this project going on so many people want to consine this country to the dark ages, nothing new just old outdated stuff , well tuff, if so many other countries can have high spread rail services so can we well done UK, go fo it

[@orangecountry2355]

This old oak station(willesden junction) like Clapham junction

[@DPodDolphinProductions]

Geoff is back!

[@frankupton5821]

It must be a confusing place. So often, soldiers are said to be "missing in Acton".

[@tomkent4656]

HS2 will prove a white elephant!

[@Topboy53]

Correct

[@chickenkyiv4999]

#HS2 Forever

[@chrisj9700]

Aidan Carter £100bn price tag official now. Time to stop HS2

[@NR23derek]

I wonder how much of it they will get built before it's all cancelled?

[@danielwhyatt3278]

Derek Williams We can only hope they come to their senses and cancel it all before they do too much damage. So long as they only build the station and a few of the smaller extended connecting lines, then it should be okay.

[@FeWorld]

Should have built the Crossrail depot with supports for decking over, missed opportunity.

[@monty87838]

might come later?

[@danielwhyatt3278]

FeWorld Would prefer if the whole god DAMN HS2 PLAN WAS JUST BURIED BENEATH THE GROUND.

[@AndrewStrydomBRP]

@@danielwhyatt3278 Do you realise how impossible that is?

[@johnnywalker7961]

Upgrade old existing train track is important.

[@enriquekim]

Is that the best idea that came up with overground connections? If I were to decide, I’d put Old Oad Common Lane right over the HS2 line and Hythe road south of the canal with new track alignment.

[@realfrowz]

my dad works here

[@jakehowie442]

So HS2 is a London project as predicted

[@stevenclark6209]

Six tunnel machine's big money... this project is only for the south if it was meant for the north as well you should have started up in Scotland as well as the north of England...

[@davecardboard9567]

HS2 presentations have said TBM's are about 15-25 million each. Not exactly small beer, but relative small costs in context of the 27,000 million (or so) budget for phase 1. The work is sequenced south-north because the south, particularly the WCML, is where the capacity constraints exist that need relief urgently.

[@grahamd4764]

I was brought up in Old Oak Common Lane.

[@JRMyzZz]

Getting an upgrade for west Londoners

[@EdgyNumber1]

Such a dumb project. It would have made more sense to plug HS2 directly into HS1 with a terminus at Ashford, Kent. That way, Stratford 'white elephant' International could actually have been brought into play a lot more. Duplicating a current terminus at Euston doesn't make any sense whatsoever.

[@whywhy6055]

@TheRenaissanceman65 Chiltern services go to Birmingham as well, surely that's enough to take pressure off the Euston-Biringham line

[@doomotron6160]

@@whywhy6055 It did, but not much...

[@robtyman4281]

Exactly! If the UK had any foresight, it would have retained the old GCR (Great Central Railway) line. Then they could have just upgraded it to take HS2 trains. The route would have been sorted out (being on an existing rail route) and the only thing they'd have had to change would be switching the London terminus from Marylebone (where the GCR started) to Euston. In any other developed European country, this would have been done. But here in the UK we like making things difficult for ourselves, and storing up problems for future generations to try and sort out.

[@Topboy53]

@TheRenaissanceman65 Nah. It would not make Stratford International a blooming 'white elephant'

[@Topboy53]

@TheRenaissanceman65 I know

[@NedsTrains]

I’m sad to see old oak common go! Oh well I guess it dose need a modern revamp! 👍😀

[@amanderwadsworth-62]

Hi there I love all your videos and I think this is the train station that is in a game I have on my Xbox one Horizon 4 which is set in the UK

[@paulhaynes8045]

Still don't understand why HS1 and HS2 aren't going to be connected. Are we seriously going to expect passengers from the NW for the Continent to get off at Euston, walk to St P and get on another train?

