A major milestone has been marked at the development of the HS2 West London super-hub at Old Oak Common.

The former Great Western Railway sheds have been cleared at the site as the team prepares to deliver the key railway project.

The new station is designed to link HS2 with Elizabeth line (Crossrail) services to Heathrow and central London, and trains to Wales and the West of England. It is expected to be one of the busiest interchanges in the UK, with around 250,000 people passing through every day.

A Costain Skanska joint venture (CSjv) and subcontractors Erith delivered the preparatory works to clear the site ahead of the beginning of construction. This stage of the work was completed in four months.

Welcoming the milestone, HS2 Ltd Programme Director, Matthew Botelle, said: "HS2 will transform Old Oak Common, unlocking thousands of new jobs and homes around the station and improving journeys for millions of people travelling to Heathrow Airport, London, the Midlands and the North.

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"The demolition of the sheds is a major milestone for the project, and it's great to see how much progress the team has already made as we work to deliver West London's new super-hub."

Alongside the sheds, the team has also cleared the old Heavy Maintenance and Wheel Lathe Sheds as well as removing 40,000 tonnes of concrete slab which covered a quarter of the site. The former train wash was carefully deconstructed and moved to Penzance to be installed in the new depot.

Overall, 98% of material from the demolition of the sheds and associated buildings has been recycled or reused, with the surplus track donated to heritage railways around the UK. The concrete slab was crushed on site with the material set to be reused during construction.

The adjacent 1970's diesel shed is due to be demolished in the autumn, with the Heathrow Express buildings expected to remain for at least a year, before they are also removed to make way for construction of the new station.

The project team will now look to work through 110,000 cubic meters of earth to clear the site of obstructions and remove any hotspots of contamination built up over a century of continuous railway use.

HS2 will unlock the wider regeneration of the area, with 65,000 jobs and 25,500 new homes set to be created as part of the wider Old Oak and Park Royal development.

(CM/MH)