John Rowland wrote:
"Geoff Marshall" wrote in message
...
Just been sent this:

In answer to your enquiry, Terminal 4 station is expected to be
closed from January 2005 for around 20 months, to allow construction
of a junction in the area to extend the Piccadilly Line to Terminal
5.

20 months to construct a pair of step-plate junctions? Bloody hell, I
don't remember the Jubilee south of Green Park being shut for that
long...

Come to think of it, aren't both step plate junctions to be
constructed east of the point where the loop splits into the two
tracks that lead into the two platforms of T123? Therefore they
should be able to close the southern T123 platform while the facing
junction is constructed, and close the northern T123 platform while
the trailing junction is constructed. The only time the loop would
need to be closed would be when when the new westbound line was
tunnelled under the loop... that should be, what, a weekend's work?
Admittedly there would be performance implications from only having
one platform at T123 for some months, but it has to be preferable to
closing T4 station.

Yes, I agree. It smacks of a lack of imagination: just provide the usual
temporary (for 20 months!) bus service, ignoring the fact that passengers
will have to drag their luggage up the 33 steps from Hatton Cross platforms
to the surface. From that point of view, it would be better to run the bus
service from T123 to T4 using the road tunnel that goes that way, but since
it's airside, there would be security issues to address.
--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)