Blog by Jack Williamson, Senior Political Consultant for Transport and Infrastructure
Euston station is a problem. A rail terminus frequently cited as the worst in the country and the epitome of shoddy infrastructure. Yet it hasn’t always been this way.
In the 19th century, when the station was built, Euston contained a neoclassical Great Hall that welcomed passengers to London with grandeur. It wasn’t until the 1960s that the Brutalist design we are now familiar with was constructed.
Many of Euston’s issues stem from its size. The station remains on a similar footprint to the one it was first built on almost two-hundred years ago. A combination of increasing passenger numbers and extensive development around the site means it no longer has the capacity to handle 21st century demand. Presently, Euston is also the home of Avanti, the UK’s worst-performing train operator, which has further damaged its reputation.
The redevelopment of Euston, and decisions on its scale and nature, have previously hung on whether it would be HS2’s London terminus. This was confirmed in the Autumn 2024 Budget, with funding committed to complete the necessary tunnelling. The commitment should represent light at the end of the tunnel for the much-maligned station. However, redevelopment is still predicated on private sector investment. This means that as things stand, without sufficient investment, high speed rail from Birmingham will start and end in Old Oak Common, a large industrial estate in West London.
The Conservative’s Record
In March 2023, the HS2 line between Birmingham and Crewe was delayed by two years, with then Transport Secretary Mark Harper blaming increased costs due to, “significant inflationary pressure”. The National Audit Office also warned that the cost of building the Euston terminus could be £4.8bn, almost twice as high as initially expected.
That June, Huw Merriman, then Minister for Rail and HS2, announced a two-year delay to construction at Euston to reduce costs. Merriman made it clear that redevelopment of Euston would be reliant on private sector investment, raising the risk that HS2 could terminate at Old Oak Common if funding was not secured.
In October 2023, the Government announced that it would be redirecting funding from Phase 2 of HS2 to other transport projects around the country. Simultaneously, they restated their commitment to completing HS2 Phase 1 between Birmingham and London, with a rescoped Euston station.
While options for the delivery of Euston are explored, HS2 Ltd has continued to complete ‘no regrets’ enabling works across the site.
Labour’s Plans
Aside from being the final piece of the HS2 puzzle, there is now added pressure on the new Labour Government to fix Euston, given that it sits within Sir Keir Starmer’s Holborn and St Pancras constituency.
In July 2024, former Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said:
“We absolutely want to explore options around Euston. They [the Conservatives] have left it as a massive hole in the ground. We need to have a plan for that and I’m working at pace to establish how we can do that in the most effective way”.
This sentiment was backed up in the Autumn 2024 Budget, with a Government commitment to pay for the 7.2km twin-bored tunnel from Old Oak Common to Euston. The Government said they hoped this would “catalyse private investment into the station and local area”.
In the interim, Haigh ordered Network Rail to review and improve how it manages the station. This came after the watchdog, London TravelWatch, warned that passengers at Euston were being put “in danger” by “high levels of overcrowding”. Included in the review is an initial five-point plan:
- Review passenger information and remove overhead advertising boards.
- Revise passenger boarding processes, particularly during disruptions.
- Expand concourse space and upgrade toilet facilities.
- Streamline operations during disruptions for unified response.
- Improve infrastructure and train service reliability to reduce disruptions.
Network Rail is aware of the station’s issues and says it has already taken steps to alleviate congestion by removing retail booths from the concourse, increasing “circulation space by 20-25%”.
Euston’s issues may also extend underground, with the leaked ‘Euston London Underground Way Forward’ report warning that both Tube stations (Euston/Euston Square) could need upgrading, regardless of HS2, due to increasing passenger numbers.
Transport for London (TfL) have, however, made it clear that it “would never allow a situation where a TfL-run station was unsafe”.
What’s Next?
HS2 isn’t the only factor in Euston’s redevelopment. Theres are also plans for a housing and regeneration initiative in the local area, which will be managed by the Euston Housing Delivery Group (EHDG). The EHDG will work in partnership with London Borough of Camden, supported by Bek Seeley as Chair. It is hoped the scheme will entice private sector investment, which the Government say is necessary for redeveloping the station area.
In a House of Lords Oral Questions session on 12 November 2024, Lord Bellingham asked the Rail Minister, Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill, when major capital work at Euston would be completed. In response, the Minister said:
“The chancellor has announced in the budget that the tunnels from old oak common to Euston will be built, and it is of course necessary to build the tunnel in order to develop the station. The government is now turning its attention to how the station should be developed in a cost-effective manner, with more announced in due course.”
It seems it will now fall to newly appointed Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, to develop cost-effective plans for Euston. Alexander served as Deputy Mayor of London for Transport (2018-22) during the construction of Crossrail, so should be used to the challenges of building infrastructure in London. Perhaps a combination of her prior experience and an enthused private sector will finally solve the problem that is Euston. The Government will have to hope so.