Heathrow Junction railway station
| Heathrow Junction | |
|---|---|
The station in 1998
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| Location | London Heathrow Airport |
| Local authority | London Borough of Hillingdon |
| Owner | Heathrow Express |
| Number of platforms | 1 |
| Key dates | |
| 19 January 1998 | Opened |
| 22 June 1998 | Closed |
| Replaced by | Heathrow Terminals 1, 2 and 3 |
| Other information | |
| Lists of stations | |
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Heathrow Junction was a short-lived railway station built to serve London Heathrow Airport in the United Kingdom.
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 Main Line to the airport, running mostly in tunnel. To save costs, the tunnel was built using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM). Unfortunately, the construction was not a success, and in 1994 parts of the not-yet-opened tunnels near the airport collapsed.
The collapse not only delayed the finishing of the railway tunnel beneath the airport but caused the suspension of Piccadilly line services to the airport. With no rail service, a decision was made to open a temporary surface-level station at 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". Heathrow Junction station was situated in , slightly to the north of the airport. Class 332 trains (branded as "Heathrow Fast Train") carried passengers from Paddington to Heathrow Junction (a journey of 12 minutes), and a fleet of shuttle buses carried the passengers the remaining distance to the airport.
On 23 June 1998 Heathrow Express service commenced to Heathrow Terminals 1, 2 and 3 railway station and Heathrow Terminal 4 railway station. Trains no longer called at Heathrow Junction, and within ten days the track leading to the station had been dismantled.
Coordinates: 51°30′12″N 0°26′57″W / 51.5033°N 0.4491°W
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