[Anonymous]

[DavidGordon10]

There is work going on in the Heathrow Tunnel – the main one, between the M4 spur roundabout and the central area – and I cannot find good information about what is being done and what the outcome will be. There is something on a London taxi drivers’ website, and something on the CAA website, but nothing more that I can find easily. Maybe I am looking in the wrong place, but does anyone know?

I hope the outcome is worthwhile. The disruption late at night is very unpleasant – on Thursday this week (20th August) it took 40 minutes from getting into the minicab to starting to move in the tunnel. Traffic was backed up to the top of the exit ramps within the T2 car park.

As I say, I hope the cake that is coming is worth the candle.

[MartynSinclair]

Came back from FRA yesterday afternoon and parked at C61 (probably the furthest point to immigration in T5..)

Not sure how I managed it, but ended up in the tunnel on floor 2 (I think) with another passenger and tried the walk back to immigration.

What a strange experience…. never done this before but there are loads of signs… saw only a couple of people and no one questioned where we were going. It took 10 minutes from getting off the aircraft to reaching A Terminal.

Does anyone else use it.?

If I worked out how to access the tunnel FROM A terminal and could get back into A terminal, it would make a wonderful running track if you had time to kill and wanted to exercise :))

[Gold-2K]

If I have just missed a transit, I always use it. It’s fast. It’s a bit of a haul if you are overloaded with hand baggage and arriving at C gates.

I think it’s for arrivals only. I don’t think there is access to/from departure level.

[miningguy]

There is one also for departure level. Personally, I prefer it as I get to stretch my legs before/after a long flight!

[DerekVH]

I think there is some confusion here; David is referring to the road tunnel underneath the runway leading to terminals 2 and 3 from where the BA Concorde Model used to be and where the Emirates A380 model now is.

[ImissConcorde]

http://www.itv.com/news/meridian/update/2015-08-21/heathrows-famous-road-tunnels-get-major-facelift/

[first_class_please]

Hi Martyn.

I always use it, on arrival and departure, which for me is 99% B gates and always to / from a longhaul flight.

As I am about to be seated on an aircraft for 7+ hours, or have just been so, I like the walk to stretch.

Like you, hardly ever see anybody using it.

On my last trip a few weeks ago, arriving B gate, I went down the escalator while a colleague waited for the transit. We arrived at the immigration / flight connection centre at exactly the same time. He looked stressed I was nice and relaxed!

For departures, get in the big elevator in the middle of A and its the level below the train, listed as walkway I believe.

[MartynSinclair]

Thanks FCP, will try it over the weekend when I know it will be a B / C departure gate…

[Granary]

Hi David, I don’t work at LHR but am involved with the airport via other work. I think there was mis understanding from other posters here. I assume U mean that the old side tunnels which used to be confined to taxis and were then opened up to the public have now been closed for repair. They are not being widened but simply refurbished and the actual tarmac area widened so should be slightly easier to drive through. They will be re opened or should be later this year. The congestion is not a constant but depends on time of day of course. I was in there last night and in and out to Terminal 3 from driving in to driving out in under 15 minutes including drop off and then I sat for 50 minutes to get from the M4 west, onto the M25 to Chertsey. It is a bit of a shambles and I should have taken the perimeter track. So the tunnels when complete I don’t think will improve anything that much.

[MrMichael]

I have heard that the tunnels may become th entrance/exit of a “congestion zone” in the future. It would be similar to Dart Charge (something I was involved with). For those unaware Dart Charge is a bridge, tunnel complex for crossing the lower reaches of the Thames…basically a toll road.

[LuganoPirate]

I can’t recall, do you have to use the tunnel to get to the Terminals if coming by road?

[BEYbrit]

I love how everybody but one simply ignored the original poster’s question and decided the second poster was talking about a far more interesting tunnel.

Sorry Davidgordon10, seems your tunnel doesn’t have the charm that Martyn Sinclair’s does….

[RichardB]

I think they should close the tunnels to private car traffic and build a huge car park/rental car centre next to the M4. Then install a people mover to get people to/from the terminal area. It would end the congestion and removing all the car parks in the central area would free up space for the terminals themselves.

[Tim2soza]

MartynSinclair – I always use the foot tunnel from T5C / T5B to T5A. I prefer to use it for the exercise after a long flight. It also avoids the scrum and the infantry charge when the train opens its doors.

While it will depend on how long one waits for the train, last time I beat a fellow PAX who took the train.

[Author]

Posts