Heathrow Terminal 5 station

Heathrow Terminal 5 is a shared railway and London Underground station serving Heathrow Terminal 5. It serves as a terminus for Heathrow Express services to Paddington, and for Elizabeth line and London Underground Piccadilly line services to central London. It is managed and staffed by Heathrow Express.^[3]

Heathrow Terminal 5
Heathrow Terminal 5 Location of Heathrow Terminal 5 in Greater London
Location	Heathrow Terminal 5
Local authority	London Borough of Hillingdon
Managed by	Heathrow Express
Owner	Heathrow Airport Holdings
Station code	HWV
Number of platforms	4 (6 total)
Accessible	Yes^[1]
Fare zone	6 (excluding Heathrow Express services)
National Rail annual entry and exit
2019–20	1.461 million^[2]
2020–21	0.382 million^[2]
2021–22	1.080 million^[2]
2022–23	2.620 million^[2]
Railway companies
Original company	Heathrow Airport Holdings
Key dates
27 March 2008	Station opened
Other information
External links	Departures Layout Facilities Buses
Coordinates	51°28′20″N 0°29′17″W / 51.4723°N 0.488°W / 51.4723; -0.488
London transport portal

The London Underground section of the station is situated in Travelcard Zone 6; it is the westernmost below-ground station on the network. It is also the westernmost National Rail station in London.

History

Following the longest public inquiry ever undertaken in the UK,^[4] construction of the station was granted in November 2001 by transport minister Stephen Byers as part of the approval of the Heathrow Terminal 5 project.^[5] Funded by British Airport Authority (BAA), construction of the extension as part of the T5 construction took 6 years. As part of the construction, Heathrow Terminal 4 tube station was closed for 20 months between January 2005 and September 2006 to allow the connecting junctions to be constructed.^[6] Train testing started when the extension was handed over to London Underground on 18 July 2007.^[7]

The station opened on 27 March 2008 coinciding with that of Heathrow Terminal 5.^[8][9] It was designed by architects HOK in conjunction with Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners.^[10] Although situated underground, parts of the station's roofing are made of translucent ETFE laminate panels, allowing natural daylight to flood down both ends of all six platforms.^[11]

Since May 2022, Heathrow Terminal 5 has been served by the Elizabeth line.^[12]

Services

v t e Heathrow area rail services
Legend
mi-ch from Paddington   Elizabeth line via Whitechapel         0-00 Paddington                                 Heathrow Express       Elizabeth line     Old Oak Common under construction   4-21 Acton Main Line     5-56 Ealing Broadway         6-46 West Ealing       7-28 Hanwell     9-06 Southall     10-71 Hayes & Harlington         Piccadilly line to Cockfosters           11-10 Airport Junction         Great Western Main Line to Reading       Hatton Cross               Heathrow Junction closed 1998           Heathrow Airport:             Terminal 4                     16-30 Terminal 4                   Terminals 2 & 3                         14-40 Terminals 2 & 3                                   16-20 Terminal 5

Terminal 5 station is the only one at Heathrow Airport where Heathrow Express, Elizabeth line and Piccadilly line services share the same station. The following rail services are provided:^[13]

• Piccadilly line from platforms 5 and 6: half the trains on the Heathrow branch terminate here, via Hatton Cross and Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3. The other half do not serve Heathrow Terminal 5, running instead via the loop to service Heathrow Terminal 4 and Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3, before returning eastbound.
• Heathrow Express terminus to and from Paddington station from platforms 3 and 4.
• Elizabeth line terminus to and from Shenfield station from platforms 3 and 4.

Preceding station	London Underground			Following station
Terminus		Piccadilly line Heathrow branch		Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3 towards Cockfosters or Arnos Grove
Preceding station	Heathrow Express			Following station
Terminus		Heathrow Express		Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3 towards London Paddington
Preceding station	Elizabeth line			Following station
Terminus		Elizabeth line		Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3 towards Shenfield

Free intra-terminal transfers

Until 2012, free transfer was not possible between terminals via the Underground, unlike on the Heathrow Express. In January 2012, free travel was introduced for Oyster card and contactless payment card holders between the Heathrow stations on the Piccadilly line. Journeys from Heathrow Terminal 5 to Terminal 4 via the Piccadilly line require a change at Hatton Cross; this journey is free.

Future links

 

The proposed Western Rail Approach to Heathrow

Network Rail has put forward a proposal for a Western Rail Approach to Heathrow, a short spur of track in tunnel which would run from a junction east of Langley to Terminal 5 station. This would permit Great Western Main Line trains to run directly from Slough and Reading into Heathrow, without the need to change at Paddington. The proposal is currently at consultation stage and remains unconfirmed.^[14]

In addition to the above rail links, Terminal 5 station also has two safeguarded "heavy rail" platforms for use by a west-facing connection to the National Rail network. The south-leaning proposal would spur off the Waterloo to Reading Line west of Staines railway station (originally dubbed Heathrow Airtrack, with a newer proposal named Heathrow Southern Railway). It proposes direct rail services to London Waterloo, Reading, Woking, Guildford and Gatwick Airport.^[15] Due to the cost of replacing three level crossings, one in a very urban part of Egham, the proposals are currently unfunded.

Connections

London Buses routes 350, 423, 482, 490 and night route N9 serve the station.^[16] First Berkshire & The Thames Valley, National Express and Oxford Bus Company also operate connecting bus and coach services.

References

1. "Step free Tube Guide" (PDF). Transport for London. April 2021. (PDF) from the original on 15 May 2021.
2. "Estimates of station usage". Rail statistics. Office of Rail Regulation. Please note: Some methodology may vary year on year.
3. "Station facilities for Heathrow Terminal 5 (Rail Station Only)". National Rail Enquiries. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
4. . Department for Transport. January 2005. Archived from the original on 24 December 2007. Retrieved 2 November 2007.
5. . thetube.com (Press release). 20 November 2001. Archived from the original on 3 February 2003. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
6. "Tube one step closer for Heathrow Terminal 5". Transport for London (Press release). 14 September 2006. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
7. "First Piccadilly line trains travel to Heathrow Terminal 5". Transport for London. 18 July 2007. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
8. "First Piccadilly line passengers travel to Heathrow Terminal 5". Transport for London (Press release). 27 March 2008. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
9. "Heathrow Terminal 5 opens" (PDF). London Underground Railway Society. May 2008. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
10. "Terminal 5, Heathrow - London - Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners". Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
11. "Heathrow Airport T5: London Architecture", e-architect, 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
12. "Heathrow - New agreement to boost Heathrow rail services". Heathrow Media Centre. 4 July 2017. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
13. Transport for London (March 2008). (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 September 2008. Retrieved 22 March 2008. - transport map for Heathrow showing Underground, Heathrow Express and Heathrow Connect rail, and the N9 night bus
14. "Heathrow rail link -". Network Rail. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
15. "Heathrow Airtrack". BAA. Retrieved 6 January 2010.
16. Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 Transport for London

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Heathrow Terminal 5 station.

• Train times and station information for Heathrow Terminal 5 station from National Rail