Balfour Beatty VINCI SYSTRA Joint Venture

We've now completed the first mock up?of the Conventional Station fa?ade at Initivo Consultancy Limited’s testing centre in Leighton Buzzard. The Conventional Station?is where the Great Western Main Line, Heathrow Express and Elizabeth line trains will run when Old Oak Common station is operational.? ? This will be visible exterior of the escape staircases that passengers will use to exit the station in the event of an evacuation. It has been a collaborative effort between BBVS, Lindner Prater Ltd, WSP and WilkinsonEyre to develop the light, modern design.?

Last week, in partnership with our logistics provider, Clipfine Ltd, we hosted The Lighthouse Charity at Old Oak Common for an event on mental health awareness. ? The Lighthouse Charity provides financial and emotional support to members of the construction industry, as well as to their families. The event was part of their 'Make It Visible' campaign, which aims to make wellbeing support visible on every construction site and reduce the stigma around the subject. ? Studies show that 27% of all work-related illness in construction is due to stress, depression or anxiety, and tragically, two construction workers take their own lives in the UK every day. ? At Old Oak Common, the mental wellbeing of our workforce is a priority. That's why we have a team of Mental Health First Aiders available to all BBVS and supply chain staff, as well as a number of support pathways available. ? https://lnkd.in/gdh32R-F

What a great National Apprenticeship Week at Old Oak Common! One of our highlight events was a lunch with Balfour Beatty HS2 Major Projects CEO, Nigel Russell, and BBVS Project Director, Steve O'Sullivan, who offered advice on how apprentices can make the most of their training courses. Outside Old Oak Common, it was great to meet aspiring construction professionals at both the Transport for London and Great Ealing apprenticeship fairs. We also visited eight local schools and colleges, speaking to almost 1000 students. Our Social Value and Legacy Manager, Jamie Townsend, commented, “We’re proud to say that 170 apprentices have worked at Old Oak Common to date, across both BBVS and our supply chain partners. It’s been fantastic to see the people behind this number sharing their stories and connecting with the next generation of apprentices."

Last July, our 1,500th apprentice, Miguel??, helped complete the excavation of the huge station box. Today, our teams have completed the base slab. It covers 45,000 square metres—equivalent to more than six football?? pitches—and is nearly two metres thick at its deepest point. Construction began in April 2023 and required 91 separate concrete pours to complete. When complete, Old Oak Common station will be one of the best connected in the UK. The six underground platforms will allow high-speed services to reach central London in one direction and the West Midlands in the other. Services will also run further north via the existing railway. Additionally, eight surface-level platforms are being constructed to provide an interchange for the Great Western Railway (GWR), MTR Elizabeth line and Heathrow Express. Learn more: https://gloo.to/Frtb #NAW2025 #OldOakCommon #London Balfour Beatty VINCI SYSTRA Joint Venture

It is great to see Old Oak Common featuring in CIOB People for our work with The Fest Hub, a community interest company that inspires young ex-footballers into STEM careers. ? Back in 2023, we partnered with The Fest Hub to host the Queens Park Rangers U18 football team (pictured), giving them a first-hand experience of our world-class infrastructure project. We’re looking forward to hosting the football club?again next month! ? https://lnkd.in/etMWe6Zr

We are delighted with our Platinum Accreditation in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion awarded by Clear Assured, recognising our work to embed our inclusive culture, our skills, employment and education achievements, community investment and health and wellbeing. Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Manager, Alpa Kapasi, had the following to say: ? "I am incredibly proud of our team at Old Oak Common. We have worked hard to grow and embed an inclusive culture and this accreditation is testament to the hard work of so many people on this project. At Old Oak Common, we have a unique opportunity to shape the agenda throughout the industry by working with our client and supply chain partners; our colleagues have embraced this ambition and we have worked to really push the boundaries and achieve sustainable outcomes. ? The Clear Company has partnered with us throughout this journey to challenge us and to encourage us to go further. I am grateful for their continued support, as we recognise that we still have work to do. We will pause to reflect and celebrate this achievement, but then we will get back to work and continue to build upon these foundations!"

