Transport & Travel News

[flare]

There certainly was budget for NR to improve stations serving Olympic sites including Stratford and Greenwich.

[n_pon88]

image hosted on flickr

new dlr station

[annamaria4711]

It was interesting to hear the other week that even Robert Elms said that his journey on a DLR train was so wobbly it made him feel ill...I still think that the DLR is going to shame us ...a tinker toy journey to what is the worlds most famous sporting event into a 21st century setting and you have bobbly, rocking, shaking journey on this crass train system.....AND they still...after so many many years not resolved the one way track between Bow and Pudding Mill lane.....shame on them......

[Steel City Suburb]

Originally Posted by jdjones

Not sure if this has been posted, a bit old a but an interesting slant on the announcement of the games from Eurostar. I love the image of the Eurostar staff in polo shirts with 'I'm backing London' on the front AND 'I'm also backing Paris' on the back - love it!

1:26 in, the woman in the long coat.

[jdjones]

Originally Posted by Steel City Suburb

1:26 in, the woman in the long coat.

Using my human intuition I sense she is happy about something(!) Whether she is British and supports the games going to London or is French and hated the idea of the games going to Paris remains to be seen. Either way, her husband is a lucky man, that wrist movement is enviable!

[spindrift]

BBC report on how Newham in particular are making a dog's breakfast of access to the Olympic Park:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england...medium=twitter

[wawd]

the new Stratford High Street DLR station:
image hosted on flickr

Stratford & Olympic Park by wawd, on Flickr

[chrissus83]

Kind of related, given the station is next to the View Tube and will be at one of the entrances to the park, albeit after the games..

[IMG]http://i54.************/2zpqnv8.jpg[/IMG]

Newham’s Strategic Development Committee has approved plans for a replacement Docklands Light Railway (DLR) station at Pudding Mill Lane.
The existing Pudding Mill Lane DLR station is located where the Crossrail route reaches the surface and therefore a new station needs to be constructed. The replacement DLR station will be constructed immediately to the south, between the River Lea and City Mill River.

The existing DLR station at Pudding Mill Lane will remain open to passengers until the new station is complete in 2013. Construction of the new DLR station will get underway later this year.

The new station will be purpose built to accommodate longer three-car DLR trains as well as providing improved step-free access. Outside the station, there will be a large open space which will link into wider pedestrian routes as well as providing connections with local bus routes. Significant levels of development are taking place in the Pudding Mill Lane area and the station has been designed to accommodate future increases in passenger demand as well as to incorporate escalators at a later date.

Howard Smith, London Rail’s Chief Operating Officer said: “TfL welcomes the opportunity presented by Crossrail’s construction to provide DLR passengers with a brand new station at Pudding Mill Lane.

“The new station will be able to accommodate many more passengers than the existing station which will support future development as well as the future use of the Olympic stadium.”

The Crossrail Act 2008 granted outline planning permission for the replacement station, while allowing the London Borough of Newham to approve details in relation to external design and materials as well as boundary walls, fences and lighting.

Five new tunnel portals will be constructed as part of Crossrail at Royal Oak, Pudding Mill Lane, North Woolwich, Victoria Dock and Plumstead.

The Crossrail works at Pudding Mill Lane involve the construction of 300m long tunnel portal structure and a 120m long approach ramp. It is these works which require the rebuilding of the existing DLR station further south.

The Pudding Mill Lane portal site will receive the tunnel boring machines (TBMs) which will create the Crossrail tunnels from Stepney Green. The first TBM will arrive at Pudding Mill Lane in spring 2014 and the second in summer 2014.

Once operational, Crossrail trains will emerge from the central section tunnels at Pudding Mill Lane, using the portal structure and ramp to join the Great Eastern Main Line to make their way towards Shenfield. DLR passengers will be able to interchange with Crossrail at Stratford station.

Enabling works for Pudding Mill Lane Portal started over a year ago and are on schedule to be completed at the end of 2011. Main construction for Pudding Mill Lane Portal is now underway.

Due to the close proximity of the Crossrail worksite to the Olympic Park, work on Pudding Mill Lane Portal will be suspended during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympics Games.

[rjgibb]

Frustrating lack of transparency from the BBC's Transport editor. Why call it an "error"? (headline of actual article differs from the quick link elsewhere on the BBC site).

Platform error for 2012 javelins

[ChrisH]

What a non-story. This work has been planned for ages and has been ongoing for several weeks. It's not an "error". I agree - very frustrating.

[rjgibb]

Originally Posted by ChrisH

What a non-story. This work has been planned for ages and has been ongoing for several weeks. It's not an "error". I agree - very frustrating.

Link to article has now been amended on Beeb website. Now reads, Platform raised for 2012 Javelins.

Given Tom Edwards has also responded to the comments on the article, I'm pleased he (or his superiors) have had the good grace to change it.

