TfL and rail companies launch interactive 'hotspot' maps to help people beat Olympic travel chaos

Transport for London (TfL) has today revealed details of potential travel ‘hotspots’ in London and elsewhere in the UK during this summer’s Olympic and Paralympic Games, with the capital’s transport network forecast to have to cope with a forecast 3 million additional journeys on the busiest days.

People who live or work in London as well as those who are travelling to the city this summer, whether for the Olympics or some other reason, are being urged to plan ahead and consider alternative means of getting around the city during the Games, with advice available on the dedicated Get Ahead of the Games website.

TfL has also teamed up with Network Rail, the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) and a number of train operating companies to predict where and when there will be particularly high volumes of passengers on the railways during the Games, covering the period from 27 July to 9 September.

Stations on the rail and Underground network such as Bank and London Bridge that are transport hubs with connections to Games venues, as well as ultimate destination stations including Earls Court, several stations in Greenwich and of course Stratford itself, are among those expected to see exceptional demand.

The Get Ahead of the Games website now includes an interactive map of the rail network that enables users to see expected transport hotspots this summer, with full details available by clicking on the specific location – the picture below shows details for Hampton Court, venue of the individual time trials, and also on the route of the Olympic road races.

There’s also a detailed interactive map of public transport within London itself, which can be set to a particular date and time to show which tube stations, for example, are predicted to be particularly busy (main picture above).

The road network too gets a similar treatment – here’s the map of Saturday 28 August, the day after the Opening Ceremony, when the road race will see road closures in London and Surrey.

Advice to people looking to avoid being held up in their journeys as a result of the Games includes considering walking or cycling, changing the time of travel or route taken, or reducing their amount of travel, for instance by working from home if that is an option.

Transport Secretary, Justine Greening, commented: “London and the UK's transport networks have had a real boost ahead of the Games, with a £6.5 billion investment in projects across the capital effectively delivering an early Games legacy for the British travelling public.

“However, we know there will be times where unprecedented numbers of people will be travelling through certain Games-time transport hotspots this summer.

“I encourage businesses and individuals to plan how they are going to travel this summer, so we can deliver a fantastic Games that the whole country can be part of and proud of.  And across Government we'll be encouraging our staff to work and travel more flexibly during the Games.”

London's Transport Commissioner, Peter Hendy, commented: “London is going to operate very differently this summer, with the Capital transforming into a giant Games-time cultural and sporting venue.

“As the competition and events programme moves around we need to manage demand on the transport network, which will be very busy and at certain times and certain places will be much busier than usual,” he added, saying that people living and working in London or travelling there this summer should check the Get Ahead of the Games website.