Heathrow Junction railway station

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Heathrow Junction
Location
Place Heathrow Airport
History
Opened by Heathrow Express
Platforms 1
Key dates Opened 19 January 1998
Closed 25 May 1998
Replaced by Heathrow Terminals 1, 2 and 3


Heathrow Junction was a short-lived railway station built to serve London's Heathrow Airport.

Between 1988 and 1998, the Heathrow Express shuttle service was built to connect Paddington station to Heathrow Airport. A new spur was built from the existing Great Western Railway mainline to the airport, running mostly in tunnel[1]. To save costs, the tunnel was built using the relatively new New Austrian Tunnelling method. Unfortunately, the construction was not a success and in 1994 the tunnels near the airport collapsed[2].

As the collapse not only delayed the construction of the railway tunnel beneath the airport but caused the suspension of services on the Piccadilly Line service to the airport, a decision was made to open a temporary surface level station on the edge of the airport whilst construction continued. The line to the new station followed the route of a long-disused canal known as "Broad's Dock"[3]. Heathrow Junction station was situated in Stockley Park, slightly to the north of the station. Class 332 trains (branded as "Heathrow Fast Train") carried passengers from Paddington to Heathrow Junction (a journey of 12 minutes) while a fleet of high-speed buses carried the passengers the remaining distance to the airport[4].

On 23 May 1998 the tunnels to Heathrow Terminals 1, 2 and 3 and Heathrow Terminal 4 stations opened. On 25 May 1998 the Heathrow Express service to the new stations commenced and trains no longer served Heathrow Junction. Within 10 days the track leading to the station had been dismantled[1].

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Connor, J.E. (2000). GWR Disused Stations in Greater London. Colchester: Connor & Butler, 68. ISBN 094769931 7. 
  2. ^ Barakat, Dr M. Ground Movement & Structures Response Due to Tunnelling. Imperial College London Faculty of Engineering. Retrieved on 2007-05-29.
  3. ^ Carr, Bob (1998-05). Heathrow Junction to Close. Greater London Industrial Archaeology Society. Retrieved on 2007-05-29.
  4. ^ “New Heathrow Service From Central London”, New York Times, 1998-02-22, <http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=travel&res=9C06EFDC163FF931A15751C0A96E958260> 
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