Docklands all the way

DLR Canary Wharf



Originally derided as the “Toytown Railway” when it opened in 1987 from Canary Wharf to a slightly off centre City terminus at Tower Gateway, the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) has developed to become a serious contributor to the transport infrastructure in East London and a critical component in the transport infrastructure for next years Olympics 2012 in London. The reputation of the DLR was further damaged by unreliability which plagued it for the first 5 years but it has developed in robustness and capacity over the years and is a firm favourite with visitors and natives alike – as they say in East London – “Don’t be a knocker, be a Docker!”





DLR with the Dome in the background



This innovative, driverless railway serves parts of East and South East London. Commuters and tourists alike enjoy views of lesser-seen London locations from the easily accessible DLR. It connects with the Tube network at Bank and Tower Gateway (Tower Hill) stations and also at Shadwell, Stratford, Bow, Heron Quays, Canning Town and Canary Wharf. The DLR serves Beckton, Stratford and London City Airport to the East and North East and the Docklands, Greenwich and Lewisham to the South.









DLR Network - Diagramatic & geographic maps



Being a light railway many of the routes use existing and often abandoned rail routes in East London which once served the huge Docks complexes which stretched for many miles along the River Thames. This has allowed cheaper, quicker construction with less planning issues and delays as part of the overall regeneration of an area which had experienced years of decline as the docks and associated industries closed.





DLR 3 car configuration



The Toytown Railway has comprehensively proved its detractors wrong as it extended its reach to London City Airport, Woolwich and Lewisham (taking in Greenwich) south of the river and Beckton and now Stratford International north of the river. Other capacity enhancements increasing the trains to 3 cars and connecting underground to the major Tube interchange at Bank Station have greatly increased the usefulness of the DLR network. Passengers for their part appreciate the easy access, automatic ticketing (integrated with TfL’s Oyster system) and the security from having onboard Train Captains. Kids and tourists alike love the fact that these are automatic driverless trains and there is always a rush to occupy the front row which gives a driver’s eye view of the route. This is particularly popular on the tunnel section from Bank where the trains emerge from the darkness and climb steeply on a viaduct which gives excellent views of Limehouse and the towers of Canary Wharf.







With just under a year to go to the London 2012 Paralympic Games the fully accessible Docklands Light Railway (DLR) Stratford International extension opened today (31 August), bringing this key link into the heart of the Olympic Park. This will also be the terminus for the “Olympic Javelin” which will ferry up to 25,000 people an hour to and from the Olympic Park. The journey time from St. Pancras in Central London to the Olympics will be only 7 minutes, an Olympic sprint indeed!



See; St. Pancras Reborn



http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2007/11/st-pancras-reborn.html



Spectators will get free use of public transport with their tickets to Olympic events but a separate Javelin pass may be issued to manage crowds. The project is a key part of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic transport network and will improve accessibility on London's transport network for people with restricted mobility. It was due to open in July 2010, however the extension is opening well ahead of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.





System Map @ Elverson Road



The 3.7-mile (6km) expansion from Canning Town to Stratford International forms a key part of the London 2012 Olympic Games transport network. There are four new stations along the new route, which connects the Olympic Park to five arenas in east London. The four new stations are Stratford International, Stratford High Street, Abbey Road and Star Lane. This will be the last extension of the DLR system until the branch to Dagenham is completed in 2017.





Docklands integrated with the TfL transport network



The extension completes a £500m upgrade of the Docklands Light Railway, which Transport for London (TfL) says will improve capacity by 50%. Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: "This expansion of the DLR is a further demonstration of the improvements that the London 2012 Games are making to our city.” This work will be of permanent benefit for Londoners and all those travelling in the capital from here on in. It's fantastic news and another example of London's lasting legacy of playing host to such a momentous event."





DLR train interior



Director of transport for the Olympic Delivery Authority, Hugh Sumner, said: "The opening of the new DLR extension is the last piece in the jigsaw for major upgrades and improvements to networks serving the Olympic Park. We have worked closely with TfL to fund and deliver a much-improved service which will leave east London better connected after the Games."



The Olympic venues served by the DLR are;



• Olympic Park: a 2.5 km2 site that will form the centre stage for the Games. It features purpose-built and accessible facilities including the Aquatics Centre, Velodrome and Olympic Stadium.



