Heathrow Airport T5A - T5B - T5C transit train.

[swt class 450]

If you read the post that I made at the top of this page you will see that it definitely isn't. I was basically doing what you described, except that I actually did have the intent of flying that day.
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I got in trouble with the police on the first return and this was a couple of years ago.

Yes i see what you mean. It is a shame they are not more enthusiast friendly though. So did they take you somewhere and question you? And are you saying you had to go out of the airport and back through the normal security for a second time? That does seem a bit over the top especially as you would have already gone through security.

 

[class387]

Yes i see what you mean. It is a shame they are not more enthusiast friendly though. So did they take you somewhere and question you? And are you saying you had to go out of the airport and back through the normal security for a second time? That does seem a bit over the top especially as you would have already gone through security.

Questioning, collect bags, check in again, security again, (almost) missed flight . Very over the top, especially considering I was quite young at the time (went when T5 first opened).

 

[swt class 450]

Questioning, collect bags, check in again, security again, (almost) missed flight . Very over the top, especially considering I was quite young at the time (went when T5 first opened).

Wow. That is definitely over the top. Nowadays so many people seem to put official policies and health and safety over common sense. I think i will stay clear of riding this transit then. Maybe i will email Heathrow or Bombardier and ask if i can arrange a visit to this transit. Last year i managed to successfully arrange a visit to platforms 1 and 2 at Heathrow Terminal 5 (the disused National Rail platforms) so it might be worth asking.

 

[class387]

It's not the most interesting thing in the world anyway, but this idea is more sensible that to just go and hope you don't get caught.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Wow. That is definitely over the top. Nowadays so many people seem to put official policies and health and safety over common sense. I think I will stay clear of riding this transit then. Maybe i will email Heathrow or Bombardier and ask if I can arrange a visit to this transit. Last year i managed to successfully arrange a visit to platforms 1 and 2 at Heathrow Terminal 5 (the disused National Rail platforms) so it might be worth asking.

It's worth asking as the worst they can do is say no, but you'll probably have to pay a fee at least as high as what they charge for accompanied airside photography, which is a few hundred pounds.

On the subject of strictness, I seem to recall reading in the newspapers a couple of years or so ago that they have even banned passengers from doing photography from the terminal windows by the gates now...

 

[fowler9]

I will be honest and say that I don't think they should be more enthusiast friendly. You are tying up security staff with someone pursuing their hobby. If you are willing to pay full whack for it then fair play.

 

[Hophead]

From time to time, one of the tabloid papers will try something very much along these lines and, once the 'enthusiast' has breached security, the paper's got itself a front page story and some nice publicity for themselves.

As a result, you have absolutely no chance of riding about on post-security infrastructure.

 

[fowler9]

If I could put it another way I had less than 30 mins to make it from an A320 from Manchester to Heathrow to a 744 from Heathrow to Hong Kong. I would have been covered if I had missed the flight but I would take the delay out of someones pocket if it was because someone was playing trains. I don't want to have to do that.

 

[306024]

Yes i see what you mean. It is a shame they are not more enthusiast friendly though. So did they take you somewhere and question you? And are you saying you had to go out of the airport and back through the normal security for a second time? That does seem a bit over the top especially as you would have already gone through security.

It is not about being enthusiast friendly. It is about security, which cannot be taken too seriously. Any other attitude is either naive or just plain stupid.

Frankly the T5 rubber tyred shuttle is about as exciting as a milk float (with apologies to milk float enthusiasts).

 

[cf111]

It is also worth noting that you can't just go back through security ("landside") of your own volition at T5, you would need to be escorted out by airport staff and this only happens once an hour.

The transit is boring, I actually quite like the tunnels because they're peaceful compared to the terminal itself.

 

[Mojo]

It is also worth noting that you can't just go back through security ("landside") of your own volition at T5, you would need to be escorted out by airport staff and this only happens once an hour.

You can go back landside by, as I stated above, staying on board the transit once it reaches T5C and not getting off. You will need a passport though as it dumps you at International arrivals.

 

[Tim R-T-C]

Düsseldorf airport has an unusual transit to the main station, a danglebahn similar to Wuppertal. Take Docklands Light Railway to London City Airport for Düsseldorf, fares are reasonable too.

Yes, well worth the ride, particularly for the unusual stabilisers that come out from the platform to hold the train in place.

