HS2 Euston station design development update

Work to build the HS2 London terminus at Euston has taken a major step forward this month (July 2020) with the Mace Dragados joint venture moving onto the construction site adjacent to Euston station to begin work on the new high speed station in central London.

HS2 will deliver much-needed extra capacity and better journeys for the millions of people who use Euston station. Once complete, HS2 will more than double the number of seats out of Euston station during peak hours and free up space on the west coast mainline for more local and long distance commuter services to places like Watford, Northampton and Milton Keynes.

Mace Dragados were appointed as HS2’s Construction Partner for Euston Station in March last year and have been working closely with HS2 to prepare for the early works. The new station will provide much-needed capacity at Euston station, doubling the number of peak time seats available on Britain’s new rail network. A new concourse is being built, platforms for the low-carbon, high speed trains and improved connections to Euston and Euston Square Underground stations.

Now that the Mace Dragados team has taken possession of part of the Euston site, steps to begin construction can begin. New welfare accommodation has been erected with steps taken to give the site crews space to social distance due to the current global pandemic. Piling work for the basement wall of the station will begin in advance of the large-scale excavations and substructure works next year.

Progress at Euston and on HS2 is a welcome boost to the construction sector, and will create and sustain jobs within the industry. During the peak construction period at Euston, approximately 3,000 people will be working on the construction of the station, part of the 30,000 strong team that will be working across the route.

The progress at Euston will also kick-off the search for suppliers for over £400m worth of work over the next two years. The project team will be looking for future suppliers to the project for packages ranging from water treatment systems through to lifts and escalator systems. Opportunities will be advertised on CompeteFor web portal by Mace Dragados and their subcontractors.

The arrival of HS2 at Euston will create the opportunity for up to 19,000 new jobs and 1,700 homes as part of a wider masterplan for Euston, as well as new public spaces. Once complete, the station, could, for the first time, include a new entrance facing north towards Camden Town and west towards Hampstead Road and the shops and restaurants of Drummond Street.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk

A summary of the results of the survey carried out regarding HS2 Euston station design development as detailed below is available here.

On 23 February 2017, Royal Assent was granted for the High Speed Rail (London – West Midlands) Act, which allowed High Speed Two Ltd (HS2) to begin construction of the new high speed rail line connecting London to Birmingham. The new HS2 station at Euston will be a catalyst for regeneration and growth in the surrounding area.

The HS2 Euston station will be built in two stages: Stage A will provide six platforms below ground, with Stage B1 providing a further five below ground. The redevelopment of the existing Euston station is being considered separately by Network Rail and the Department for Transport. HS2 Ltd and Network Rail are working together to integrate the stations.

Lendlease was appointed by the Department for Transport and Network Rail to progress proposals for future over site development above and around the HS2 and Network Rail stations at Euston. The HS2 station design will enable the potential for over site development, although the future development of these buildings will require separate planning permission to be obtained by the developer.

Design development and next steps

We held public engagement events in February, to gain feedback on our station design development. The design team has continued developing the design and taken into consideration the community and other stakeholder feedback.

A number of design changes are being considered and the purpose of this public engagement is to capture your views on how these proposals respond to concerns. We also want to involve you on how we can tailor the open spaces to the needs of the local community and other users of the HS2 station. We will use this information to inform our ongoing design development.

You can click here to view the previous design development page .

Future engagement

Further public engagement is planned during 2020, prior to an application to Camden Council, seeking consent for the external design of the station. At the time, additional details of the architecture for the HS2 station, transport interchanges and the open spaces around the station will be available for comment.

Timeline

In February, we asked you about your views on entrances to the HS2 station, concourse arrangement, routes through the station and including a station basement to the west of the platforms.

Your feedback

Feedback received was broadly supportive of the additional entrances and public routes that had been introduced. There was a desire to see better alignment and connection with streets and public spaces outside the station, as well as making allowance for the different types of station users who’ll move through the HS2 station. Concern was raised that the inclusion of a western basement would remove opportunities for tree planting in that area.

Responding to feedback

We are considering a reconfigured concourse arrangement, which would enable better connections to the local community and businesses by providing a station entrance opposite Drummond Street. The main HS2 station entrance remains to the south, with further entrances on Cobourg Street and to the north of the station on Hampstead Road.

Inside the station, covered squares are being considered to allow additional waiting areas and space for the different station users (e.g. commuters, visitors, local community) to move around the station. Routes to connect Cobourg Street and Eversholt Street are dependent on any future redevelopment of the Network Rail station and may include level changes.

The inclusion of the western basement will not preclude tree planting in the area, although it will limit opportunities for planting trees with deep roots. However, future tree planting in this area is dependent on the location of the permanent taxi facility.

In February, we asked you about your views on bus stops/stands on Hampstead Road and Euston Road, location of the permanent taxi facility and cycle parking around the HS2 station.

You Feedback

Concerns were raised about the location of the main taxi facility to the west of the HS2 station on Cobourg Street. The introduction of cycle parking ‘hubs’ rather than on-street cycle parking was generally supported.

Responding to feedback

We are considering locating the permanent taxi drop-off and pick-up facility to the north of the HS2 station, covered by a deck with open space above. A consequence of this move will be placing the public realm at a higher level. Further detailed design to determine the relationship of the taxi facility to the northern station entrance and Hampstead Road will be undertaken as the design progresses.

A number of cycle parking ‘hubs’ are proposed around the site, aligning better with HS2 station entrances to the north, west and south, as well as a new London Underground entrance on Gordon Street to the south of the station. The location of the main cycle hubs to the north would allow good connections onto Hampstead Road for onward journeys.

We continue to work with Transport for London and other stakeholders on all of the transport proposals, including the linear bus station and the location of additional bus stops/stands.

In February, we asked for views on the location of open space and providing ground level mixed ‘active’ uses (e.g. shops and restaurants) beside open spaces.

Your feedback

It was felt that the proposed location of the northern open space was too remote from the local community and open space should be provided as close as possible to the site of St James’s Gardens. Active frontages were supported with a variety of uses.

Responding to feedback

We continue to propose open space to the south of the station, to the north of the station entrances, and to the north of Langdale. These proposals include improvements to Euston Square Gardens.

We are also considering whether there is an opportunity to provide open space closer to the site of St James’s Gardens, if it provides feasible to locate the taxis to the area north of the station. Active uses at ground floor level are being considered as part of the design development.

Open space north of Langdale

Northern open space:

Western open space:

Southern open space:

Euston Square Gardens:

We would like to understand your views on aspects of the developing design. This is your chance to share your thoughts on the latest emerging proposals for the HS2 Euston Station.

Closing date for responding to the survey is 6pm, Wednesday 28th November 2018

Alternatively, please download the survey and send your completed survey to: Freepost HS2 EUSTON STATION DESIGN ENGAGEMENT 2018

The information on this webpage is available to view here in pdf form and the slides presented at our station design events can be viewed here.