• ExCeL: is London’s largest exhibition and conference centre. During the Olympic Games it will host the Weightlifting, Judo, Fencing, Taekwondo, Table Tennis, Wrestling and Boxing. During the Paralympics it will host Table Tennis, Judo, Wheelchair Fencing, Boccia, Powerlifiting and Volleyball (Sitting).



• Greenwich Park: covers 74 hectares and is part of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site. During the Olympic Games it will host the Equestrian events and Modern Pentathlon. During the Paralympic Games it will host the Equestrian Dressage.



• Royal Artillery Barracks: is owned and operated by the Ministry of Defence and will have a temporary venue beside Woolwich Common to host the Olympic Shooting event and the Paralympic Archery and Shooting events.





Stratford station in December 2009, showing the new DLR line and platforms under construction, this was formerly the North London Line platforms. The Olympic Park and Westfield Shopping Centre site is in the background.



The Docklands Light Railway is an automated light metro or light rail system opened on 31 August 1987 to serve the redeveloped Docklands area of London. It covers several areas of London, reaching north to Stratford, south to Lewisham, and west to Tower Gateway and Bank in the City of London financial district, and east to Beckton, London City Airport and Woolwich Arsenal.









Stratford International DLR Station



The DLR is now 23 miles (37 km) long, with 44 stations along the route. There are five branches: to Lewisham in the south, to Stratford in the north, to Beckton and to Woolwich Arsenal in the east, and to Central London in the west, splitting to serve Bank and Tower Gateway. Although the layout allows many different combinations of routes, at present the following four are operated in normal service:



• Stratford to Lewisham

• Bank to Lewisham

• Bank to Woolwich Arsenal

• Tower Gateway to Beckton



There is an additional shuttle service from Canning Town to Prince Regent, operated when exhibitions are in progress at the ExCeL exhibition centre, to double the normal service. These trains reverse direction in the eastbound platform at Canning Town and on a crossover at the high point where the line crosses the Connaught Crossing road bridge between Prince Regent and Royal Albert stations.







Making transport accessible to all is important in London and has an added impetus for the Paralympic Games in 2012. All DLR stations have lift or ramp access to the platforms, with level access onto the trains. All lifts have alarms enabled, which allow you to talk directly with a member of DLR staff should you experience any problems. Platforms are as level with trains as possible for easy access. The gap between the platform edge and the train is approximately 7.5cm wide and the step up/down from the platform to the train approximately 5cm high. Most wheelchair users find boarding/alighting smoothest with the largest wheel first – this may mean reversing as appropriate.







Elsewhere on the TfL transport network all of London's 8,500 buses are fully accessible, all 22,000 taxis have wheelchair ramps and all stations and trains on the DLR network are fully accessible. 62 Tube stations are now step-free from street to platform, and this will rise further with the imminent completion of works at Green Park, which will be a key step-free station during the Games. By the time of the 2012 Games 65 Tube stations will be step-free.



The DLR runs from 5.30am to 12.30am Monday to Saturday and from 7am to 11.30pm on Sunday. Fares are the same as those on the Tube and Oyster and Travelcard holders can use the DLR.



The Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games will take place on 27 July 2012 and the Closing Ceremony on the 12 Aug 2012. 18 days later, the Paralympic Games (the second largest event of its kind in the world) will stage its Opening Ceremony. Odds are that many attending the ceremonies and events of London 2012 will be travelling on the Docklands Railway.







Docklands Light Railway website;



www.dlr.co.uk



See also;



London Olympics 2012 – Stratford Station



http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2009/01/london-olympics-2012-stratford-station.html



Paralympic Games



http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2008/09/paralympic-games.html

East London Line reopens.

The long awaited reopening of the new East London Line takes place at 12.15 today, becoming part of the London Overground network. A service of eight trains an hour will run between New Cross Gate and Dalston Junction, between 0700 BST and 2000 BST, Monday to Friday. Full evening and weekend services will begin on Saturday 23 May, when 12 trains will run an hour. Until then this is a “soft service” so it can be withdrawn or amended at any time as the line, signals and rolling stock are tested in “live” service.

Trains will travel through Whitechapel station and Shoreditch High Street, a flagship Zone 1 station. London Mayor Boris Johnson, who officially opened the route, said: "This new railway will bring jobs and opportunities to communities up and down the line, massively improving access for hundreds of thousands of people.

