Elizabeth line trains should start running to Old Oak Common station as soon as possible to save the area from “20 years of blight”, residents are urging.
The delay in the opening of the first leg of HS2 – which the Government has announced will miss the 2033 deadline for the start of services between Birmingham Curzon Street and Old Oak Common – has added to concerns about the impact on thousands of people living near the new station in north west London.
HS2 is said by its new chief executive, Mark Wild, to be “making good progress” on the £2bn mega-station, where HS2 passengers will be able to interchange with the Elizabeth line, Heathrow Express and Great Western Railway services.
Mr Wild has also raised the possibility of a phased opening, including trains running at less than full speed, to get the railway operational as soon as feasible.
Transport for London, which is responsible for the Elizabeth line, said it wanted to run trains to and from Old Oak Common “as soon as it is ready”.
The Old Oak Alliance, a newly-formed group representing 10,000 residents, believes that the early arrival of the Elizabeth line at the station would be a “game changer”.
Last year the Government provided Transport for London with more than £200m to buy an additional 10 Elizabeth line trains – enabling a peak service every three-and-a-half minutes at Old Oak Common.
The Old Oak Alliance is urging politicians to back its call to “expedite the opening of the Elizabeth Line at Old Oak Common”.
In a letter shared with the area’s MPs, Rupa Huq and Andy Slaughter, the group said: “This would be a benefit to current and future local residents and workers (including those working on HS2). As well as being a benefit for OPDC [Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation] and housing developers.”
The station was originally meant to open by 2026. No new deadline has been set but residents fear HS2 will not open until 2039.
Amanda Souter, a spokeswoman for residents affected by the construction work at Old Oak Common, said: “Since 2019 we have been completely surrounded by the biggest construction site in the whole of Europe.
“It sounds like it will be 13 additional years on top of what was originally quoted.”
Last month, Ms Huq told Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander that residents would be “bitterly disappointed” by the news of “even more prolonged disruption”.
Urging Ms Alexander to visit the area for herself, Ms Hug added: “We are dealing with a company [HS2] whose idea of engagement is jam tomorrow and death by PowerPoint.”
Speaking to The Standard, Ms Soutar said the concerns of the community around Old Oak Common, which she described as very different to other HS2 critics along the route, had been “ignored”.
“It’s much more like a Grenfell Tower community,” she said. “It’s very diverse culturally and economically. There are people who don’t read or write well, and can’t challenge this really complex project.”
The group is seeking compensation for “long-term disruption for those living near construction sites, including for noise, dust, vibration, light pollution, poor air quality, reduced internet and water pressure, and severe impacts on mental and physical health”, according to their letter to the MPs.
It also wants an urgent review of proposed road closures, which it is feared could be extended from one to four years.
Ms Soutar said: “We have had to put up with the most incredible noise, often 24/7, and high levels of dust. One of the biggest issues is vibrations.
“A lot of people, including myself, have cracks in their homes. But HS2 and BBV [HS2 contractor Balfour Beatty Vinci] deny it is anything to do with them.”
Last month Ms Alexander told the Commons that a review by Mr Wild found that “the initial opening of the railway between Old Oak Common and Birmingham Curzon Street… is not deliverable in the current window of 2029 – 2033.”
Last week the Government announced the safeguarding of a potential link between Old Oak Common station and the Chiltern Line, which could provide an alternative route south to Marylebone station and north to the Midlands.
A spokesperson for HS2 said: “HS2’s Old Oak Common station will provide exceptional connectivity, and deliver transformational regeneration with substantial benefits for local people.
“A recent report shows that HS2 is driving £10 billion of economic growth in the local area around Old Oak Common - boosting housing and stimulating job creation. HS2 is currently undergoing a fundamental reset to stop the cycle of cost rises and delays to the project and decisions about future opening dates will be announced in due course.”
Howard Smith, director of the Elizabeth line, said: “More than 600 million passenger journeys have been made on the Elizabeth line since it opened in 2022, making it the UK’s single busiest railway service.
“In the past three years, the Elizabeth line has boosted the UK economy by £42 million, supporting new housing and jobs. As passenger demand continues to grow, we’ve received Government funding for the delivery of 10 additional Elizabeth line trains, which are currently being made by Alstom in Derby.
“The new trains will enable us to increase capacity on the existing line, and we intend to maximise running Elizabeth line services from Old Oak Common station as soon as it is ready. This will deliver benefits to the local area and aligns with the potential route of the West London Orbital, a proposed scheme to enhance west and northwest London's continued economic growth.
“We will continue to work at pace with HS2 Limited, which is delivering Old Oak Common station, to agree a plan once it has established a completion date.”