Stops at a few car packs between the train station and the airport so you can get off before actually getting into the airport - don't need to be booked on a flight, although I suspect as mentioned above, if you spent all day on it you might get moved along.

 

[Bletchleyite]

You can go back landside by, as I stated above, staying on board the transit once it reaches T5C and not getting off. You will need a passport though as it dumps you at International arrivals.

Is that actually permitted? At most airports you can't stay on a transit between the two parts of "airside", and people will check to stop people doing it. (More so in the other direction as there is a security risk, of course).

The border force may also be suspicious of anyone trying to enter the UK having apparently not left it. (We don't have in-person outbound passport control, but it is done by way of airline data collection).

 

[Tetchytyke]

Wow. That is definitely over the top. Nowadays so many people seem to put official policies and health and safety over common sense. I think i will stay clear of riding this transit then.

If you ride the transit out once, and walk back once, you really won't have a problem. On an aviation forum several members say they do that because they prefer the lounge at T5B.

The complications arise when you either do it repeatedly, or you end up back at international arrivals having not travelled from anywhere. Heathrow T5 has automatic conformance on boarding passes, which means if you do anything outside the ordinary (i.e. go through security, spend a fortune in the shopping mall, catch your plane) the system can't cope with it.

BA domestic flights are pretty cheap at the moment, £40 each way from Heathrow to Newcastle or Edinburgh is pretty common, you should have a go at catching a plane somewhere.

On the subject of strictness, I seem to recall reading in the newspapers a couple of years or so ago that they have even banned passengers from doing photography from the terminal windows by the gates now...

They weren't that bad when I travelled Emirates from T3 last month, half the lounge were taking photos of the A380. But my wife was waiting for me in the long-stay car park at T5 a couple of months ago, which serves as the free pick-up area, and she was forced by security to catch the bus to the terminal to wait for me there. That is ridiculous, it's not as though nobody knows what an A380 looks like.
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Is that actually permitted? At most airports you can't stay on a transit between the two parts of "airside", and people will check to stop people doing it

I think you can sometimes get away with it, but not always. But yes, I'm also surprised, when I've ridden on similar transit systems at Dubai and at Chek Lap Kok they have fairly robustly ensured everyone gets off the transit.

 

[Tim R-T-C]

They weren't that bad when I travelled Emirates from T3 last month, half the lounge were taking photos of the A380. But my wife was waiting for me in the long-stay car park at T5 a couple of months ago, which serves as the free pick-up area, and she was forced by security to catch the bus to the terminal to wait for me there. That is ridiculous, it's not as though nobody knows what an A380 looks like.

I think the car parking thing is more to avoid the risk of theft, anyone hanging around in the car park is likely to be met with suspicion.

Never had any issues taking photos from inside Heathrow, or anywhere else i the UK. I do wish Heathrow would re-open the viewing gallery on the roof though, seems so daft that the major airports have closed viewing areas for "security reasons", which means people wanting to watch the planes have to stand around the perimeter in less controlled and observable areas.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

The no watching from the car park thing isn't new; it's been that way for about 25 or 30 years now.

What may be more problematic would be Heathrow's roof gallery. It can't be re-opened because the building it was on was demolished a few years ago. That does not, of course, preclude building a new one on top of one of the new buildings, but it might be rather difficult to make a business case for it.

 

[Mag_seven]

I really would advise against doing anything out of the ordinary anywhere in an airport at the moment. I would imagine the security services will be specifically looking out for unusual behaviors as it could be a sign of would be terrorists looking to see if there are any "holes" in the system.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I really would advise against doing anything out of the ordinary anywhere in an airport at the moment. I would imagine the security services will be specifically looking out for unusual behaviors as it could be a sign of would be terrorists looking to see if there are any "holes" in the system.

Despite this, holes there indeed are. A friend discovered one a couple of weeks ago (it will not be repeated as to exactly what it is just in case it is misused), it was reported to Ryanair (who were responsible for it) who promptly sent a standard response and ignored it.

So given this most likely they will be on alert for people who may look like they are seeking to find them.

 

[Tetchytyke]

Despite this, holes there indeed are.

Oh there's holes everywhere, all this taking your shoes off crap is just security theatre.

Sadly, so is harassing a gricer who just wanted to ride the transit shuttle...

