Our outer London train stations are busy places. Stratford station alone is now the seventh busiest in the country, even busier than classic terminus stations such as Charing Cross and King's Cross and every station in Scotland and Wales. It means that building them is an extremely delicate task as you must get it right and with extra capacity in case it needs it.

That's the challenge at Old Oak Common, which is currently a railway junction in West London just south of Willesden Junction. Six different train lines run across or through it and that's why the government has decided it will build a station there for High Speed Two (HS2), which will be the seventh line.

The controversial line which is fiercely rejected by protestors such as Stop HS2, Extinction Rebellion and some of the members of the Green Party over environmental concerns is being built between London and Birmingham and is expected to be open by the end of the decade (2028-2031).

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Trains will stop at a station here as it will act as a good interchange point for those travelling to/from Heathrow Airport who will be able to change here for the Elizabeth line. It will also stop Euston being clogged up with people travelling to and from North and West London who can change to the Overground instead.

As the station will play a big role in the success of the new line, HS2 have turned their plans for it into a virtual reality (VR) environment so that potential passengers can test it out, let HS2 know what works and what doesn't and then they will build it based on the feedback.

HS2 wants passengers to be 'stress-free' when they use Old Oak Common when it opens in around a decade's time, so the VR station will help them make it happen in real life.

It's an immersive and innovative way to putting the passenger at the heart of the station from day one.

HS2's innovation manager Heather Donald said: "We’ve taken an innovative approach to use cutting edge technology to ensure we have it right years before the station opens.”

HS2 is working with design and technology company CCD Design and Ergonomics and station designer WSP to develop efficient and stress-free “wayfinding” for the quarter of a million people who will use the new 14-platform super-hub in North West London each day. They will be running sessions with future passengers where they walk around and use the station with VR headsets.

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Eye-tracking technology fitted to the headsets will monitor in detail how the eye is drawn around the station’s interior, and whether there are any distractions that might contradict or confuse, all of which could hamper easy and stress-free movement.

They will also track emotion and heart-rate data to get further insights into the future passengers' behaviour.

VR headsets are becoming more commonplace, although remain principally designed for gaming, science or experiential marketing.

London Overground trains will also stop at Old Oak Common

What do you think about the VR station? Are you looking forward to using the real HS2? Let us know in the comments below.

If you have a transport story we should be covering, email callum.marius@reachplc.com