Full steam ahead for Old Oak
Thursday October 28, 2010
Calls for a major high-speed rail interchange in the north of the borough are being backed by the Greater London Authority (GLA).
Speaking at a conference of council and business leaders last week, Sir Simon Milton – Deputy Mayor of London and GLA chief of staff – revealed the authority’s support for the Old Oak rail-hub for the first time.
Hammersmith & Fulham (H&F) Council has been promoting the site for more than three years and sent a detailed study to High Speed 2 (HS2) – the company set up to examine options for a high-speed line between Scotland and London – in November 2009.
For a central London terminus to work there needs to be a station at Old Oak Common to disperse passengers and take pressure off the proposed main London terminal at Euston, according to the council. If an interchange is not built at Old Oak, the Underground system would struggle to cope as HS2 trains can carry up to 1,100 people every five minutes. 13,000 commuters an hour, in each direction, will be added to the already overcrowded tube station at Euston if Old Oak does not go ahead.
Addressing the Place West London conference, held at Chelsea Football Club last Thursday (October 14), Sir Simon agreed. He said: “We are strongly supportive of Old Oak Common as a High Speed Two interchange.
“Old Oak Common offers a variety of options and it’s very close to central London locations and to Heathrow and it would also allow you to connect with Crossrail. There's a large area of brownfield land which would become a major opportunity area if the station was to be constructed there.”
Former Transport Secretary Lord Brian Mawhinney also backed the Old Oak hub earlier this year and the news that Crossrail is now definitely going ahead - following the Mayor of London’s announcement last week – also adds to the momentum in Old Oak’s favour.
A new station at Old Oak Common will transform a derelict part of London. 5,000 jobs would be created as well as new homes and community facilities if the station is built on 90 hectares of underused railway and light industrial just north of Wormwood Scrubs, according to the council.
Cllr Stephen Greenhalgh, H&F Council Leader, says: "The case for a High Speed Two interchange at Old Oak is very compelling. Old Oak is the most cost effective option and still allows a seamless HS2 link to Heathrow in due course. A dedicated Heathrow HS2 link at the outset would be expensive and would effectively run parallel to and duplicate the new multi-billon pound Crossrail link from Central London. It will take about 12 minutes to travel to Heathrow terminal five from Old Oak Common on either Crossrail or the Heathrow Express."
The Department for Transport is expected to announce the proposed route for HS2 – including the stations – later this year.
