Passengers using the Elizabeth line at HS2’s Old Oak Common station will be able to board without a step or ramp under an agreement between HS2 Ltd, Network Rail, Transport for London and the Department for Transport.
The Department for Transport has approved an exemption from standard national platform height requirements. This will allow platforms 5 to 8 to be built at a height optimised for Elizabeth line trains while meeting accessibility requirements.
The arrangement is intended to help passengers with reduced mobility board independently. It will also make interchange easier for people with luggage, pushchairs and those who find the standard gap between trains and platforms difficult to negotiate.
Step-free interchange
Old Oak Common’s six underground HS2 platforms will also be step-free. The station’s Elizabeth line platforms will be accessible from street level, while the new interchange is expected to connect passengers with more than 100 destinations.
Old Oak Common will be the 42nd Elizabeth line stop, located between Paddington and Acton Main Line. Transport for London Commissioner Andy Lord said Elizabeth line passengers were expected to account for around 90% of interchanges at the station, making level boarding important for safety and accessibility.
“Elizabeth line passengers are expected to account for around 90 per cent of interchanges at Old Oak Common, so level boarding is vital for the safety and accessibility of our customers,” Lord said.
The engineering solution involves lowering the tracks serving platforms 5 to 8 and using solid concrete slab track instead of ballast. The platforms will be designed to accommodate a range of passenger and freight services, although level boarding will only be available to Elizabeth line passengers when trains use their designated platforms.
Construction moves to conventional platforms
Construction of the underground high-speed platforms has been completed. Work is now due to begin on the eight ground-level conventional platforms, which will serve the Elizabeth line, Great Western Main Line and Heathrow Express.
HS2 said the decision followed technical and operational work involving train operators, accessibility groups, campaign groups and accessibility panels. The solution was developed through the Old Oak Common area delivery model, established under the HS2 Reset to bring together organisations involved in the station’s design, construction and future operation.
Rail Minister Lord Hendy said: “Everyone should be able to travel confidently and independently on our rail network, so I’m delighted that passengers using the Elizabeth line at Old Oak Common will benefit from level boarding and seamless step-free access.”
HS2 has said the station could boost the west London economy by £10bn over the next decade. Research by Arcadis, published by HS2 last year, estimated that development within 1.5 miles of Old Oak Common could include more than 22,000 homes, 693,000 square metres of commercial space and 18,782 jobs.