"This type of investment is essential if London, throwing off the shackles of recession, is to emerge with the ability to grow, prosper, and secure its position at the summit of world cities, to the benefit of all Londoners. This type of investment is essential if London, throwing off the shackles of recession, is to emerge with the ability to grow, prosper, and secure its position at the summit of world cities, to the benefit of all Londoners."


Platform view at Shoreditch High Street

Oyster cards work on the new trains which have no doors separating the carriages, meaning passengers are able to walk the length of the train. The opening is the first phase of the £1bn extension. Engineering works are continuing to extend the East London Line to Highbury and Islington by the spring of 2011. An extension of the line to Clapham Junction, in south-west London, is planned by 2012.

London's transport commissioner Peter Hendy said: "Not since the (Underground's) Jubilee line was extended over 10 years ago have we seen such a transformational transport project delivered in London.”The new East London route has been eagerly awaited by people who live in, work in and visit the areas it serves. It delivers four new London Overground stations and a huge increase in the number of travel possibilities to residents and travellers in a single day. It is also an important part of the 2012 (Olympic) transport network and has been delivered ahead of schedule and on budget."


Inside the carriages which are open the full length of the stock

Liberal Democrat London Assembly transport spokeswoman Caroline Pidgeon said: "Right in the middle of a General Election campaign, the mayor is desperate to claim credit for something he didn't initiate.”The East London Line opening will be welcomed by many Londoners, but must not be used as a political football. The fact that two 'official openings' have already been postponed on technical grounds clearly demonstrates that political convenience has been the key factor driving the date of the official opening. Transport for London would do everyone a favour if they stayed well clear of political stunts relating to the opening of the East London Line."

The line will form part of a planned wider London Overground orbital network, which will allow passengers to travel around London on the line without having to enter central areas of the city. With the completion of the new station and interim terminus at Dalston Junction residents of this area can look forward to the benefits of new transport links rather than the near permanent traffic jams the construction of the station has caused. Wherever possible the Line has reused existing rail routes.


A driver's cab view of Haggerston station, like much of the East London Extension the track here follows existing railway lines


For the full story of London’s newest “Old” railway see;

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2010/04/east-london-line-goes-overground.html

For a history of this Line prior to closure and rebuilding and Marc Brunel’s famous tunnel where modern tunnelling was invented see;

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2007/12/east-london-line.html


The way we were - Metropolitan Line "A" Stock on the line before refurbishment near New Cross

Trocadero; the rotten heart of London

Trocadero Centre; It looks a lot better at night and from a distance!



Visitors to London invariably gravitate using some secret magnet to the bustle of Piccadilly Circus and gaze in admiration at “Eros”, actually meant to represent the winged angel of Christian charity in honour of the Victorian reformer and Philanthropist, Ashley Cooper later Lord Shaftsbury after which Shaftsbury Avenue is named. Indeed Piccadilly Circus is NOT a Circus; Oxford Circus is the only one in London which is actually circular and not many Piccadilly’s are sold around here today as this was the oversized flounced collar worn by Regency gentlemen, the precursor of the shirt making tradition in nearby Jermyn Street. But after their initial amazement their eyes come to rest on a tatty development in a prime site, the perpetually reincarnated Trocadero Centre which is directly connected to the famous Piccadilly Circus Underground Station and incorporates the Pavilion Theatre and what was the Trocadero Restaurant.



The Trocadero Restaurant of J. Lyons and Co. opened in 1896 at a site on Shaftesbury Avenue, near the theatres of the West End, which had been formerly occupied by the notorious Argyll Rooms, where wealthy men hired prostitutes. The stylish connotations of the name "Trocadero" derive from the Battle of Trocadero in southern Spain, a citadel held by liberal a Spanish force that was taken by the French troops sent by Charles X, in 1823. The battle was commemorated in the Place du Trocadéro, Paris, and the monumental glamour of the Parisian site has given rise to a variety of locales bearing its name. Alas, London’s version does not echo the style of its Parisian namesake.





Buddy Holly with the Tanner Sisters, Trocadero Theatre 1958



In 1984, the Trocadero was redeveloped as a tourist-oriented entertainment, cinema and shopping complex by a joint venture between the former boxer George Walker’s Brent Walker and the Irish Power Securities owned by an Irish developer Robin Power. It retained the external Baroque facade, but gutted the interior and added a Guinness Book of World Records Exhibition. It is hard to believe this property was valued before the last big UK property crash in the 1990 accounts of its then owners, Power Walker, at £627 Million and I don't think Asif Aziz’s Criterion Group got a bargain when they paid a reported £225 Million for it in 2005. The place is a graveyard which has destroyed many businesses’ and their owners. Power Securities persuaded a number of tenants in their Dublin developments to open up here to “cash in” on booming London and they invariably lost their whole businesses’ as a result. Tenants were limited, and the half-finished development was eventually sold to the Nick Leslau and Nigel Wray headed Burford Group plc.







