The London 2012 Games transport legacy: one year on

19 July 2013
Transport for London (TfL) has today published its 'transport legacy - one year on' report, which sets out the work undertaken after transport played a vital role in the successful delivery of the London 2012 Games.

TfL and our partners successfully encouraged people and businesses to change the way they travelled during the Games, enabling transport networks to deliver maximum capacity efficiently. 

Learning from the lessons of the Games' Travel Demand Management programme, a similar approach to forthcoming large events, major periods of upgrade works and day to day hotspots where demand regularly exceeds capacity is being applied. 

This work is supported by the collaboration with different transport operators and includes:

  • The introduction of coordinated activity from the transport industry and an emerging programme to tackle known challenges, including for example, the current works at London Bridge rail station
  • The development of a range of communications to identify congested parts of the transport network and make choices to plan their journeys more efficiently
  • Establishing a long term vision for the development of London's road network, which has fed directly into the Mayor's Road Task Force

Freight and Logistics

Following the success of the Freight Demand Management programme for the London 2012 Games, TfL has set up a Freight Delivery Unit and will continue the Freight Forum, which brings together those making, receiving and managing freight and logistics in London, to build on the lessons from the Games.

TfL issued a Code of Practice, encouraging the use of 'Quiet Deliveries' of goods during non-standard delivery hours, the success of which has led TfL to develop permanent guidance. This is expected to be published in early 2014. The Department for Transport already has a commitment, from the Logistics Growth Review in 2011, to re-write its existing guidance on Quiet Deliveries. This is expected to be published this summer, and it, too, will incorporate lessons learned from the Games.

Active Travel

Achievements in promoting healthy travel alternatives continue. A new Cycling Ambitions Fund has been launched to support ambitious long-term plans for growing cycling and improving conditions for pedestrians in cities and parks across the country. In London, TfL and the Boroughs are continuing to improve cycling infrastructure. The Mayor recently published his "2020 Vision for Cycling in London", which sets out his vision to transform conditions for cycling in the city.

Opportunities presented by the Games

The Games allowed TfL and transport operators the opportunity to review how services were managed and identify initiatives that worked well and could be used in day-to-day operations or to support events going forward.

TfL continues to ensure that best practice from the Games around signage and wayfinding such as the bold magenta signs and Legible London mapping, as well as office staff volunteering during major events, such as Christmas and New Year, to provide an exceptional customer experience, continue.

Supporting regeneration

TfL continues to support regeneration both in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park area and beyond, through new and improved transport infrastructure, which will provide access to opportunities, breaking down barriers to travel and unlocking growth potential. Some of the transport developments being taken forward to transform these areas include:

  • Additional carriages on London Overground to provide 25 per cent increase in peak capacity
  • Devolution from the Department for Transport to TfL of suburban rail services in north east London
  • Enhancements to the Lea Valley rail corridor, enabling a much-enhanced inner suburban, outer suburban and Stansted airport service along the West Anglia Main Line and from Tottenham to Angel Road
  • Additional Thames river crossings, such as the proposed crossings at Silvertown and Gallions Reach

Notes to editors:

  • The full 'transport legacy - one year on' report is available to download
  • TfL's 'Olympic Legacy Monitoring: Personal travel during the Games' and 'Olympic Legacy Monitoring: Adaptations to deliveries by businesses and freight operators during the Games' are available to download at tfl.gov.uk/travelinlondon
  • The Games transport investment and legacy includes:
    • 50 per cent increase in DLR capacity with line extended to Woolwich and Stratford International
    • Extra capacity on the Central and Jubilee lines, with 30 trains per hour at peak times now on the Jubilee
    • Refurbished and extended London Overground services on the East London and North London lines, with the 'orbital' London rail network now complete
    • Upgrades to national rail services on the Lea Valley and Great Eastern lines
    • King's Cross-St Pancras and Stratford Regional stations essentially rebuilt and expanded, with step-free access and extra capacity
    • Southfields (serving Wimbledon) and Green Park step-free stations
    • Improvements to Stratford station, the main hub for accessing the Olympic Park, while nearby Stratford International station is accessible by High Speed 1 and a newly opened branch of the Docklands Light Railway
    • Revolutionised commuter services on the Thames, with refurbished piers, simplified maps and timetables as well as Oyster pay as you go fares
    • New cycling and walking routes and the extension of the Barclays Cycle Hire Scheme towards the Olympic Park will encourage active travel
  • In December 2012, TfL published a plan entitled 'Your accessible transport network' which identifies the accessible services which we provide, along with commitments to make our networks more accessible.
  • The Mayor's 'Leaving a Transport Legacy - Olympic and Paralympic Transport Legacy Action Plan' was published in March 2012