[@davecardboard9567]

In early iterations of the project there was a link via a tunnel between Old Oak Common and just north of St Pancras (ish.) However, as the design was developed, they reckoned that there wasn't enough passenger demand from "North Of London" to/from the continent to justify it, (incidentally, it also means HS2 trains don't need to be compatible with all the European signalling systems) and of course it saved some money by deleting the link and appeased some of the residents of Camden. The train paths then freed up allowing for serving "other" destinations in the UK. The vexed issue of passengers having to walk from Euston to St Pancras gets discussed from time to time and at present is does seem they will be expected to walk. There is some suggestion that if Crossrail 2 gets built, a Crossrail 2 station will link the two London HS stations (Euston & St Pancras) by foot underground rather than at street level. Travelators and/or some kind of people mover often get mentioned. Again, it would seem that expected number of passengers wanting to travel HS2 and thence onward to Europe doesn't justify any great expenditure. Likewise, a station a Heathrow got dropped for much the same reasons - not enough passengers to justify the expense, but at least Heathrow passengers can connect at Old Oak Common for Crossrail 1 (Elizabeth Line) services to Heathrow.

[@MrDavidfball]

well there doing all this work and the general feeling in the country outside of london is it's a waste of money already forecasted to go well over cost and all to cut not much time off a run from london to birmingham yet west coast trains could run at 140mph if they had the signaling system installed

[@shaun__3]

Unless you upgrade the rest of the trains that running on the entire line including local services at either end, no. It doesn't matter if you can go fast if the local service travels half the speed.

[@MrDavidfball]

@@shaun__3 still more cost effective than the billions HS2 is going to cost to shave minutes off a trip from london to manchester/sheffield

[@agent_605]

@@MrDavidfball It's capacity. Increasing the speed of WCML trains would reduce capacity, whilst HS2 will almost triple it on that corridor

[@MrDavidfball]

@@agent_605 probably would if anyone in the midlands or north can afford to use it. can't speak for the south end but most people round the midlands don't want it and think its a massive waste of money. even the old dudley line that was mothballed as a freight diversion for WCML has been handed over to the local tram service thats never made a penny in profit

[@agent_605]

David Ball That’s because few people actually understand what it is doing. The fares on it will likely be no different from existing fares on Virgin, as most Virgin services (or whoever ends up with the West Coast Partnership) will be transferred from the West Coast Main Line to HS2

[@hendog3894]

Will GWR high speed services be affected speed -wise for moving the track over? I believe they currently run at 125mph... Assuming not every single service will want to stop there..

[@GangstaBoiiiiiii]

seems like quite an empty site, when will they be going full speed?

[@doddpa2011]

You should do a video of the OOC sidings full of £250 million Crossrail 345s sat doing nothing Geoff. Haven't seen any reference to that in the main press.

[@philmissy1]

Damn thats epic

[@thedon1lvp744]

What company’s are takeing on dump truck drivers dose anyone know?

[@boxingfan2281]

The question to ask is how will Old Oak Common be used as a terminus Station due to Euston being delivered later than Old Oak Common. And if that is finally being revealed, despite it being known for some years then what service will be available with just the 6 platforms.

[@agent_605]

High Speed 2 will initially only serve West Coast destinations when Phase 1 is built, so if Euston isn't ready for whatever reason, OOC has enough capacity to act as a terminus for those West Coast services. Euston's extra capacity is needed for services which will replace Midland and East Coast mainline trains

[@jacksugden8190]

If Euston is doomed as the terminal due to cost, then why are they demolishing the area to make way for the line?, if that’s the case, would there be provisions to turn trains north at the common should Euston fail?.

[@unhappyschurrle2501]

A shame they won’t consider new viaducts for the overground lines to bring them right to the main Old Oak Station, rather than build ones in the middle of nowhere 15 min walks away

[@SouthLondonRailwayPhotography]

The area is fairly built up, new viaducts would be massively opposed by local residents. The Old Oak Common Lane site will be about 5 mins on foot from Old Oak Common station.

[@LuckyGamerRBLX]

Ooooooo they going further interesting

[@eastpavilion-er6081]

1:43 a lot of #purpletrain parking in the depot

[@sirrliv]

Check me on this, probably wrong, but won't this be London's first major intercity railway station to open in about 100 years, the first since Marylebone Station opened in 1899?

[@jacobtyne9031]

Whilst Passenger Satisfaction at decade low I can't see how HS2 is a beneficial venture, the investment in HS2 could have cut journey times, increased capacity and improved infrastructure for the wider railway network, a lot of the gains from this project could have been implemented on the existing West Coast Mainline through the introduction of ERTMS (In cab signalling), infrastructure improvements & capacity enhancements. The fact that all this is going on while many important lines that connect communities to employment and amenities are running on infrastructure that still use outdated methods like token block working is a crime, all this investment shouldn't be piled in to benefiting a few saving a few minutes, it should be being used to deliver a world class railway for those passengers on lines that haven't seen investment in a very long time.

