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

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.

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.

and

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.