On 30 Jan, 15:00, Roland Perry wrote:

In message
s.com, at 06:03:49 on Fri, 30 Jan 2009, Mizter T
remarked:

the commuters of Kent will likely want their class 395 trains back!
Indeed I can already foresee the complaints that they'll have them
taken away for a few weeks (at least two)

I rather suspect that everyone not intimately connected with the running
of the games will be best off sat at home for that fortnight, and not
trying to swim against the various tides.

I wouldn't say that spectators aren't "intimately connected with the
running of the games" but I don't think they'd do very well at all
sitting at home for that fortnight.

I think that most of the spectators would be better off sitting at home,
but that's another story.

'Being there' is different to watching it on television. But I think
we have fundamentally differing opinions on the whole matter, and
we're never going to agree on it so perhaps i's best left at that!


I understand broadly where you're coming from but I there'll be plenty
of stuff going on in London during those two weeks that will be
attracting the crowds, both Olympic events and associated happenings -
people will be coming into and travelling around London to get to
these places.

Lemmings.

Killjoy.


What is the case is that the transport plans are predicated on there
being fewer regular commuters - but this is hardly a ridiculous
presumption as that's always what happens during the summer. I
understand at least part of the expectation is that people who may
otherwise have gone off elsewhere on holiday will stay around in
London to watch the show.

I'd go to an event if it was within half an hour of here I lived (by
whatever means of transport - mainly legs). I would have done that if
the rowing had transpired to be in Nottingham.

Travelling any further is either going to result in extreme discomfort,
HUGE hotel bills, or both.

A day trip means large hotel bills can be avoided, though the large
rail fare might be unavoidable (I'm guessing that cheapo Advance fares
might be in short supply given the demand). "Extreme discomfort"?! A
day trip? OK, it'll likely be hot but lots of people like being out in
the summer. I've no reason to imagine the seating at events will be
horrendously uncomfortable. And I bet that there will be free water
fountains.


What will be the case is that those who regularly make use of the Kent
high-speed service to get into London will find that it won't be
running at all during that fortnight (or however long i will be). If
they're coming into London for work or leisure they'll obviously have
to do so on the slower, 'classic' services.

If they come into London during those two weeks for any leisure *other*
then the Olympics, then they really are stark raving mad.

It'll be interesting to see how people will be dissuaded from using the
Jubilee and Central lines to get to Stratford from central London.

Making the Javelin free? (I'm sure I've seen some suggestions that a
Javelin trip would be bundled in with the entry tickets).


I understand that is the basic plan.