[@danielwhyatt3278]

This is exactly what I’ve been saying. Why can’t the government just get it through their thick skulls. Oh wait, they’re not using their heads.

[@doomotron6160]

PS: Upgrading the WCML would cost just as much as HS2, so why not build the world's fastest railway instead?

[@seraphina985]

@@doomotron6160 It's not the fastest, the fastest in service commercial service will remain the maglev in Shanghai though the new maglev in Japan will beat that as the Chineese one is too short to allow it to hit top speed. Ironically it could have been if our government had not been struck in the 1980's as there was a proposal for an even longer system using the Transrapid maglev that would have come in at pretty much the same cost (Mostly due to massively reduced land costs as it uses elevated guideways) and still had 160 minute journey times from London to Glasgow despite taking a somewhat circuitous route to massively improve connectivity in other key areas of the country in the same project. Planned route was Brimingham, Manchester (With a spur to Liverpool), Leeds, Edinburgh, Glasgow, HS2 proposes the same journey in 218 minutes I believe but doesn't serve Leeds or Edinburgh unless I am mistaken, the final plan for that is to use a big Y configuration but that loses the benefits of the cross link in the North and in Scotland that would have significant regional benefits. This honestly was the main thing that bothered me if you are going to build a whole new system would have been better to use the current state of technology to deliver the better solution rather than going back to 1980's high speed wheel on rail. The UK has waited so long to get caught up on that I think it would have been better just to skip that era of late 20th century technology and move on to 21st century tech. We could even have actually been the pioneer in state of the art transportation infrastructure again we actually used to do that in rail once.

[@doomotron6160]

@@seraphina985 It's going to be the world's fastest conventional railway (not maglevs or hyperloops).

[@Inkyminkyzizwoz]

No it couldn't. Upgrading the WCML would cause huge disruption to existing services and would only be a short term solution, plus it would probably cost almost as much as HS2

[@GenialHarryGrout]

What is Londonist? Who are they? What is their purpose?

[@tomkent4656]

Making documentary videos about London, I think.

[@robtyman4281]

The clue's in the name!

[@stevencassidy6982]

Very interesting as north Acton is my station

[@hartstukken]

no tube connections (not counting cr1)

[@Topboy53]

OSI to North Acton?

[@rollinwithunclepete824]

So busy! A dry Canary Wharf I guess.

[@guzzi1948]

where was Old Oak GWR Steam Depot? 81A

[@davecardboard9567]

I would guess it's was where the Crossrail depot now stands.

[@simonwass6315]

Why does OOC require 11 platforms?

[@christopherwright8388]

HS2 should be abandoned now, before any tunneling has been done.

[@danielwhyatt3278]

Christopher Wright we can only hope Christopher, we can only hope. I can’t believe that they’re actually still contemplating continuing with destruction, I mean construction. Ha ha ha. This thing is billions and billions of pounds over budget already, and it will be even more so by the time it’s finished. That’s not even the most important part. Or environment will be potentially be visibly scarred and damaged beyond recognition by the time it’s finished, and yet they’re still saying they’re going to go ahead with it. These people have absolutely no sense. NO SENSE AT ALL. The only way we’ll be able to stop it now is with a complete and total outcry and protect strike across the areas that will be demolished and in London.

[@whywhy6055]

but at least keep building old oak common station and re-route HS2 to serve Swansea

[@pxsrrail2558]

@@danielwhyatt3278 destroy the environment???? This amazing feat of engineering will take millions off the road every day!

[@borderlands6606]

@@pxsrrail2558 HS2 will simply turn Birmingham into a temporary commuting suburb of London. Temporary because work patterns mean fewer people will be desk bound or need to work in the smoke. Electrifying and improving alignments across the country will be of far greater effect for the price of a vanity 1960s Japanese bullet train through the Chilterns.

[@christopherwright8388]

@@pxsrrail2558 If millions a day are going to use HS2 they'll need to plan to build several more tracks.

[@rossssd4969]

This looks like a big risk, I hope it's worth the wait and money. Then again I said that before every railway project that's opened late and overbudget *cough* Crossrail *cough*

[@danielwhyatt3278]

Ross Duncan Trust me... it won’t be worth it. Good thing there are brave people among us, and the general public at large who are not going to let this happen. A small percentage of the track is bound to be built. But the wider part that they plan to travel all the way up the country, that’s not going to happen.

