Biddy ell we've won

2012 on the Tube

Unbelievably, London will host the 2012 Olympics. Well, you'd have to have been on the moon not to have heard the results of the Olympic bid today. I didn't see the effect on tube system till leaving work when at Shadwell station (not too far away from where the re-developments of the East End will be) a female announcer lazily said "Docklands Light Railway would like to congratulate London for winning the Olympic and Paralympic Games bid".

At Tower Hill (as I was travelling on the District Line tonight) there was a massive poster at the entrance from London Underground thanking everyone for their support with a flourishing end of "and most of all we'd like to thank you, you, you". Me. I hadn't done anything.

Got to Hammersmith Apollo (was going to see Jack Dee hosting a comedy show for TV with Julian Clary, Lee Mack and some Irish comic whose name has totally escaped me), and my friend told me how she could just about hear the celebrations at Trafalgar Square at lunchtime and was actually on the Tube when the results were announced by her train driver!

So Olympics here we come. Hopefully this won't mean more of the bloody hideous 2012 tube seats and livery (although I have a feeling that it will). Picture on the right taken by Neil in December 2004 with the great post caption "Olympic Train-ing".

From the Tube's website:

"By 2012, more than �17billion will be spent on London�s transport networks. An IOC report published in June praised the plans, which include ten railway lines serving the Olympic Park, delivering a train every 15 seconds.

Key transport improvements are already under way. A �250million order has recently been placed for the Olympic Javelin trains and contracts worth �500million have been announced for the East London line extension."

I'm really looking forward to seeing the Javelin Trains. Will they have especially long areas so people can safely carry javelins? Jack Dee was cracking jokes about it not being a sport that will take off as you'd have to have a very, very long adidas bag.



There's going to have to be some of these sorts of allowances on the trains as Transport Commissioner, Bob Kiley, is clearly expecting athletes to use public transport to get to their games on time: "Modern, reliable, safe and cost-effective transport for the Games will be in place well before 2012 and we will ensure that athletes, the Olympic family and spectators alike will get to every venue, on time, every day of the Games." Errr, I'm sure most Olympic track athletes would be faster running from venue to venue.

Finally, thanks to John McIntyre for sending me the Olympic Journey Planner at the top of this post. Originally we had no idea of the source, but have since learnt it's been designed by LittlePixel and you can even buy T shirts.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Wednesday, July 06, 2005 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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