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National Rail Ready For London 2012 Paralympics Games

30/08/2012

After playing a key role in delivering a fantastic Olympics, the railway is committed to delivering a Paralympic Games of which Great Britain can be proud.

Train companies and Network Rail are working together to increase services to carry both commuters and hundreds of thousands of spectators by running extra and longer trains, extending timetables to cater for late running events and suspending maintenance wherever possible.

During the Games, the railway will:

• Run almost five million additional seats in and out of London, around twice the number of tickets sold for Paralympic events

• Provide hundreds of extra staff at key stations in London and the South East and specially-trained teams to help passengers who may need help to travel by train

The Transport Co-Ordination Centre, set up specifically for the 2012 Games, will keep transport operators informed of each other’s plans and how people are using the public transport system to help operators provide passengers with the most up-to-date travel information.

Michael Roberts, Chief Executive of the Association of Train Operating Companies, said: “Britain showed it could deliver one of the best ever Olympics, and the railway will again play its part to ensure the Paralympics are as big a success. Our aim is to ensure that travelling by train remains among the most popular methods of getting to and from events.

“The railways will be providing extra staff at stations and millions of additional seats to ensure London stays open for business. Spectators, tourists and regular passengers can also play their part by planning ahead to get the best out of rail travel during another busy but exciting time for the capital.”

Robin Gisby, managing director of network operations, Network Rail, said: “Britain’s railway helped millions of spectators travel to and from Games venues and other Olympic sites this summer, while keeping commuters and other passengers moving. I hope and expect that this will continue through what looks set to be a record-breaking Paralympics.

“More people than ever before can now use the rail network thanks to continued investment in all aspects of the passenger experience, including more accessible trains and stations, better passenger information, easy to use websites and travel assistance from trained staff. Across the rail industry, our people will be working round the clock to make this a Games to remember.”

Passengers should visit the Get Ahead of the Games website, plan their journeys and allow plenty of extra time to get to their final destination. Train companies operate a Passenger Assist service for disabled passengers who may need help, such as help getting on or off a train. It is important to book in advance to make sure you can travel on your chosen train. For more information on passenger assistance, go to the new Rail Travel Made Easy website.

Notes to Editors

Over the 17 days of the Olympics, 94% of trains ran to schedule across London and the South East.

Around 55% of Olympic spectators, up to five million people, used rail for part of their journeys to events, a larger share than the Tube or roads.

Since its introduction in September 2011 the new Passenger Assist booking system has delivered over 670,000 ‘assists’ to more than 200,000 passengers. One journey often involves two or three ‘assists’, such as getting on to the train, help changing at an interchange station or help boarding a connecting service.

To get the latest real-time rail travel information, passengers should use the National Rail Enquiries (NRE) service, paid for and run by train companies, which they can access on the move.

Passengers can:

• Download the free NRE apps for iPhone and Android smartphones, giving instant access to real time running information, journey planning and information on any disruption.
• Visit the nationalrail.co.uk website to access live train departures boards and journey planners and to search for local operators’ trains.
• Follow NRE on Twitter or their train company here.
• ‘Like’ NRE’s dedicated Facebook page.
• Call NRE’s automated TrainTracker service on 0871 200 49 50.