The launch of Segaworld, a large amusement arcade occurred on 7 September 1996, which included a large statue of Sonic the Hedgehog over the front entrance. Pepsi sponsored the Pepsi Max Drop Ride and from 1997 the Pepsi IMAX cinema, the first 3D IMAX cinema in the UK. It was also home to the second series of Channel 4's daily reality show The Salon. However, resultant visitor numbers were poor, and the Guinness Records exhibition closed in the mid-1990s and following the loss of Sega's sponsorship in 1999, Segaworld became Funland and was subsequently reduced in size, and the Pepsi-sponsored IMAX cinema and Drop Ride closed around the same time. Remains of old attractions can still be seen around the centre, such as a wall with a gun-barrel motif that used to house a James Bond ride, while a disused escalator now blocked off with a drinks machine was the entrance to Segaworld.



Lately the centre has hit a new low with the indescribably tacky Amora, the self-proclaimed Academy of Sex and Relationships, the “Spanish” dungeon of horrors “Pasaje Del Terror” and “believe it or not” Ripleys Odditorium although for my money the whole sad shipwreck of a centre could qualify for the title!





SegaWorld - The way it was!



Ripleys, who’s ‘Believe it or Not’ museums have been running for 85 years, has taken the London Pavilion in the centre at £70/sq ft. According to “Property World” The 25-year lease brings in rent of £1.75m a year, which will be subject to annual rent increases linked to the retail price index. The rent is a major boost from previous tenants Body Shop and Coordination Studies who were paying a combined yearly rent of £552,000. Ripley's Believe Or Not’s newly opened “Odditorium” in the Trocadero, Central London, features 22 galleries of oddities gathered from around the world including a two headed cow, and a portrait of Diana Princess of Wales created from dry lint, a crystal-covered car and a life-size model of the world’s tallest man. How London is enriched by such “Treasures.” Indeed so unique is this exhibition that it is one of 30 such freak shows Ripleys run worldwide.



Read more: http://www.propertyweek.com/story.asp?storycode=3099357#ixzz0NshfuVpy



Now in another desperate throw of the “Trocadero Reinvention” dice permission is being applied for to turn The Trocadero into a "pod" hotel offering tiny rooms at knock-down prices. With rooms of just 12 square metres and 17 square metres, the hotel aims to be London's answer to the Pod Hotel in New York. It will occupy part of the second to seventh floors in the Grade II-listed building in Piccadilly Circus, and be run by the same US operator.





SegaWord Escalator blocked off by vending machines



Corridors will run around the outside of the building, and 495 rooms, all ensuite, will be grouped around internal courtyards. A planning application for the scheme, provisionally named the Piccadilly Hotel, will come before Westminster council this week. New York's Pod Hotel has a loyal following among travellers and critics. The Washington Post praised its design that made the best use of the bedrooms' 10ft by 10ft floorspace. It is described by its operator Accor as a "budget-minded traveller's dream come true", with rooms from about £70 a night.



The newspaper's travel writer Gary Lee wrote: "The Pod is proof that you can be hip on a budget. The rooms are all equipped with iPod docking stations, LCD televisions and free Wi-Fi. The decor is an inviting mix of mod and Fifties retro." On the downside: "Almost half the rooms have shared baths, and the walls are thin enough that you hear doors shutting down the hall."





The Pod to save The Troc?



Some reviewers found the rooms claustrophobic, but others felt the low prices justified the squeeze. Emma Mills, from London, stayed at the hotel in May. She said: "It was compact, but when you're in New York you're not there to sit in a room. I would much rather stay there and have more shopping money."



The Trocadero plan would be a boost for property investor Asif Aziz, whose Criterion Group purchased the building for £225million in 2005. Since then the centre is said to have struggled to attract tenants and, in January, lost one of its most high profile, Planet Hollywood, after 16 years. The restaurant has moved to a new £5million venue in Haymarket. The floors above the third level have been vacant since indoor theme park Segaworld moved out. Westminster's report raises concerns over the lack of natural light or ventilation in rooms. But adds: "It will provide affordable accommodation for visitors to this part of London." However I suggest Westminster Planning Committee should step back here and consider how The Trocadero has deviated from the proposal the approved in the 80’s for a high quality mixed use tourist-oriented entertainment, cinema and shopping complex which would enhance this strategic location.







