Is Six Platforms Enough At Euston For High Speed Two?
In this article in The Times, which is entitled What Is The New HS2 Route? The UK’s High-Speed Rail Network Mapped, this is said.
Sunak said a new six-platform station at Euston would save £6.5 billion compared with HS2’s vision of an 11-platform scheme.
But would it be possible to operate a full service with just six platforms?
This graphic shows High Speed Two services, as proposed by HS2 after Phase 2b opens.
Note.
- Services shown in blue are run by High Speed Two Full Size trains.
- Services shown in yellow are run by High Speed Two Classic-Compatible trains.
- Each service will run once an hour.
- There are seventeen services that terminate at Euston in every hour.
- Eight are High Speed Two Full Size trains, which are 400 metres long.
- Four are single High Speed Two Classic-Compatible trains, which are 200 metres long.
- Five are pairs of High Speed Two Classic-Compatible trains, which are 400 metres long.
I have a few thoughts.
The Capacity of High Speed Two
High Speed Two has been designed to have a capacity of eighteen trains per hour (tph).
That means it should be able to handle the seventeen tph to and from Euston.
Six Platforms Would Mean That Each Platform Would Handle Three tph
That is just simple arithmetic.
But could each platform handle three tph?
There are several places in the UK, where a single platform handles three or even four tph.
But these are generally smaller stations handling smaller trains.
I believe that with passenger entry to the platforms from both ends, as there is at King’s Cross, London Bridge and Manchester Piccadilly, that twenty minutes between trains should be possible.
What Happens If It Goes Wrong?
Occasionally trains fail, platforms get blocked or something more serious happens, which in the case of the HS2 Euston station would reduce the number of platforms available to five.
One of these actions could be taken.
Some Trains Can Terminate At Old Oak Common Station
Old Oak Common station is proposed to have six high speed platforms, so four platforms could be used to terminate trains in cases of trouble.
Two Services Run Using Single High Speed Two Classic-Compatible Trains Could Share A Platform
This would work as the platforms are designed to accept a pair of these trains.
Platforms 17 And 18 At The Current Euston Station Could Be Used In An Emergency?
This map from OpenRailwayMap shows the tracks and platforms at Euston station.
Note.
- Each red track is an electrified platform, with its number alongside.
- Platforms 17 and 18 are on the Western side.
- The pink tracks are London Underground lines.
- The dotted red and grey track down the Western side is the High Speed Two tracks.
Would it be possible to connect the High Speed Two tracks to Platforms 17 and 18 for use in an emergency?
I think it would be.
Conclusion
I believe that it’s possible to design a six-platform station to handle all the High Speed Two traffic at Euston.
The Anonymous Widower 
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But will it actually happen? BBC News – which correctly predicted cancellation of the Manchester section – wrote (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-67021225):
“The HS2 rail line will not be extended to London Euston unless enough private investment is secured for the project.
If cash is not put forward by private funds, the high-speed line will only run from Birmingham to Old Oak Common in the capital’s western suburbs.”
It’s very clear that Sunak is pro-car and anti-rail. Despite his soothing words to the contrary, his view is relentlessly short-termist. The list of replacement projects is padded out with projects already built, previously cancelled and some that are never likely to happen. None is timebound and none guaranteed – all are hedged with caveats.
The same BBC article states:
“The Leamside rail line was originally set to be funded by the £36bn savings, but references to it were removed from the government’s website later on Wednesday. Transport minister Richard Holden said the government had only committed to “looking into” the scheme.” This doesn’t look good, especially as the immediate sell-off of HS2 land ensures that the Manchester scheme is wrecked for all time. Will the same happen to OOC-Euston when the private-sector funds don’t appear soon enough?
Comment by balhamist | October 6, 2023 |
I believe that the funds to develop Euston will arrive.
Look at the development that the Elizabeth Line has brought to Liverpool Street, Moorgate, Farringdon, Paddington and other stations on the line.
Developers are wanting to develop Liverpool Street station with a signature hotel and offices.
I don’t see any reason, why developers would hold back from putting forward plans for Euston.
When UCLH was redeveloped, a friend of mine was one of the senior managers at the hospital. The feeling was that developers and UCL wanted the hospital to move, as it sat on a very valuable site.
I suspect that the station opposite is an equally valuable site.
Comment by AnonW | October 6, 2023 |
Regarding the belief that the private sector will come up with the goods for the revised OOC- Euston development reminds me of agnostic talking with the priest. Says the agnostic to the priest…” you know the difference between you and me is that trying to find God is like being locked in a pitch black room looking for a black cat which I’m told may be in there. After an extensive search, in the end I decided the cat wasn’t there while you on the other hand found him.”
On the option of using platforms 17 and 18 I understand that they will not be on the same level as the new HS2 tracks. Whether that is sufficient to preclude your proposal I don’t know.
Comment by fammorris | October 6, 2023
There wont be any ECML/MML substitutes so that puts it back to 14TPH and lest get realistic the traffic on offer has dropped post covid so at best 3TPH to Manchester definitely works but not sure 3 to Brum does as big part of the traffic on this route is Coventry which will still need pendos. Then Liverpool should goto 2TPH and Glasgow, 1 to N.Wales 1 to Blackpool so 10TPH top. Six will cover that.
Comment by Nicholas Lewis | October 6, 2023 |