It still amazes how quiet it is down there. We walked to the B Gates on Saturday and saw no one else at all. Walked from C Gates today with another 6 or so people and it was good to blow the cobwebs off after an overnight flight from JFK.

I always find descending from the teaming masses on the transit platform to the zen calm of the tunnel very satisfying.

Yep, you've done well there Sigwx, both with the tip and the #sigwxtoptip.

On an A380 arriving at T5C seemed to me to be a great opportunity to try this. Unfortunately, Mrs. G didn't agree with this idea - somewhere just short of T5B. Luckily, a trolley offered us a ride to T5A, making this probably faster than the transit due to the queues at the boarding end.

A month later on a solo IAD->LHR->DUB trip I did the walk. I recommend it if you're not in a huge rush (and if, like me, you're competing with your kids on Fitbit.) :)

It's a great opportunity for a leg stretch after a flight. I don't even bother with the moving walkways. Got to get the step count up :)

T5 Walkway
 

Who uses the T5 underground walkway to satellite Terminals B and C? I decided to try it out and go to -4 for a change.
It was COMPLETELY EMPTY, so I enjoyed the walk. Does it save time though?
I mean it is a long walk = )

It's a nice walk. Nicer because there are no other people.

I prefer it for stretching my legs! From B to A gates is quicker as the moving walkways assist.

It is at least as quick. Sometimes quicker.

I usually find it roughly equal to the train - usually I spot people from my flight getting off the train as I arrive at A.

Maybe a little slower from C vs. B.

Coming back from STR a couple of months ago half the plane followed me to -4 though.

I used it on arrival last week, from T5C. Took me 8 minutes to get from the top of the stairs by the monorail to the Oyster-esque UKBA machines (and I wasn't hurrying). I saw 3 members of staff and no-one else. It was bliss, and I especially enjoyed not having to suffer the dreary announcer voice.

I used it about 10 minutes ago, the solitude is pleasant given the rest of T5! I think I've walked past at most two people ever :).

I like to use it on arrivals at B gates, it's nice to have a stretch after a long flight.

In terms of speed of using the tunnels v train.

I tend to operate on these rules:

If a train has just departed or there's only a small group of people waiting - use the tunnel
If there's a large group or there's a train that's just arrived being security checked or whatever - use the train.

The big benefit (for me) of using it when you arrive is that the lifts at the end of the tunnel take you past the queue into passport control and to the tensa barriers.

In fact, the 'secret' T5 walkway is so popular with FT members that it has its own special thread. :)

Along various sections of the walkway are arrays of vertical metal fins. Each time I take a walk down I rotate a fin (they can be a bit stiff), and next time go down I move the next one. There's a nice metal wave pattern forming now. :D

I find the obsession on FT with these walkways fascinating. I have used them once, just for the sheer novelty of it. It's really only faster to walk if the train is somehow backed up or is having problems. Even if I was coming down the escalators/lift and the train is just pulling out of the station, I'd still wait for the next train, unless I really, really needed to rush to my gate.

The T5 trains are lambasted on here, but they're really not that bad, are pretty reliable, and aren't as slow as walking the tunnels. The tunnels are a neat fall-back option, but the way they're treated as some kind of T5 cheat-code that magically short-cuts your trip is wide of the mark.