In fact, for too long the Trocadero Centre has been a boil on the bum of London's West End as it has gone through many confused re-inventions. It is has looked and felt like an end of pier show where the sea has gone out. This POD hotel could go anywhere in loads of 1970 office blocks which need to be recycled and found new uses - it does not need to be in this strategic site which is London’s shop window for visitors. Westminster Council should refuse permission and make clear that it will only approve permission for an imaginative proposal which will add value to this World Class City (?) and I suggest this will be somebody with deeper pockets and better expertise than the current owners.



It is time that this failed monster of the Trocadero was humanely put down and London has a venue / centre it can be proud of, not reworked tat. Let us reclaim Piccadilly Circus and ensure that the Trocadero site is enhanced by a quality development which doesn’t make a mockery as we approach the 2012 Olympics of London’s claim to be a World Class City.







For more on Architecture and Design see ArchiBlogs in the Blog sidebar.

East London Line News

Update on Clapham Extension – 12 February 2009




The planned extension of the East London rail line was today given the go-ahead by Boris Johnson, and Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon. The new line funded by the Government, Transport for London and City Hall will link Surrey Quays to Peckham and Clapham Junction, providing direct links to the City and Docklands.

The extension is intended to reduce congestion on radial routes, and at central London interchange stations. The Department for Transport is providing £64 million for the East London line extension and other transport improvements. The Mayor and TfL will contribute £15 million towards the cost of the scheme.

Mr Johnson said: "This is tremendous news. We can finally get cracking on a vital section of track that will orbitise our Overground rail services. "I promised Londoners that where funds were made available we would build the improvements they need. "And it will be a real achievement when our Overground services are fully oysterised. (Oyster is the name of the London wide stored value ticketing system) I am delighted a long hard slog of negotiations between us and the Department of Transport has borne fruit that will result in a superb new service for thousands of Londoners."

Transport Commissioner, Peter Hendy said: "The East London line extension will deliver a key rail link south of the river and improve local transport for Londoners by providing more choice and better access to other parts of the capital."

"The extension to Clapham Junction will provide significantly improved access to the City and Docklands and will allow us to extend the high standards provided on our existing London Overground network - staff at all stations, Oyster pay as you go, and frequent services - to south Londoners."





See East London Line;

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2007/12/east-london-line.html

London Olympics 2012 – Stratford Station

Stratford Station today



On the 6th July 2005 at 12.49 pm BST, it was announced to the world that the hosts of the 2012 Olympic Games would be.... London! Beating off close competition from Paris, Madrid, New York and Moscow, London had been awarded the largest event of its kind on earth. So in the first of an occasional series up to the Olympics this piece covers the regeneration of Stratford Station which along with Stratford International 400 metres away will form the lynchpin of the Olympic transport arrangements serving the Olympic Park and contributing to the regeneration of East London. More than this the hosting of the 2012 Olympics is a proud moment for London to display the diversity and dynamism it enjoys as a truly World City.







The Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games will take place on 27 July 2012 and the Closing Ceremony on the 12 Aug 2012. 18 days later, the Paralympic Games (the second largest event of its kind in the world) will stage its Opening Ceremony.



See Paralympic Games;



http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2008/09/paralympic-games.html





The scene in Trafalgar Square London on 6th July 2005



The challenge was set by the Beijing 2008 Olympics which were widely perceived as highly successful but closer examination reveals some transport problems and solutions which would not be portable to an open city like London and an open society in modern Britain. Firstly the Olympic Park in Beijing was a huge concreted area of 12 K m² (what / who was there before?) without merchandising and catering leading to much criticism that the Park was an atmosphere free wasteland outside of the stadia and venues.





Beijing Metro with Line 8 serving Olympic venues



In addition the Olympic Park was served by Metro Line 8, a 3 station line which had only opened 18 days before the opening ceremony and whose uneven track wear revealed unacknowledged teething problems. Because the security arrangements were changed shortly before the games (due to bombings in Western China) all passengers had to disembark at the interchange station of Beitucheng, go through security and then re-enter the system leading to long delays. This meant many people didn’t get to the venues on time. One of the 3 stations on Line 8 was outside the Security Zone and could not be used and the final huge Olympic Sports Centre Stadium was distant from the venues in the Olympic Park and was lightly used. Also much of the inward crowd control was achieved by using lines of soldiers to form human corridors and that is not an option for London 2012.