Last week, we held our annual All Hands event, inviting HS2, BBVS and supply chain colleagues to join us at the Minster Building in London. As well as addresses from Project Director, Steve O’Sullivan, and HS2 Project Client Director, Peter Gow, the event looked back on our achievements throughout 2024, from construction milestones to the local projects and charities we have supported. We heard from Marianne Brook, Development Director of the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC), about the exciting plans for the area surrounding the station, as well as representatives of our 5% Club, which supports our pledge to have 5% of our workforce on ‘earn and learn’ programmes such as apprenticeships and university work placements. We also held three interactive panels and rounded off the event with a look ahead at our plans for 2025, not just in the construction of Old Oak Common station, but also in a number of employee initiatives. This included an introduction to ‘My Contribution’, our new employee ideas programme that aims to give employees a voice and empower everyone to take personal action to deliver positive change.

Our latest project update video is out ?? ? ?? With most of the deep tunnel drives and earthworks completed, Britain's new high-speed railway is taking shape ??. ? ?? Figures show that 70% of twin-bore tunnels have been excavated to date, and 58% of earthworks for the railway’s cuttings, embankments, stations and landscaping have been completed. Additionally, work has started on the construction of 158 out of 227 viaducts and bridges, with 13 already built. ? ?? Join our Chief Railway Officer, Emma Head as she takes a deep dive into the progress made in 2024 ?? ?? https://lnkd.in/e2Gv5hF8 ? ? #HS2 #Construction #HighSpeedRail #train #rail #2024 Department for Transport (DfT), United Kingdom Align JV Balfour Beatty VINCI Eiffage Kier Ferrovial BAM (EKFB) Skanska Costain STRABAG Joint Venture Mace Dragados SA Laing O'Rourke Balfour Beatty VINCI SYSTRA Joint Venture Herrenknecht AG Peter, Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill Mark Wild

We recently visited the Quattro UK Ltd facilities in Acton and Southall to see how our waste material from the Old Oak Common station site is being recycled.? ? Quattro were appointed by our logistics provider, Clipfine Ltd, in 2023 and have achieved a 100% diversion from landfill rate for Old Oak Common, which means that all of the waste from site is either recycled or recovered, surpassing HS2’s performance target of 95%. Recovery is what happens to waste that can't be recycled – it involves extracting usable resources or energy, such as burning waste to generate electricity. ? This is down to the great work Clipfine and our teams are doing to separate our waste into wood, scrap metal, plastic, cardboard, vegetation and food waste, before transporting it onto Quattro. Unlike most construction sites, we sort all waste at the source to ensure as much recycling as possible is achieved. ? Quattro are one of the leading waste management companies in London, with a range of accreditations such as FORS Gold, BES 6001 and PAS 402. In addition, all of their vehicles meet the Euro 6 emissions standards, the strictest regulations for reducing vehicle emissions in the European Union and many other parts of the world. Their innovative systems also track waste generation patterns, helping us to continuously reduce waste on site. ? Clipfine Project Director, Andy Brown, commented: “By involving Quattro, we make the most of their specialised processes, larger skips and machinery, with more cost-effective and sustainable results, on behalf of BBVS and HS2. We have many suppliers who work with our team to maximise the diversion from landfill agenda and to keep the site and neighbourhood clean and tidy. Of these suppliers, Quattro have made an impressive contribution.”?? ? Quattro General Manager, Oliver James, commented: "It was fantastic to welcome the team from Old Oak Common to our West London sites. Showcasing how we process their waste highlighted the critical role their efforts in waste segregation play in achieving outstanding recycling and landfill diversion rates. We're excited to strengthen this collaboration and continue driving their project forward with sustainability at its core."

Congratulations to the WSP Team at Old Oak Common who won the Major Project of the Year category at the WSP Excellence Awards!?WSP have been our design consultants on the project since 2020 and we look forward to many more successes together.