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A secret below Heathrow terminal 5

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rd749249

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Is this well known on this forum?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03k2wdy

Heathrow airport has a secret: underneath it, a huge ghost station has been built, in order to serve Terminal 5 in the future.
The empty station, which opened in 2008, already has platforms built but track and signals would need to be installed to make it operational.
Giving 5 live an exclusive tour – Heathrow head of surface access Chris Joyce said the train station could be used between 2020 and 2030.
“The scale is absolutely immense,” Mr Joyce said. “For me, this is the biggest kept secret at Heathrow.”
 
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D6975

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It's all shown in 'Track Atlas of Mainland Britain'
That was published in 2012, so it's hardly a secret.
 

HSTEd

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Anyone know how long the station box is and such?
 

Bald Rick

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Genuinely surprised that anyone on this forum didn't know about it. It was explained in all the articles about T5 construction when it was planned, built and opened.

I suppose you might be let off if you were too young at the time.
 

Ianno87

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An even better kept secret is that there's a JCB stuck in the station box from when it was constructed around it, and now it can't get out until the box is actually brought into use.
 

route:oxford

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If its there why isnt it being used?

It's not needed yet.

It was easier to build it and have it ready for future connection to the national rail network than to try and retrospectively build a new station under a working airport.
 

matt_world2004

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The lift shafts can be seen from the entrance to terminal5 with really crap cpncrete filling them in.
 

swt_passenger

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Was this the station proposed for Airtrack? T5 to Waterloo?

Yes, and western access to the GW as well.

I'd have thought it was quite well known, it was certainly part of the discussions about Airtrack back when it was a current topic.
 

IanD

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Genuinely surprised that anyone on this forum didn't know about it. It was explained in all the articles about T5 construction when it was planned, built and opened.

I suppose you might be let off if you were too young at the time.

I didn't know. Wasn't too young at the time either. Not everyone reads every thread. And some threads are just too long to bother with by the time you stumble across them.
 
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jimm

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Genuinely surprised that anyone on this forum didn't know about it. It was explained in all the articles about T5 construction when it was planned, built and opened.

I suppose you might be let off if you were too young at the time.

Why are you surprised?

T5 construction ran from 2002-7 and the Airtrack proposal was dropped five years ago, so not exactly the freshest talking points around, are they, whatever age someone is?

Maybe I'm getting too old, as I had forgotten all about the ghost station until this thread reminded me...
 

Bald Rick

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Apologies if my previous comment came over as somewhat 'holier than thou'; absolutely not my intention.

It did surprise me that people didn't know about it though, I thought it was common knowledge in railway (and airport!) interest circles. The articles I referred to were those in the various rail magazines - although, gosh, I see it has been open nearly 8 years. How time flies. I certainly wouldn't expect people to read every comment on every thread!
 

jopsuk

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Some versions of ideas for western access Heathrow T5 services have included through-running. Is that why the main running lines from Central are positioned to align with platforms 2 & 3?
 

gsnedders

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Somewhat related: I remember being surprised at the apparent continuation is of the T5 A/B/C shuttle train a long way beyond the T5A station. Where does that go? Is that just to some depot?
 
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