Around £6.5 billion has been invested in upgrading and extending transport links. This means there will be a transport legacy that will benefit the country long after the Games have ended.

Many of these upgrades are already complete and are benefiting people who live and work in London.

Infrastructure improvements include:

London Underground

• extra capacity on the Jubilee line with a signalling upgrade
• extra capacity on the Central Line
• Southfields step-free and Green Park will be step-free before the Games, a vital accessibility hub

National Rail

The Department is funding and delivering a number of projects that will contribute to successful transport during the Games, including the completed West Coast Main Line upgrade, Channel Tunnel Rail Link, Stratford International station, and class 395 high-speed domestic trains that will, during the Games, provide the Javelin® shuttle service between St Pancras, Stratford International and Ebbsfleet.

Temporary rail service enhancements

The Department is working closely with the ODA on the implementation of the Service Delivery Plans. ODA has agreed with national rail operators that service levels provided during the Games meet the needs of Games spectators (for example to cater for events finishing late in the evening) as well as regular passengers. These agreements are formalised through DfT’s rail franchise agreements with train operators.

Stratford Regional Station

London 2012 is investing £125 million to treble capacity and increase accessibility at Stratford Regional Station, where the number of passengers is expected to double to more than 80,000 at peak hours by 2016.

The improvements include a new accessible mezzanine-level entrance that will ease crowding at the existing entrance and take passengers directly to the westbound Central Line and Docklands Light Railway (DLR) services.

Walking and cycling

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.

One of these routes is The Greenway, a seven kilometre off-road pathway for spectators – including those walking from West Ham, one of the three stations that spectators will use to get to the Park.

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.

East London Line and North London Line

The new East London Line (ELL) opened in May 2010.

The service links 21 stations, from Dalston Junction in east London to West Croydon and Crystal Palace in the south.

The line is a key component 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 capacity and frequency of services are being increased on the London Overground North London Line (NLL), which connects Richmond and Clapham in south-west London to Stratford via north London.

The upgrade includes new signals, extra tracks and longer platforms, so the NLL can operate four-car instead of three-car trains at a higher frequency and improved capacity.

Docklands Light Railway

The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) has been extended by 2.6 km under the River Thames from King George V to Woolwich Arsenal Station.

It provides an important north-south link for Games spectators and offer better connections to the Woolwich area in the long term.

A second DLR extension from Canning Town to Stratford International Station (SIS) opened on 31 August 2011. It stops at Stratford Regional Station, along with new DLR stations at SIS, Star Lane, Abbey Road, and Stratford High Street.

Fifty-five new DLR railcars will enable three-car trains to run on most of the network. Many of the platform extensions needed to accommodate these longer trains have been completed and three-car trains are already in service on the Bank-Lewisham line, easing congestion on this busy commuter route.

Accessible transport

One of the key principles of the 2012 Games is that they will be “the most accessible Games ever”.

In March 2010 the Government Olympic Executive and the Office for Disability Issues published ‘London 2012: a legacy for disabled people‘.

The Department is contributing to this accessibility legacy by

• acting as a champion for Local Authorities to set up travel training schemes
• working alongside GoSkills to improve the disability awareness training of transport staff across transport industries (but particularly with regard to taxis)
• confirming the addition of three stations that will be important to Games-time transport to the Access for All programme, to be completed by 2012

Vehicle conversions for the Paralympic Games

In the two weeks between the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games, 400 vehicles will need to be modified to enable them to carry athletes’ wheelchairs and other equipment.

Other improvements

• upgrades to national rail services on the Lea Valley and Great Eastern lines
• upgraded traffic signals and junctions on the Olympic and Paralympic Route Network, so traffic runs smoothly
• King’s Cross-St Pancras and Stratford stations essentially rebuilt and expanded with step-free access and extra capacity