The Government has announced that the new HS2 station at Euston will only feature six platforms, raising concerns about future capacity.
London: So, the new HS2 station at Euston is only going to have six platforms. Can you believe it? The Government just confirmed it, and folks are worried about what this means for the future.
Rail experts are saying this could really limit capacity, especially if they ever decide to extend HS2 further north. It’s a bit of a head-scratcher, right?
This news came out after a parliamentary response from rail minister Lord Hendy. He was asked about how many HS2 trains would run per hour and how many platforms they’d need. Turns out, just six platforms can handle up to 10 trains an hour.
But here’s the kicker: no one knows yet what train services will actually run when HS2 opens. It’s all still up in the air.
Gareth Dennis, a rail engineer, shared his thoughts, saying that unless they come up with a solid plan to connect the station sites, it could really hurt the rail network for years to come.
He’s worried that they’re not planning for a future where they might need 17 trains an hour. That’s a big deal if you ask me.
William Barter, a rail consultant, didn’t hold back either. He called the six-platform plan “lunacy,” saying it just won’t cut it for HS2 to reach its full potential.
Steve Coe, a former rail union guy, echoed those concerns. He said only having six platforms is “incredibly shortsighted.” He believes they need to build at least 11 platforms to really meet the growing demand.
Now, there will also be six HS2 platforms at Old Oak Common, which is set to be the southern terminus when trains start running around 2030. But those platforms are longer, so they can fit two trains at once.
As for Euston, there’s no opening date yet. Lord Hendy mentioned wanting it to share a concourse with the mainline station, but it’s all still a bit vague.
Originally, they planned for 11 platforms back in 2015, but after some reviews and rising costs, they’ve now settled on this six-platform design. It’s been a rollercoaster, to say the least.
And just to add to the chaos, the cost of completing the first phase of HS2 has shot up by £9 billion, now sitting at £80 billion. When they paused work at Euston, the budget had already ballooned from £2.6 billion to £4.8 billion.
It’s a mess, and the public accounts committee even said the original budget was “completely unrealistic.” They’re still trying to figure out what they want to achieve with this station.
Switching from 11 platforms to 10 has wasted a whopping £106 million in work. It’s a tough situation, and people are definitely feeling the pressure.