[spindrift]

The Telegraph on the poor planning surrounding getting to the games:

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/sport/j...-for-cyclists/

Olympic cycle route update - a sham of PR and utter inaction on the ground.

I wrote yesterday to show the route to the Olympics for people arriving from the north by cycle.

This is the route expressly suggested in his blog by Leon Daniels, the man in charge of London's roads.

Here's what someone who cycles here frequently has to say about the route that Mr Daniels suggests is a sensible way for people to cycle to the Olympics:

"This type of behaviour is routine on this stretch of road which is deeply unpleasant to walk down, and downright dangerous to cycle along. Robin Wales and his cabal of colleagues have managed to block anything that would make this area of Newham a more pleasant environment, in order that private motorists can speed their way through Stratford, presumably on their way out of the borough. This is the Olympic transport legacy for cycling. A sham of hyperbole PR and utter inaction on the ground. It could have been so different."

http://cyclelondoncity.blogspot.com/...ham-of-pr.html

[Mwmbwls]

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standa...chiefs-told.do

quote
Tube chaos, Olympic chiefs told
Matthew Beard, Olympics Editor
9 Sep 2011

Olympic organisers have been told to cut capacity by 25,000 at an equestrian event or risk transport chaos.
Transport for London has warned of queues of more than two hours for spectators travelling by rail to Greenwich Park for the cross-country horse riding event, scheduled for Monday July 30 during next year's Games.
The organising committee, Locog, faces losing more than £1 million in ticket revenues if it has to comply with TfL's advice to cut the official capacity from 75,000 to 50,000.
Equestrian events in Greenwich Park were among the quickest to sell out when the first tranche of tickets went on public sale.
The warning comes in a confidential TfL document, seen by the Standard, which contains latest computer modelling of rail and Tube "station congestion hotspots" during the Olympics.
TfL experts highlight Greenwich station and Canary Wharf as the greatest cause for concern in terms of waiting times.
Greenwich station, which is served by Southeastern railway and the Docklands Light Railway, will fail to cope as the main gateway to Greenwich Park, the report warns.
It states: "Day 3 (cross country) has the potential for two-hour-plus waits for DLR and Southeastern if the 75,000 capacity is utilised. [We] recommend venue size at 50,000."
Talks between Locog and TfL are focusing on staggering passenger arrivals and departures to the event, which runs from 12.30pm-5pm, to alleviate station crowding. Public entertainment, such as music festivals, are being mooted to prevent a mass exodus.
But the TfL recommendation looks certain to sink Locog plans to sell 75,000 tickets, most of which are priced at £55 for general admission for cross country.
The cross-country event is the most problematic in the Olympic equestrian calendar because for that day only, capacity booms beyond the 23,000 seats sold for dressage.
Olympic tickets sales remain a Locog secret but it is thought that more than 50,000 have not been sold, so no orders would have to be cancelled.
Locog said it has held back one million tickets, to go on public sale next year, while venue capacities are finalised. The report says of Canary Wharf station, which will serve Greenwich Park and the O2 arena hosting basketball and gymnastics: "If left unmanaged, queuing times could be in excess of 90 minutes."
TfL said: "At certain times and places the transport network will be much busier than usual. We're already working with businesses and Londoners to ensure they have plans in place to enable us to manage demand.
"Locog has not made a decision on sales of extra ticketing for this event [cross country] but we are in active discussions with them. When that decision is made, we will make the appropriate travel arrangements."
unquote

Any suggestions as to how this can be mitigated?

[Core Rising]

Originally Posted by Mwmbwls

Any suggestions as to how this can be mitigated?

Sell the 25000 extra tickets to locals who can walk. Simples

[bertyboy]

Originally Posted by Mwmbwls

Any suggestions as to how this can be mitigated?

Quite easily. As the article says, they can hold a gig and put on food stalls/fun fair after the event so that people will loiter in the park for longer. They can also deliver a leaflet with the tickets explaining that there will be heavy congestion at Greenwich station and include maps showing how to walk to the cable-car to get to the DLR at Royal Victoria, or to Maze Hill and Blackheath.

Not rocket science.

[DarJoLe]

The ODA don't consider the cable car to be a viable option to include in transport and because of it's potential incomplete nature by the Games.

Plus it's too far from Greenwich Park to consider a solution.

[Core Rising]

Originally Posted by DarJoLe

The ODA don't consider the cable car to be a viable option to include in transport and because of it's potential incomplete nature by the Games.

Plus it's too far from Greenwich Park to consider a solution.

Buses

[DarJoLe]

As I said, the cable car will not feature in the ODA's plans.

[ChrisH]

How many buses do you think you’d need to transport that many people? Besides which, the cable car (if it’s finished in time) will only carry 2500 per hour. Dispersing 75000 on a Monday evening is going to be challenging.

[jerseyboi]