 

[Mikey C]

On a related subject, it's a shame that the new T2 doesn't have something similar, as it's a long distance between the main area and T2B. I imagine it was too difficult, as you have to go a long way down and up again

 

[swt class 450]

On a related subject, it's a shame that the new T2 doesn't have something similar, as it's a long distance between the main area and T2B. I imagine it was too difficult, as you have to go a long way down and up again

I didnt even realise that there was a T2B. Yes that sounds like it would be a good idea to have a transit train going from T2 to T2B. I have also heard that there are plans to bulid a T5D at Terminal 5 which i assume the transit train will be extended to if and when that happens.

I remember that Gatwick Airport used to have a second transit train system (which i never went on unfortunately) that went between the South Terminal and a small seperate terminal (similar to Heathrow T5B and T5C) but for some reason it was replaced with a footpath (or footbridge) with travelators quite a few years ago (does anyone know exactly when)?

Also an intetesting fact that i just found out is that the escalators going down to the transit train at Heathrow are the longest escalators in the UK (even longer than the ones at Angel).

 

[Mikey C]

I didnt even realise that there was a T2B. Yes that sounds like it would be a good idea to have a transit train going from T2 to T2B. I have also heard that there are plans to bulid a T5D at Terminal 5 which i assume the transit train will be extended to if and when that happens.

I remember that Gatwick Airport used to have a second transit train system (which i never went on unfortunately) that went between the South Terminal and a small seperate terminal (similar to Heathrow T5B and T5C) but for some reason it was replaced with a footpath (or footbridge) with travelators quite a few years ago (does anyone know exactly when)?

Also an intetesting fact that i just found out is that the escalators going down to the transit train at Heathrow are the longest escalators in the UK (even longer than the ones at Angel).

https://maps.heathrow.com/index.php...7899876&lng=-0.45026219264499584&overlaymap=0

This map shows the layout of the terminals well. T5B and T5C are quite a distance from T5 main, I presume T5D would be to the East of T5C, moving it quite near T3! (I read somewhere that T3 will be demolished in a few years)

As can be seen T2B is quite a distance from T2, you have to go down and up long escalators, but instead of a transit train, there are travelators

 

[Mojo]

Is that actually permitted? At most airports you can't stay on a transit between the two parts of "airside", and people will check to stop people doing it. (More so in the other direction as there is a security risk, of course).

Yes they do stop you from going from arrivals then to departures, but no problem with going from departures to arrivals, and I'm not sure what the possible security risk is with this; as if you end up in arrivals and then want to go through connections there is a further security scan.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Yes they do stop you from going from arrivals then to departures, but no problem with going from departures to arrivals, and I'm not sure what the possible security risk is with this; as if you end up in arrivals and then want to go through connections there is a further security scan.

It'll confuse the life out of the border guards if you try to re-enter the UK having not left it...

 

[Mojo]

It'll confuse the life out of the border guards if you try to re-enter the UK having not left it...

I never had any problems, and other people I asked for advice for who have done this didn't report any either.

 

[WestCoast]

It'll confuse the life out of the border guards if you try to re-enter the UK having not left it...

I can't imagine they'd notice if you have a UK/EU passport and aren't on any watch lists. The airline, BA or Iberia at T5, might however wonder where you are having passed security but not at the gate nor having left the airside area via official channels.

 

[class387]

I might be using this system tomorrow (anyone know what terminal flights to Zurich depart from?) so will report back if I do. Won't use it more than once though, given my previous experience.

 

[dosxuk]

I remember that Gatwick Airport used to have a second transit train system (which i never went on unfortunately) that went between the South Terminal and a small seperate terminal (similar to Heathrow T5B and T5C) but for some reason it was replaced with a footpath (or footbridge) with travelators quite a few years ago (does anyone know exactly when)?

The requirement to separate inbound and outbound passengers is what did it in. While going from Departures to Arrivals isn't that much of an issue, going the other way, or for a departing passenger (who's passed UK security) to be able to meet an arriving passenger (who hasn't) is a definite no-no.

 

[MotCO]

Don't know whether you have seen it before, but I have stumbled across a YouTube clip showing the trains, includng a driver's view.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaiMlSd2lY8

 

[ModernRailways]

Would one way of possibly sneaking through this be that 'you're tired' and missed your stop so were just going to make your way back round?

Surely, the odd person misses where they needed to get off at. So what happens to them?