I have only just noticed that the T5A T5B T5C shuttle train appears to have had extra carriages delivered a few months ago. There is very little information online about this system so i thought it would be worth a thread to discuss this.
Does anyone know how many carriages they actually have? The information online is rather conflicting and i am getting so confused trying to work it out?
The article on Wikipedia says that originally there are 10 cars and i think this is what has been the case for quite a few years:
en.wikipedia.org
It seems like when it opened in 2008 there were six cars and then another three were ordered a few years later and then another one was ordered a few years later bringing it to ten cars total.
Then there is this article from February 2022 saying that 20 cars will be delivered in September 2022 the same year:
www.railwaygazette.com
This seems like a massive increase and it is not clear whether these are also replacing the 10 original cars or whether they are staying and there will be 30 cars total.
But then there is this post from Alstom on Linkedin from November 2025 three weeks ago about yet more cars being delivered:
www.linkedin.com
It does not specify exactly how many and it is not clear whether this is the order from 2022 and it got delayed or if this is yet another new order separate from the 2022 one and these are even more trains.
Can anyone clarify the above regarding how many cars they currently have and what deliveries were made? Also were any of the original cars replaced?
Does this also mean that they will now have enough for all trains to be 4 cars? When i have used the T5 shuttle train over the years i have noticed a mixture of 1/2/3/4 car trains. I have had all lengths. So it seems that the length depends on how busy it is. But it often seem random as to how many carriages are coupled. Hopefully this means that going forward they can run entirely 4 car trains?
Does anyone know how many carriages they actually have? The information online is rather conflicting and i am getting so confused trying to work it out?
The article on Wikipedia says that originally there are 10 cars and i think this is what has been the case for quite a few years:
Heathrow Terminal 5 Transit - Wikipedia
It seems like when it opened in 2008 there were six cars and then another three were ordered a few years later and then another one was ordered a few years later bringing it to ten cars total.
Then there is this article from February 2022 saying that 20 cars will be delivered in September 2022 the same year:
Extra Heathrow peoplemover cars to be delivered from September
UK: Alstom has told Metro Report International that the 20 Innovia APM 200 automated peoplemover vehicles ordered for use on the Terminal 5 Transit at London’s Heathrow Airport are expected to be delivered from September. The bodies are being produced in Scotland by Alexander Dennis then shipped...
This seems like a massive increase and it is not clear whether these are also replacing the 10 original cars or whether they are staying and there will be 30 cars total.
But then there is this post from Alstom on Linkedin from November 2025 three weeks ago about yet more cars being delivered:
We’re proud to announce the launch of our new automated people mover (APM) service at Heathrow's Terminal 5! ✈️ Our new Innovia APM cars will increase passenger capacity, offering a smoother… | Alstom | 32 comments
We’re proud to announce the launch of our new automated people mover (APM) service at Heathrow's Terminal 5! ✈️ Our new Innovia APM cars will increase passenger capacity, offering a smoother, smarter journey for travellers flying from one of the world's most connected airport. Manufactured in...
www.linkedin.com
It does not specify exactly how many and it is not clear whether this is the order from 2022 and it got delayed or if this is yet another new order separate from the 2022 one and these are even more trains.
Can anyone clarify the above regarding how many cars they currently have and what deliveries were made? Also were any of the original cars replaced?
Does this also mean that they will now have enough for all trains to be 4 cars? When i have used the T5 shuttle train over the years i have noticed a mixture of 1/2/3/4 car trains. I have had all lengths. So it seems that the length depends on how busy it is. But it often seem random as to how many carriages are coupled. Hopefully this means that going forward they can run entirely 4 car trains?
