Heathrow Terminal 4 to Terminal 5

[melikepie]

In many countries of the world, there are rail links and generally good transport links that link all terminals. I have always wondered why Terminal 4 and Terminal 5 are directly connected to Central by rail but no to each other. You either have to take a train to Heathrow Central (Terminals 123) and then change for the other Terminal, or take a bus.

So the question is, why is there not a more direct link between the terminals?

[Chris L]

Nov 15, 2022 14:51:34 GMT melikepie said:

In many countries of the world, there are rail links and generally good transport links that link all terminals. I have always wondered why Terminal 4 and Terminal 5 are directly connected to Central by rail but no to each other. You either have to take a train to Heathrow Central (Terminals 123) and then change for the other Terminal, or take a bus.

So the question is, why is there not a more direct link between the terminals?

Because Terminals 4 and 5 are on different sides of the airport.

[Chris M]

The original plan for Terminal 5 was to build it where the cargo terminal now is, and the Piccadilly line loop was built so that a station could be added here (between the "Heathrow Loop" and "12/04/1986" labels on Carto Metro), trains would run Hatton Cross, T4, T5, T123.

The location where they did build T5 though means that it is not possible for a single line approaching from the north or east (or southwest) to serve all three terminal areas. Any single line would need to arrive at T5 from the west, run east to Central and then turn southeast to serve T4 with the stations at the latter being approximately perpendicular to the present ones. It would though be possible (topographically at least) to continue to Feltham.

[jimbo]

When the Picc was first extended to the Airport, plans for T4 envisaged a site to the west so the alignment provided for a later extension. When T4 took its current site, the only easy way to link that with the Picc was the current loop. T5 then took the site to the west, which was more easily linked by the original envisaged alignment, but with the drawback that trains serve either T4 or T5 but not both, so halving frequencies. The T5 extension is similarly aligned for a possible future western connection to a road/rail interchange car park on the M25.