The London Underground section of the station is situated in Travelcard Zone 6; it is the westernmost below-ground station on the network. It is also the westernmost National Rail station in London.
History
Following the longest public inquiry ever undertaken in the UK,[4] construction of the station was granted in November 2001 by transport minister Stephen Byers as part of the approval of the Heathrow Terminal 5 project.[5] Funded by British Airport Authority (BAA), construction of the extension as part of the T5 construction took 6 years. As part of the construction, Heathrow Terminal 4 tube station was closed for 20 months between January 2005 and September 2006 to allow the connecting junctions to be constructed.[6]
Train testing started when the extension was handed over to London Underground on 18 July 2007.[7]
Terminal 5 station is the only one at Heathrow Airport where Heathrow Express, Elizabeth line and Piccadilly line services share the same station. The following rail services are provided:[13]
Piccadilly line from platforms 5 and 6: half the trains on the Heathrow branch terminate here, via Hatton Cross and Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3. The other half do not serve Heathrow Terminal 5, running instead via the loop to service Heathrow Terminal 4 and Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3, before returning eastbound.
Until 2012, free transfer was not possible between terminals via the Underground, unlike on the Heathrow Express. In January 2012, free travel was introduced for Oyster card and contactless payment card holders between the Heathrow stations on the Piccadilly line. Journeys from Heathrow Terminal 5 to Terminal 4 via the Piccadilly line require a change at Hatton Cross; this journey is free.
Network Rail has put forward a proposal for a Western Rail Approach to Heathrow, a short spur of track in tunnel which would run from a junction east of Langley to Terminal 5 station. This would permit Great Western Main Line trains to run directly from Slough and Reading into Heathrow, without the need to change at Paddington. The proposal is currently at consultation stage and remains unconfirmed.[14]
^Transport for London (March 2008). "Central London to Heathrow"(PDF). Archived from the original(PDF) on 8 September 2008. Retrieved 22 March 2008. - transport map for Heathrow showing Underground, Heathrow Express and Heathrow Connect rail, and the N9 night bus