The Javelin uses high-speed trains to run to and from St Pancras and to and from Ebbsfleet Interchange in Kent. The Javelin beat its estimated seven-minute journey time from St Pancras to the Stratford International Station during its first time trial in summer 2009.

Passenger numbers are expected to double to more than 80 000 at peak hours by 2016, so engineers needed to find a way to accommodate all these extra passengers, both during the Games and into the future. Platforms have been widened and lengthened and staircases and new lifts have been added. Two new platforms for North London Line services opened in spring 2009 and a disused subway improves passenger flow around the station. The Olympic Park will be accessible via a new northern exit from the station.

A new Docklands Light Railway (DLR) stop at Stratford International Station in the heart of the Olympic Park has been completed. The development includes a new bridge to enable passengers to get from the station’s platforms to the new Stratford City development and then on to the Park, as well as a lift, escalators and a fixed staircase to improve accessibility and help passengers interchange between services.

A 2.6 km extension of the DLR under the River Thames from King George V to Woolwich Arsenal Station opened in January 2009. It will provide an important north–south link for Games spectators and offer better connections to the Woolwich area in the long term.

The North London Line passes through some of the most deprived and congested areas of London. In the long term, improvements to the service will give people who live close to it better transport links across the capital and access to the new jobs and facilities that will be created in east London.

The capacity and frequency of services are being increased on the line connecting Richmond and Clapham in south-west London to Stratford via north London.

The new East London Line is a key part of the transport plans for the London 2012 Games and is the biggest piece of transport infrastructure for London since the opening of the Jubilee Line extension in 1999. The line connects communities that have traditionally been poorly served by rail, linking 21 stations from Dalston Junction in east London to West Croydon and Crystal Palace in the south.

King’s Cross is one of the busiest stations on the tube network, and by 2012 more than 100 000 people will pass through it daily at peak times. During the Games, it will be an important interchange for spectators travelling to the Olympic Park on the Javelin service from St Pancras International. For this reason a new Northern Ticket Hall was opened in 2009, providing a vital new link for passengers arriving on Eurostar® and mainline services. Combined with the Western Ticket Hall – which opened in 2006 – it has quadrupled the capacity of the station, cutting congestion and improving accessibility.

More than 100 walking and cycling schemes on nine routes across London – including some that link the Olympic Park – are being upgraded, as well as paths linking to outer London venues. Improvements include wider paths, smoother surfaces and better entry and access points.

One of these routes is The Greenway (D2), a 7-km, off-road pathway that spectators can use to get to the Games. Access points, ramps, signage, nearby vegetation and the path itself have been improved, with resting places provided. Most of these changes will remain after the Games, making The Greenway safer and more appealing to pedestrians and cyclists.

Transport infrastructure along the River Thames is being improved to raise the profile of water as a transport option during and after the Games. An extension is being built at Tower Pier, which is expected to be a busy interchange for spectators travelling by river to the venues in Greenwich. A new roof is being constructed for Greenwich Pier, to bring it up to the standards of other piers on the River Thames.

Over 20-km of new roads and more than 30 bridges and underpasses have been built to provide better connections within the Park and to the surrounding area. Some of these bridges will be temporary, removed once the Games are over. A 12-km loop road circles the Park, connecting the Olympic Village to each venue.

Bridges have been very important for carrying construction traffic around the site, which is dissected by rivers, canals and several railway lines. They also carry utilities across the waterways and railways. A 250-metre long and 40-metre wide bridge will be the main point of pedestrian access into the Park during the Games. It will also form part of the roof of the Aquatics Centre training pool. Five new bridges link the Olympic Stadium ‘island’ to the surrounding area.

1. 100% of spectators will arrive by public transport, walking or cycling.
2. 500 000 spectators will use London’s transport links during the Games.
3. 30 new bridges and underpasses built.
4. 5 new bridges link Olympic Stadium site to rest of the Park.
5. 6 000 temporary bike parking spaces created during the Games.