[@DavidKnowles0]

crossrail is still under it original budget set prior to 2010 by Labour by 500 million pounds. It only over budget base on the condemns figures which cut a billion pounds from the project.

[@doomotron6160]

​@@danielwhyatt3278 So, hang on, the UK will be the only country IN THE WORLD that doesn't benefit from high-speed rail? Moronic statement. We've all seen the impact of HS1 (absolutely massive, despite the price increase that HS2 WON'T HAVE) so a proper high-speed line would - no, will - do wonders for the country, which right now is far behind most other developed countries. I heard a story once of a Japanese person being disgusted by the manual doors of the HST. We're the only country in western Europe the world other than the US that doesn't have a high speed network and it shows. ICE, TGV, AVE, Frecciarossa, Railjet, Eurostar, Thalys... And what do we have? Southeastern. I've decided to list all the reasons listed by you among others as to why HS2 shouldn't be built, and explain why they're all bullshit: 1 - The Environment: If we didn't build things because they'd destroy a Emmerdale or cause a tree to be killed, we'd never build anything ever. The bus that gets you to work wouldn't exist, nor would where you work, probably not even you. Get over it. It's good for the whole country. 2 - Journey Times: 30 minutes? So you've all picked a fact that has no meaning to demean the whole project? Right. It isn't even a useful one because other than the capacity boost to the WCML and Chiltern Main Line (which, by the way, if we upgraded would cost THE SAME as HS2), it's 30 minutes. That's half of an hour. That's a 48th of my day. This is time that could be spent working, fixing the country, curing cancer, ending world hunger, etc. And you're saying because the London to Birmingham section will just reduce the journey by 30 minutes that the whole project is a waste of time and money? Get a life. 3 - Price: Common misconception: HS2 is over-budget. It isn't. The fact is, the money we'll make from HS2 will pay overall for Crossrail, its extensions, the other Crossrails, HS3 and electrification of the entire network several times over during HS2's life. And this will be increased even more by HS3/NPR. For the country to improve, we need both. Oh, and by the way, can you think of any big infrastructure project IN HISTORY that hasn't had any problems? 4 - 'The Money Could Be Spent Elsewhere': Yes, it could, at the expense of the whole country. 5 - 'The North Needs More Investment': It's being invested in. It's called HS2, and HS3, and the Class 195, and TPE Nova, and GNWR. 6 - 'Wales And Scotland Aren't Benefiting From It': That's like complaining that the Channel Tunnel doesn't benefit Chipping Norton. Of course it doesn't, it wasn't supposed to. And before you ask - it's benefiting both. Scotland will have a couple of hours knocked off their journey times to the south and Wales will get more investment because of links along the line.

[@gb.gamerbug]

I'd love an update on this matter.

[@MarkThrushton]

Footage taken on 6th September 2020: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iWikpnSAesqJm5o

[@marktucker208]

Why do all the things I like get scrapped? HST, Old Oak Depot, life

[@elwhyify]

more videos like this

[@Elvo7684]

Thanks for the great update, but I'm a bit confused, will HS2 trains stop at Old Oak Common then terminate at Euston, or will they terminate at OOC?

[@bowlerstuff9589]

Euston,it will end there,alot of buildings are coming down,the offices coming down,so the bus station wont be exposed,new taxi rank too(I use commas a lot)

[@davecardboard9567]

Terminating and OOC is a myth put about by HS antis (not least the thoroughly biased Lords Economic Affairs Committee who seems obsessed with the idea.) It has been discussed and dismissed many times during parliamentary scrutiny: Very roughly the arguments against go along the lines of (this is not an exhaustive list)... - OOC serves passengers for east and west London via crossrail, Euston serves passengers from north and south london. - OOC would need more platforms if it were the sole terminus and there isn't room at OOC. - terminating at OOC would "fill up" crossrail with HS passengers from the get go. - once OOC is up and running, it's not possible to build the OOC-Euston tunnels (dispelling the idea of "temporarily" using OOC until Euston can be "sorted out properly" whatever that means.) There were other reasons, but I don't recall them just now.

