The rail industry will be running more trains, more frequently and later into the night during the London Olympics.
Working with the Olympic Delivery Authority, Network Rail and various train companies have put together an ambitious timetable aimed at moving upwards of 8 million spectators and athletes to and from the games by rail.
Plans include:
• 2,000 extra services during the Olympic Games;
• 1,500 extra services during the Paralympic Games;
• Earlier starts to services;
• More maximum-length trains;
• Extended peak-hour periods
• Later evening trains leaving London to reach major cities.
Thanks to Olympian efforts by hard working railway staff the timetable has been developed in double quick time. Passengers to the Games will be able to book railway tickets from late June 2011. The Olympic Games run for 16 days from Friday 27 July to Sunday 12 August 2012, with the Paralympic Games running for 12 days from Wednesday 29 August to Sunday 9 September.
Says David Higgins, chief executive of Network Rail, ‘The Olympics is about sport, not transport. Our job during Games time is to provide smooth, seamless journeys for spectators travelling to and from Olympic and Paralympic venues, whilst continuing to offer the service which keeps millions of people moving across Britain each day.’
Network Rail has recently upgraded the London Overground network so it can carry more than three times the amount of people to and from the Olympic Park. A signalling upgrade on High Speed 1 will allow an increase in Javelin services between London St Pancras International and Stratford International.
Standby trains will also be available at some London stations should events run later than planned. This will allow for late-notice changes to Olympic schedules. Network Rail has suspended all disruptive engineering works on routes serving Olympic venues for almost three months next summer. Key routes will be kept clear from the end of June to early September, starting four weeks prior to the Games through until the end of the competition.
