Euston
Britain’s new high-speed railway
In October 2023, the former government confirmed that HS2 Ltd would no longer build the new Euston station, which would instead be funded through a private finance model.
As part of its 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy, published in June 2025, the government confirmed that a Euston Delivery Company will be formed to oversee development of the whole Euston Campus, and that the use of a public private partnership will be explored to deliver the new HS2 station with private finance.
The government is continuing to work on the proposed form for the new delivery company. All organisations involved across Euston will work closely with the new Euston Delivery Company in a coordinated way to achieve collective success for the project. The Euston Delivery Company will be the single directing mind for the campus.
HS2 Ltd remains responsible for the delivery of the section of the HS2 route from Old Oak Common to the boundary with the HS2 Euston station at Hampstead Road Bridge, including the Euston approaches. It also continues to be responsible for enabling works for the future Euston HS2 station, playing a key role in developing the design of the HS2 station prior to the Euston Delivery Company’s establishment, and engaging with the community, working closely with the Euston Delivery Company and other Euston partners.
Project update
In autumn 2024, the government confirmed we’ll build HS2 to Euston. We’re now preparing to build the tunnel from Old Oak Common. We’ll start work on the tunnel shafts, headhouses and station approaches later.
We’re reviewing the whole HS2 programme as part of a major reset. This means we’re making sure we build everything in the right order. We’ll keep you updated on when work at the Euston approaches and Euston tunnel headhouses will restart.
Archaeological discoveries
During the early and site preparation works, archaeologists working in Euston discovered Victorian time capsules and the remains of Captain Matthew Flinders, the Royal Navy explorer who led the first circumnavigation of Australia.
Traction sub station (TSS)
We’re building a new traction substation (TSS) at Euston to support the operation of the London Underground’s Northern line. This is the first above ground structure we’ve completed for HS2 Euston and is part of essential work at the station.
The new TSS will convert electrical power to a form suitable for rail systems and will house modern equipment to provide services and ventilation for the safe operation of the Northern line. We need to relocate this equipment because the existing TSS, which sits beneath Euston terminus, is in the path of the new high-speed station.
Euston approaches
The Euston Approaches is the section of HS2 railway between Parkway and Hampstead Road in the London Borough of Camden. This stretch connects the Euston tunnels beneath the A4201 Parkway to Euston station.
The tunnels will pass beneath the existing railway network, with one tunnel splitting into two, creating three tunnels in total. The high-speed trains will emerge into a partially below-ground concrete box, gradually rising to ground level at the Euston Throat.
We’re building this section with our main works contractor, a joint venture of Skanska, Costain and Strabag (SCSJV).
Construction of the Euston approaches
Tunnels and cavern
We’re building three underground tunnels in the Euston Approaches. They’ll pass underneath the existing railway and parts of Parkway, Mornington Street and Park Village East roads. The tunnels will emerge into a concrete box just south of Mornington Street Bridge.
We won’t use a tunnel boring machine to build the three tunnels in the Euston Approaches. Instead, we’ll excavate the tunnels and spray them with a concrete lining. We will use tunnel boring machines (TBMs) to build the two Euston tunnels that will arrive at the Euston Approaches beneath Parkway junction.
We’re excavating a large underground cavern where we’ll dismantle the TBMs. This is where one tunnel will split in two, making three overall – two tunnels for trains coming into Euston, and one for trains heading out of Euston. Combined with the way the tracks will fan out above ground between the Euston approaches and Euston station, this will let trains access and exit multiple platforms at the station.
Concrete box
We’re building the concrete box partly above and partly below ground between Mornington Street Bridge and Granby Terrace Bridge. The concrete box is a covered section of the railway cutting where the trains will enter and exit the tunnels. Trains travelling from the north will pass through the concrete box into an open-air railway cutting south of Granby Terrace Bridge.
The northern end of the concrete box, where it connects to the three tunnels, is known as the Euston portal. We’re building a headhouse (Euston portal headhouse) above this portal to provide access from the street to the tracks for maintenance and emergencies.
Headhouses
We’re building two headhouses to provide access from street level down to the tunnels and concrete box for maintenance and emergency access or escape.
The Euston portal headhouse will be built just south of Mornington Street Bridge at the northern end of the concrete box.
The Euston cavern headhouse will be in the railway cutting at the northern end of Park Village East.
Euston throat
The Euston throat will create a wider, deeper railway cutting in front of Regent’s Park Estate to make way for the HS2 railway. This section of the railway will be open-air with parallel retaining walls between Granby Terrace and Hampstead Road bridges to separate HS2 from the Network Rail tracks.
We’ll extend Granby Terrace and Hampstead Road bridges over the new railway by adding a new section to the end of each bridge.
Granby Terrace Bridge will extend from Hampstead Road to Stanhope Street, while Hampstead Road Bridge will extend to Robert Street, past Cartmel and Lindale. These bridge extensions require utilities to be diverted to avoid disrupting services.
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