Stratford Regional Upgrade



It is expected that during the Olympic Games, more than 7.7 million tickets will be sold during the 16 days of competition. This will allow spectators to watch nearly 11,000 athletes from over 200 nations compete in 26 sports at 300 different venues across the United Kingdom. In London, these venues fall into 3 zones:



• The Olympic Park - this includes the main stadium and several smaller venues for the hockey, swimming, cycling etc



• The River Zone - this includes the ExCel Centre, O2 Arena and Greenwich Park



• The Central Zone - which includes Hyde Park, Regents Park and Horse Guards Parade



The Olympic Transport plan calls for 100% of ticketed spectators to travel to the 2012 Games by Public Transport or by walking or cycling. The vision for Olympic Transport in 2012 is for existing public transport services in London to be improved and enhanced in the years before 2012 and additional services will operate during the Games to meet the extra demand. It is estimated that these enhancements will mean a train arriving at the main Olympic Park every 15 seconds. Services due for improvement include:









2012 Stadium



• Docklands Light Railway - through the addition of an extra carriage (from 2 to 3 cars) on the entire fleet, which will also be increased, track extension to Woolwich Arsenal and service enhancements.



• North London Line - will become part of "London Overground" which will see new rolling stock as well as new terminating platforms at Stratford and an increase in services. In addition the extended East London Line will reopen in 2010.



See East London Line



http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2007/12/east-london-line.html



• Stratford International Station - the introduction of the "Javelin" service which will run from St Pancras International, through Stratford International, to Ebbsfleet - with a train arriving every 7 mins.



See St. Pancras Reborn;



http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2007/11/st-pancras-reborn.html



• LU initiatives - West Ham Station Upgrade, Stratford Regional Upgrade and 2012 Service Plan



• Olympic Route Network - As well as the transport enhancements undertaken, an Olympic Route Network (ORN) will be implemented, which will comprise a network of roads linking all competition and key non-competition venues to enable the Olympic Family members to travel quickly and securely between accommodation, competition venues, airports etc.





Stratford Station signage reflects the multi operator environment



Stratford Regional Station is a major public transport interchange that enables passengers from east of London to travel to Canary Wharf without travelling into central London. It also provides interchange opportunities for passengers using Underground services to or from central London. Stratford Regional Station has been identified as a gateway station for the Olympic Park.











Olympic Park - Model and Map of the site



Stratford Regional Station currently experiences occasional periods of passenger congestion. As well as the Games there are other sources of additional future demand at Stratford Regional Station. These include the underlying significant increase in demand to 2016 which was forecast in the Mayor's London Plan and the Stratford City Development (SCD) adjacent to the station. Stratford City is a project to create a major new mixed use urban centre in East London on the site of a former railway goods yard at Stratford. The project will cost £4 billion funded from both public and private sources. The site lies to the north of the existing Stratford town centre around Temple Mills. The development totals 13.5 million ft² (1,300,000 m²), including 5 million ft² (460,000 m²) of offices, 1.6 million ft² (150,000 m²) of retail and 4,850 new homes. The retail element will be anchored by three department stores and it is hoped that it will become the third most important retail centre in London after the West End and Knightsbridge shopping districts in the city centre. There will be a cluster of tall buildings including towers of 50 and 30 storeys designed by Richard Rogers.





Stratford City



A package of improvements to Stratford Regional Station is being implemented. These improvements will provide a long-term legacy benefit before the Games, as well as additional temporary measures to meet the specific needs of the Games. This package is part of a larger scheme which includes works related to the Stratford City Development and the proposed Docklands Light Railway extension to Stratford International Station.







The programme of works being developed includes the following elements:



• re-opening the eastern subway with new stairs to platforms 3/5 (westbound Central line and westbound mainline) and 6/8 (eastbound Central and eastbound mainline);

• an additional westbound platform for the Central Line;

• widening the eastern end of platforms 6/8,

• platform extensions and associated network works for platforms 10a, 11 and 12 (mainline);

• improved accessibility and connectivity to, and between, platforms through the provision of additional lifts and staircases;

• a new mezzanine structure to link the Jubilee Line with the proposed Town Centre Link bridge;

• upgraded station domestic power supplies, and increased station command and control facilities;

• de-cluttering of platforms 3/5 and 6/8; and

• a temporary footbridge on platform 6/8, if required.



