The legacy of the Olympics will be a 21st century transport system
EVERY Olympic host has a legacy. Beijing 2008’s was clearing the pollution from the city’s air so visibility was more than just a few feet, while Athens in 2004 made significant improvements to its infrastructure, including the establishment of the brand new Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport.
But exactly how will London leave its mark on the memories of the expected 10m visitors due to descend upon the city two years today? One word: transport. Ambitious plans aim for London to be the first Olympics when 100 per cent of spectators leave the cars at home and jump onto public transport. Major improvements to the Tube, new train services, better walking paths, a new cycling hire scheme and improved terminals at London’s airports are all part of the multi-billion pound plan to improve London’s much-criticised transport infrastructure in a way that will make it a more navigable and attractive city way beyond 2012.
London mayor Boris Johnson has said that he wants to turn London into the “best big city on earth”, and transport lies at the heart of that desire. One central promise is to make more use of the river, historically London’s key transport route. The Tower Pier is getting a facelift with an expected 150,000 spectators to travel on the Thames while planners also believe that roughly 20 river taxis will carry around 8,000 people a day,
The establishment of a new cycle hire scheme of over 6,000 bikes across 400 docking stations and the development of nine different walking routes connecting various parts of the city to the Olympic park in Stratford will also play a part. But rail has remained the focus of the Olympic transport plans, with expectations that 80 per cent of the Games’ spectators will arrive at the venues by train. Major projects including Crossrail, the East London Line and improvements to the Tube are already underway as the 2012 deadline approaches. The majority of a £600m investment by the Olympic Development Authority (ODA) is already dedicated to upgrading the North London Line, adding new Docklands Light Railway (DLR) train carriages and a major re-development of the Stratford Regional station, one of the three main access points to the East London site. DLR capacity will increase by 50 per cent once it receives 55 new carriages, while London’s Overground is to receive a brand new fleet of air conditioned trains with CCTV and wheelchair bays. These projects will have a lasting effect on London, and make the east of the City much more attractive to business.
The high speed Javelin train service, expected to whisk passengers from Kings Cross to the Olympic site in seven minutes along the High Speed 1 network will make Stratford accessible to those coming into King’s Cross from the north or from Europe on Eurostar.
UPGRADES GALORE
But will it all happen? Fears remain that cuts will damage the plans. Transport for London (TfL) and Network Rail upgrades are expected to exceed £389m, while costs of improving the London Overground will come to £326m. A huge £27m has already been cut from the Olympic budget, despite promises from the previous government that £9.325bn was ringfenced.
Despite this Peter Hendy, London’s transport commissioner, insists that “we’re on track to deliver all our 2012 transport upgrades and projects well ahead of the Games, including improvements to the Tube, the upgrade of the North London Line, the re-opening of the extended East London Line and the DLR extension to Stratford International.”
It’s not all smooth sailing, of course. TfL recently announced that the Northern Line upgrade will not be ready by 2012. But the good news is that an increase in the transport budget of £5m was recently okayed. So far, the desire to leave London more navigable and more attractive to business post-2012 remains intact. Let’s hope the money-men continue to share the vision.