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What the hell is going on with HS2? First, they announced a £2.25 billion makeover of Euston station (this was all the way back in 2015). Then, after years of building works, closing down nearby businesses and amid skyrocketing costs, the Tories said the high speed rail wasn’t coming to central London after all. We thought that was the end of it, but no. After a decision by the newly elected Labour government in October 2024, ministers said HS2 would be coming to Euston after all. So what’s the latest?
After all this, the government has just announced the new Euston station will only have six platforms. If you’re feeling a bit baffled by this, you’re not the only one: Euston has already been dubbed London’s ‘worst station’, and suffers from severe overcrowding. We wouldn’t wish the infamous ‘Euston rush’ on our worst enemies.
Now a written parliamentary answer from rail minister Lord Hendy has revealed the station won’t have the 10 or 11 platforms as originally planned. Answering a question from Lord Berkeley, Hendy wrote: ‘The new HS2 station will consist of six platforms, which can support up to 10 HS2 trains per hour.
‘No decisions have been made on the train services that will run when HS2 opens, and this will be subject to future consultation.’
Lord Hendy didn’t reveal the exact reason for this decision. One rail consultant told the Standard that having only six platforms was ‘lunacy’. And Gareth Dennis, a rail engineer and commentator, told the Standard: ‘Unless there is a clear plan that integrates both station sites into one shared station with appropriate adjustments, this will kneecap the GB rail network for a generation or more.
‘The idea that a future high speed rail network of 17 trains per hour or more is not being planned for is extremely worrying. To lose the opportunity to build a large, spacious and resilient station in London will have massive impacts on the ability to run local services in the Midlands and the North for decades.’
The new Old Oak Common station will also have six platforms serving HS2, and the 400-metre-long platforms will be able to accommodate two HS2 trains at once, so at least that’s something.
More travel: Heathrow has unveiled a £2.3 billion plan to ‘improve passenger experience’.
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