The Flying Finn - Latest GWR attempt - live updates

[Lancaster Gate]

Yes I did look at the bus station! My mini-trip consisted of the 13:25 HEX from Paddington to T5, then I went straight to the Piccadilly Line station to do the out-and-back to Hatton Cross to get a feel of how the new service patterns were working, then on return to T5 I went to the bus station to, erm, catch a bus! I got the 14:37 service 77 to Slough and then took an FGW train back home to Reading. I'm very sorry I didn't see you, I knew you were attempting the GWR yesterday but I never guessed I might bump into you!

[Garion]

What is Heathrow T5 station like? I'm assuming its underground! Do they have those platform edge doors or not? Whats the station like in terms of layout/architecture ? I'm curious

[palkanetoijala31]

it seems to be very posh it,s not like the jubilee line stations though the layout seems quite simple and with a minimum 7 min wait a toilet stop could be an oppurtunity if going in and out on tube otherwise i was impressed i might have to see what the bus stop is like though maybe lancaster gate can elaborate on that?.

[Garion]

Ah cool. Next time I go to London, I'll try and persuade my uncle to let me go to T5 to see what its like

[Lancaster Gate]

i might have to see what the bus stop is like though maybe lancaster gate can elaborate on that?.

The bus station is on the bottom level of the multi-story car park at the front of the building (the western side). Signposting is abysmal. I took a lift from the Piccadilly Line station to the Departures level of T5 where I was expecting to see signs or maps to help me find the bus station but there was nothing. (although it might have been better on the lower Arrivals level?) So I walked out of the building to the car drop-off road (on the top level of the car park) in the hope of seeing some buses but I could see none there, however looking downwards I could see some on the road going into the bottom level. I couldn't see any lifts or escalators so I had to walk down the stairs by 5 floor levels! (and on the way down I passed a group of airport workers who were completely lost!) At the bottom lo and behold were some bus stops - but no signs or posters listing which service went from which stop. Fortunately TfL has done some good labelling of each individual local service bus stop so although I immediately saw my waiting 77 to Slough I could have easily found the correct stop by walking along the pavement. As for the intra-airport services I don't know what the arrangements are as I didn't have time to look but I'd confidently assume that they stop somewhere on that same level.

So my advice from getting to the bus station to T5 Underground would be to go into the Arrivals level of the main T5 building (which I'm almost certain is on the same level as the bus station) and then head towards the left-hand end (northern end) of the building where there are lifts down to the station. If my memory is correct the first set of lifts you'd see is for the HEX station and the second set is for the Piccadilly Line. I couldn't see any easy way of getting from the HEX to the Piccadilly Line other than by going up to the Arrivals level and back down again, so make sure you get the right lifts!

[Lancaster Gate]

What is Heathrow T5 station like? I'm assuming its underground! Do they have those platform edge doors or not? Whats the station like in terms of layout/architecture ? I'm curious

I've found a photo of the station on Flickr:

[Garion]

Oh cool. Looks nice and modern. I think it looks better without those platform edge doors but thats my opinion. Thanks!

[Root]

Looks rather dull and sterile to me.

[Garion]

Saying that, it does look more like an airport terminal than a London Underground station. Just the amount of gray panels.. Looks a little bit like T4 station in terms of the walls and ceiling.

[Dr Who]

Well I think it looks like a German station very clean and clinical.
(not that I have ever seen a German station but that was the first thing that poped into my head.)

[Garion]

Hmmm well it's certainly different to the original Leslie Green stations of Central London (eg Covent Garden). Shows how times change

[Starkey7]

I agree with Dr Who, it looks very German. But where are the seats for tired air passengers to sit down on while they wait for their train to Cockfosters?

[Root]

Haven't you been reading the news? You can now sit in your plane and wait on the tarmac for four hours, or sit in the airport itself for days on end while waiting for your luggage! BAA have really pulled out all the stops to make sure people are doing plenty of sitting down in their brand new, shiny, hugely expensive terminal. I expect by the time the passengers get to the tube station, they have had just about enough of sitting down thank you very much.

[Lancaster Gate]

Going back to the discussion on getting from T4 to T5 on GWR attempts - I've seen that members of the Flyertalk air travel forum have been discussing in the last day or two their experiences of getting between the two terminals. The general concensus is that the best method is to use the Piccadilly Line in spite of the possible long wait for a train at T4 and the change at T123. The buses are not recommended!

[CrunchySaviour]

That station looks disappointingly rubbish. Where are the wide platforms? Where is the remotely pleasant architecture? This is a massive cop-out. At least the terminal itself is suitably grand and impressive!