In addition there are other planned or proposed works being developed by other parties:



Docklands Light Railway will construct two new platforms (12a and 12b) for use by the North London Line. The platforms will be connected to all subways, which will be extended. There will also be a connection between the central and eastern subways;





Stratford Regional - view from Stratford City side



Docklands Light Railway will convert the existing North London Line platforms (1 and 2) for use by the Docklands Light Railway on the Canning Town to Stratford International Station route;



Docklands Light Railway has also upgraded the existing mezzanine level platform to two terminating platforms (4a and 4b) for services to Poplar; and as part of the Stratford City Development a new Northern Ticket Hall will be constructed along with the Town Centre Link Bridge, (also known as the 'Living Bridge'), which will link Stratford town centre with the new Stratford City Development.



The planned works will increase the peak capacity of Stratford Regional Station for existing and new services. The infrastructure works will provide much needed additional capacity, but it will also be essential to develop robust operational plans for each of the modes in order to deliver these essential works.





Stratford Platforms



The transport arrangements for London 2012 will succeed or fail based on the success of the arrangements at Stratford Regional and Stratford International. By 2012 London Underground is expected to be supporting 4M daily passenger journeys (up from 3.3M at present) but during the Olympic period this will increase to 5M passenger journeys a day driven by the Olympic venues, workforce and the Olympic Events each day in Hyde and Victoria Parks which are expected to attract around 65,000 people each day. For Stratford it means handling 120,000 passengers during the 3 hour morning peak, up from 37,000 today. Of these 3 to 4% are expected to be mobility impaired and larger wider lifts will be designed to make access easier.



The London 2012 Olympic Challenge is a huge undertaking but for both the spectators and residents of London the first measure of success will be how well transport arrangements cope with the exceptional demand both of “normal life” and the Olympics, the all night running on the days of the opening and closing ceremonies and the late running to 2.30 am on other nights. How London copes with this exceptional demand whilst maintaining safety and security will be largely gauged from how well the crucial Stratford Hub works.





Aquatic Centre

Paralympic Games

Sir Ludwig Guttmann

As the Olympics finished in Beijing the focus turned to what is probably the more remarkable part of the Olympics, the Paralympic Games. The world thrilled at the sportsmanship, sacrifice and frequently the agony of the athletes taking part in the Olympics. Imagine then what it must be like to be a disabled athlete, in a world where disabled people still encounter prejudice, exclusion and discrimination? The Paralympics are a particular source of pride in the village of Stoke Mandeville where the Celtic Sage resides for it is the local Stoke Mandeville Hospital and a remarkable surgeon Ludwig Guttmann who gave birth to the remarkable phenomenon of the Paralympics. And as the first organised “Stoke Mandeville Games” took place in conjunction with the 1948 Olympic Games hosted in a war shattered London then for the 2012 games in London the Paralympics will truly be coming home!

Stoke Mandeville Hospital


Stoke Mandeville Huts

For war has everything to do with the foundation of the Paralympics and with the remarkable Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany, Ludwig Guttmann. Sir Ludwig "Poppa" Guttmann (July 3, 1899 in Toszek (Poland) - March 18, 1980) was a German-born neurologist who founded the Paralympics and is considered one of the founding fathers of organized physical activities for the disabled. One of the leading pre-World War II neurologists in Germany, Guttmann worked at the Jewish Hospital in Breslau until 1939, when he was forced to flee to England.

In 1944, Guttmann was asked by the British government to found the National Spinal Injuries Centre in Stoke Mandeville near London, at the Stoke Mandeville Hospital. He was appointed the position of director at the Centre, a position he held until 1966. The hospital had been founded in 1830 as an out of town treatment centre during a cholera epidemic in Buckinghamshire and during the war the Canadian Army used land beside the hospital as billets before D-Day importing and building substantial wooden buildings which were subsequently used to treat some of the large number of servicemen, particularly RAF Aircrew who had severe spinal injuries and other disabilities. As director, he believed sport was a method of therapy, using it to help build physical strength and self-respect. By 1952, Guttmann's Stoke Mandeville Games for the disabled had grown to over 130 international competitors, and it continued to grow, impressing Olympics officials and the international community. In 1956, Guttmann was awarded the Fearnley Cup, an award for outstanding contribution to the Olympic ideal. Starting in 1960 in Rome and continuing to today, the Paralympic Games are held after the Olympic Games, often in the same city. In 1960 Guttmann also founded the British Sports Association of the Disabled. Guttmann received Great Britain's OBE and CBE and was honoured worldwide.

