Heathrow Terminal 5 station

Following the longest public inquiry ever undertaken in the UK, 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. The proposed terminal site was not welcomed by London Underground, as it would be impossible for all three stations to be served from the same route. Instead, twin tunnels would be built from Terminals 1, 2, 3 to the new terminal., with a pocket track arrangement being built beyond the station platforms where inbound trains enter once all passengers have alighted, and then reverse direction to return to the outbound platform. Construction of the extension as part of the T5 construction took 6 years, funded by British Airport Authority (BAA). As part of the construction, the Terminal 5 project team shut down two aircraft stands from Terminal 3 so that an access shaft could be constructed. The new junction was then built into a concrete box which connected all the underground tunnels. Heathrow Terminal 4 tube station was closed for 20 months between January 2005 and September 2006 to allow these connecting junctions to be constructed. Train testing started when the extension was handed over to London Underground on 18 July 2007. The station opened on 27 March 2008 coinciding with that of Heathrow Terminal 5. It was designed by architects HOK in conjunction with Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners. 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. Since May 2022, Heathrow Terminal 5 has been served by the Elizabeth line. ==Services==

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: • 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. 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 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 to Terminal 5 station. This would permit Great Western Main Line trains to run directly from and into Heathrow, without the need to change at Paddington. The proposal is currently at consultation stage and remains unconfirmed. 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. 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. First Berkshire & The Thames Valley, National Express and Oxford Bus Company also operate connecting bus and coach services. ==References==