The development of the Old Oak Common station, designed to integrate with High Speed 2 (HS2), was heralded as a step toward transforming British rail. But for millions in the west of England and south Wales, it signals years of disruption, slower journey times, and a potential economic hit.
In a charged Westminster Hall debate, MPs across the region decried the lack of consultation and demanded answers on how their constituents would be compensated for the upheaval.
“High-speed rail should be about improving connectivity, not creating barriers,” said Max Wilkinson, Liberal Democrat MP for Cheltenham. But for those in the west, HS2 appears to bring a bitter irony: as faster services promise to link the north and London, the west is left facing longer delays and substandard infrastructure.
The debate unveiled a cascade of concerns, from construction disruption to systemic neglect of regional rail services, offering a sobering perspective on the impact of this national project.
Mr Wilkinson set the stage for the debate. “Nobody would have expected that the development of a high-speed rail line heading from the north to London and back again would have a negative impact on trains heading west,” he said.
He explained the stark reality that the construction of Old Oak Common will lead to widespread delays, cancellations, and slower services for years.
Detailing the grim timeline, Mr Wilkinson explained: “During the period of disruption while construction takes place, we will endure 29 days of disruption in this current operational year—that disruption has already begun—30 days of disruption in 2025-26, 41 days of disruption in 2026-27, including 14 days when no trains run at all… and 47 days of disruption in 2028-29, including 18 days when no trains run at all.”
He added that worse still, passengers travelling between London Paddington and the West will permanently face delays of four to seven minutes once the project is complete.
These disruptions will predominantly impact Sundays and holiday periods, times when rail services are already stretched thin. Mr Wilkinson emphasised that the knock-on effects would hit constituencies across Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Bristol, Gloucestershire, and Wales, leaving millions of passengers grappling with slower journeys or outright cancellations.
The consequences of these disruptions extend beyond passenger inconvenience. Tessa Munt, MP for Wells and Mendip Hills, warned of the significant damage to tourism in the region. “The Glastonbury Festival finishes on a Sunday, and many people travel in and out of Glastonbury on a Sunday, so this will be incredibly damaging to that event,” she said. Tourism, a cornerstone of the West’s economy, could face severe setbacks due to unreliable transport links during the construction period.
Mr Wilkinson echoed this, noting that businesses dependent on connectivity would suffer. “If we can have 5G on the Elizabeth line in London, which is already well served by public transport, why can I not have 5G in the countryside between Swindon and Stroud when I travel back to my constituency?” he asked. He highlighted the disparity in investment between London and the West, pointing to outdated infrastructure and unreliable services as barriers to economic growth.
Anna Sabine, MP for Frome and East Somerset, did not hold back in criticising the government’s handling of the project’s rollout. “A month from work starting, councils, MPs, businesses, and interest groups are only just being notified of the impact on services. That is a totally unacceptable approach to public consultation,” she said. Ms Sabine underscored that businesses and residents who had moved to her constituency during COVID-19, drawn by its connectivity, now faced a rude awakening. “They will not have been aware of the plans when they made that decision,” she added.
The lack of transparency, Ms Sabine argued, compounds the sense of neglect already felt by the West and South Wales. The Old Oak Common project will displace approximately 56 million passenger journeys annually, forcing many onto roads and rival rail lines ill-equipped to handle the surge. “Millions of passengers will be displaced, increasing journeys on roads and pushing services to other stations. Regular users of the M4 and M5 will dread the prospect of more cars on those motorways,” she warned.
For Mr Wilkinson, the disruptions underscored deeper structural problems in the west’s rail network. “The national rail network is struggling so badly, and the Government are promising a brighter future under Great British Railways. Our constituents must be able to see benefits,” he said. A key issue is Old Oak Common’s potential as an interchange. While it could provide access to the Elizabeth Line and Overground services, Wilkinson questioned whether the convenience promised would materialise.
“Can the Minister confirm whether technical studies on interchanging with Overground services have begun, so that we can work out what is possible?” he asked. MPs raised concerns that insufficient planning and investment could render Old Oak Common less useful than intended, further disadvantaging passengers from the West.
Claire Young, MP for Thornbury and Yate, focused on the reliability of the existing network. “The existing GWR mainline is not fit for purpose,” she said, pointing to recent delays caused by flooding and signalling failures. “Work at Old Oak Common needs to be accompanied by immediate investment in existing infrastructure to improve the reliability of services.”
The debate also brought to light the inadequate facilities faced by west-bound passengers. Mr Wilkinson criticised the persistent overcrowding on GWR services, with five-carriage trains often over capacity. “I have stood with pensioners and vulnerable people next to the loo for longer than an hour on journeys west from Paddington,” he said. He called for more rolling stock and an overhaul of passenger amenities, including functional Wi-Fi and comfortable carriages.
Gideon Amos, MP for Taunton and Wellington, painted a bleak picture of passenger experiences. “Passengers sit on the floor outside the toilets when they may have paid more than £200 for a ticket. How can that possibly be justified?” he asked. Amos also pointed to the lack of Sunday services, describing them as a “catalogue of cancellations” that rendered weekend travel unreliable and inconvenient.
In response, Lilian Greenwood, the Labour Government’s Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, acknowledged the challenges but offered limited solutions. “Our challenge to HS2 Ltd is to keep the disruption to a minimum,” she said, highlighting measures such as electrification projects and investments in station facilities. However, she admitted that even non-stopping trains would face delays due to the need to realign tracks around Old Oak Common’s platforms.
“Unfortunately, even trains that do not stop at the station will have a small increase in journey times,” she said, estimating the delay at 90 seconds. For those services stopping at the station, she noted, “four to seven minutes added to journey times has been suggested.”
On overcrowding, Ms Greenwood conceded that the current situation was “totally unsatisfactory” and assured MPs that the Rail Minister was working to address it. Regarding Wi-Fi and connectivity, she said the Department was exploring “a range of technology options” to improve passenger experiences but offered no immediate solutions.
As the debate closed, Mr Wilkinson reflected on the broader implications of the project. “The main thing to come out of the Minister’s response is that there is still an awful lot to play for,” he said. While acknowledging the complexities of the project, he urged the government to accelerate technical studies and ensure that Old Oak Common becomes a genuine asset for the West.
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