HS2 station means 'decade of disruption' - MP

The new station will serve high speed trains running between London and Birmingham

Development of a huge station for high speed rail links between London and the Midlands will lead to a "decade of disruption" for rail passengers in south-west England, a Plymouth MP has said.

Luke Pollard, Labour MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, said building the station at Old Oak Common in west London would affect rail passengers travelling between Devon and Cornwall and Paddington.

The station is being touted by HS2 as the "largest new railway station ever built in the UK".

The Department for Transport (DoT) said it was working to mitigate any disruption.

An artist's impression of the Old Oak Common station

Mr Pollard said construction of the station could involve a "large number of weekend closures" of the line between Reading and London Paddington.

"Construction of this huge new station in west London will mean a decade of disruption and longer journeys for people travelling from the South West and Wales into Paddington," he said.

"It means leisure and business travel will take longer and for no apparent gain."

The DoT said it was working with Network Rail, HS2 Ltd, and train operating companies to "minimise the impacts of disruption".

It added that "it is not fully known what the situation will be".

It also said savings from scrapping the northern leg of the HS2 project would be spent on reopening the line between Plymouth and Tavistock.