[@galactic_nerd-sk4747]

So trains will terminate at Euston and most will also stop at Old Oak

[@Topboy53]

@@galactic_nerd-sk4747 All trains will stop at Old Oak Common

[@bowlerstuff9589]

if it goes bankrupt before brum,HS2 will proberly get In a rough with the Staffordshire council as they couldn't rebuild Stafford station.

[@robtyman4281]

If it goes bankrupt it'll bring down whoever is Prime Minister....and may even bring down a whole government. If it's allowed to proceed, then runs into funding difficulties before being abandoned, the shit will really hit the fan. People will demand answers. HS2 is taking money away from other potentially more deserving projects - like the Northern Powerhouses (West-East) rail link, and some of the most obvious candidates for line reopenings that Beeching closed.

[@glynwelshkarelian3489]

I want us to invest in much better railways; and have enjoyed watching some formally untouchable rich people who'll be affected by HS2 squealing and lying; but I have never seen any sense in HS2. It is like the original Hindu Juggernaut: “An inexorable power or object which crushes everything that comes in its way.”. The only clear benefit which does not require faith is the opportunity of Londoners moving to cheaper houses in the North and keeping their jobs.

[@Inkyminkyzizwoz]

It's to provide badly needed additional capacity. The WCML is the busiest main line in Europe, if not the world, and is likely to run out of capacity the way things are going, so the only long term solution is to build a new line

[@Bptips]

be good if the north got half as much rail development

[@NERPolitan]

Kinda wish they would've done something cool with those depots :( c'est la vie

[@terrymoore861]

At £106 billion (which will probably end up being £200 billion) it will never cover its costs and the fares will be so expensive, very few will afford to use HS2. It may have 4 services a day and most coaches will be empty. All this to save a few minutes travel! REVIVE SOME OF THE CROSS COUNTRY LINES CLOSED BY BEECHING!

[@agent_605]

The actual estimate is, at most, £88bn. Fares will be exactly the same as existing intercity fares, as the intercity services will move to HS2. 17 trains per hour are planned to run on HS2 once it's fully completed, with space for one extra.

[@terrymoore861]

@@agent_605 Still cheaper to go by National Express and by air if you live near one of the National Express coach stations London Airports.

[@agent_605]

Terry Moore Thats only because air travel isn’t taxed anywhere near as much as it should be for its environmental damage. If the Government actually gave a damn about climate change they’d be putting much more funding into the railway to improve it and reduce fares

[@tackline]

It's going to be called Park Royal Station, isn't it? Because royal. Have I said too much? Is this Top Secret like the fourth plinth?

[@robtyman4281]

No it's not - that's a myth. It would be confusing anyway as there's already a Park Royal tube station which is about a mile from the OCC site. Linking it with OCC thorugh an underground passenger tunnel would be stupid and cost even more.

[@emilyatthedisco2626]

Just my luck, when Geoff comes to my area I’m in Manchester 😂. I do have a slight problem with the development in Old Oak Common as the overground station Old Oak Common Lane will literally be behind my block of flats

[@vinnyvasquez]

I can smell the money burning from here

[@kjamison5951]

I’m sick of hearing all these great plans for transport infrastructure starting in London or the South. HS2 should have been started on the North where jobs are needed. Unemployed folks on the south could move North where accommodation is less expensive and work. As the rail links filter towards the south, more access is opened up for northern business and services so that by the time it reaches London and connects to the South, more northerners are working, contributing to the economy, have more disposable income and their taxes are being ploughed back into the country.

[@scottpeacock5492]

Matchstalkman Construction work for HS2 has already started in the North as I speak, Building work has begun in Birmingham for a new Rail Hub Interchange www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/work-to-start-on-270m-birmingham-interchange-09-03-2020/

[@WestRail642fan]

shame HS2 looks to be running mostly underground

[@SouthLondonRailwayPhotography]

It runs underground in suburban London the comes above ground near the border of Greater London.

[@ben.taylor]

It's no shame. I don't think anyone living in the North or Midlands will want their houses demolished for a project that will likely go bankrupt upon reaching Birmingham.

[@ben.taylor]

@TheRenaissanceman65 Of course they will. You clearly haven't seen much of their project plans, haven't you?

[@DavidKnowles0]

that why it so bloody expensive.

[@DavidKnowles0]

@@SouthLondonRailwayPhotography then it goes under ground through the chilterns.