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Have you walked the tunnel between Heathrow Terminal 5, T5B and T5C?

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I was reminded this week that we haven’t talked about the ‘secret’ tunnel between the three parts of Heathrow Terminal 5 for a while.

When travelling between the main building in Terminal 5 and Terminal 5B or 5C, you are likely to take the train.

You may also find yourself taking the train from 5B to 5C if you have a 5C departure and are using the Galleries Terminal 5B lounge. Our review of the refurbished British Airways lounge in Heathrow’s Terminal 5B satellite is here.

You don’t need to take the train, however.

Heathrow walkway tunnel max burgess molly burgess

If you press the bottom button in the lift in 5A, 5B or 5C then you go below the level of the transit train and into this tunnel.  It has travelators so the walk is surprisingly quick.

Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 tunnel

and

Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 tunnel

It can often be just as fast to walk, since you are not waiting around for the train. When the train does arrive, it takes a minute or two for passengers to unload first and the doors on the departure side to open. By the time it is ready to board you can be halfway down the tunnel and well on your way to the Terminal 5B lounge.

Using the tunnel is also the ONLY way to get from Terminal 5B to Terminal 5 to take a flight. You might do this if you decide to use the quieter lounge in 5B. Taking the train from 5B to the main building drops you at immigration and you cannot get back to the departure gates.

The tunnel is also a good way to stretch your legs before sitting for many hours on a long haul flight. Give it a go and see what you think.

Comments (49)

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  • E4 Traveller says:

    Please don’t write about this again. I don’t like other people knowing about it or the serene T5B Galleries. I want to keep both for myself.

  • Tunnel lover says:

    It featured in the Heathrow Half Marathon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L37h6dnq0BM

  • Matthew says:

    I like getting in the lift first and pressing the button for -4 in the hope that no one else in the lift bothers to notice that the button for -2 hasn’t been pressed.

    • Mzungu says:

      Having seen a similar comment once before, I tried this last year. I’d waited for another lift, as one was absolutely rammed, so I was first into the lift and pressed -4. To my surprise, no-one else pressed -2, the gasps as we passed the trains at -2 were quite noticeable!

  • Matthew says:

    I often walk through this tunnel. I’m usually piss drunk after a 6 hour session in the lounge so I end up racing my carry on luggage along this tunnel because I’m a very broken individual XD

  • Louise says:

    I always use the B lounge whether I’m flying from B or from C gates, but haven’t managed to find the tunnel from B to C after I exit the lounge. Can someone please spell it out for me. It take an absolute age to get from B to C vía the shuttle as it’s only every other train. Thanks!

    • James says:

      Take the tunnel to B and go up in the lift, then retrace your steps back down there in the same lift to go to C. Easy.

  • Paul L says:

    I never use the train when I depart. Invariably if going from B or C I am going long haul so like to get some steps in before the flight. Quite often I am the only one down there and much prefer to a crowded train.

  • Traumahawk007 says:

    Can you access the lounge in B with your boarding card after arriving especially if you have long layover and flying out of A?

    Assume you could technically avoid immigration by walking back on the left hand side with the no entry sign not far from the lifts at A?

  • Saltrams says:

    It’s not nearly so much fun when walking back to the CL because your flight has gone tech 🙄. I had blisters for the rest of my trip.

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

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