Guttmann Centre




The original Games couldn't have been more different from the international event they have become today. On July 29th, 1948, 16 paralysed ex-serviceman gathered on the lawn of Stoke Mandeville Hospital to take part in the first ever Stoke Mandeville Games. In a decision, that was to prove very significant, they were held to coincide with the opening of the Olympic Games in London. The beginning of the sports movement for the disabled had begun. The games were held again at the same location in 1952, and Dutch veterans took part alongside the British, making it the first international competition of its kind. These Stoke Mandeville Games have been described as the precursors of the Paralympic Games. The Paralympics were subsequently formalised as a quadrennial event tied to the Olympic Games, and the first official Paralympic Games, no longer open solely to war veterans, were held in Rome in 1960. At the Toronto 1976 Games other groups of athletes with different disabilities were also included.

Stoke Mandeville Games 1948

Dr Ludwig Guttmann, seen by many as the founding father of the Paralympic movement, passionately believed that his patients, with the right help and support, could lead fulfilling lives.

"Paraplegia is not the end of the way. It is the beginning of a new life," he once said. And sport played a very important role in achieving that goal - both physically and psychologically.

The unit had originally been created to treat severely injured World War Two servicemen. Early sports included darts, billiards and skittles. Team sports soon followed such as polo and basketball. As Dr Guttmann later recalled: "At first I used sporting activity as a kind of recreation but I found very soon that it can play a very important part as a complementary to the usual methods of physiotherapy." He also found that sport had a very positive psychological effect, "Nothing can produce more activity of mind, apart from work and employment, but sport."



The Paralympic Games are a multi-sport event for athletes with physical, mental, and sensorial disabilities. This includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and cerebral palsy. The Paralympic Games are held every four years, following the Olympic Games, and are governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). The Paralympic Games are sometimes confused with the Special Olympics World Games, which are only for people with intellectual disabilities. Although the name was originally coined as a portmanteau combining “paraplegic” (due to its origins as games for people with spinal injuries) and “Olympic”, the inclusion of other disability groups meant that this was no longer considered appropriate. The present formal explanation for the name is therefore that it refers to a competition held in parallel with the Olympic Games.

Stoke Mandeville Stadium has provided wheelchair athletes facilities and support for their sporting aspirations since it was built in 1969. The movement has grown massively from its start in 1948 and now encompasses the development of thousands of athletes worldwide. Stoke Mandeville Stadium is the birthplace of the Paralympic Games and the is the British National Centre for Wheelchair Sport. The Stadium provides high quality, fully accessible training facilities for leading sportsmen and women.

Stoke Mandeville Pool


Sports Hall

Today, 60 years after the first games were held on the lawn of the neighbouring hospital, stands Stoke Mandeville stadium, the national centre for disability sport. Its facilities include a pool, running track and field, tennis courts and bowls centre. Some of Britain's most famous athletes with disabilities have benefited from its facilities. Among them are Paralympic gold medallists, Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson, David Weir, and Lloyd Upsdell. However, the centre remains very much a grass roots organization aimed at making sport accessible to anyone, whatever their level. Martin McElhatton, the chief executive of WheelPower, which owns the stadium is passionate advocate of the importance of sport.

He says: "One of the most important things for our young disabled people is that they have opportunities to get into sport. They often don't get to hear about the opportunities that are available to them, through organisations like WheelPower in terms of sport, particularly children in mainstream education."

Olympic Lodge

Within sight of the main Stoke Mandeville Hospital the Guttmann Centre provides impressive facilities for disabled athletes including a 50 room Olympic Lodge where even the ramped fire escapes are disabled friendly and an all weather running track. Also seen here is the Olympic Flame from the 1984 Paralympics, which were shared with Stoke Mandeville and Los Angeles.

The medical work began by Dr. Guttmann with servicemen crippled in war time is continued at The National Spinal Injuries Centre (NSIC) at Stoke Mandeville. This is a 110-bed dedicated spinal injuries centre comprising 20 acute, 24 readmission, 60 rehabilitation and 6 paediatric beds. The NSIC provides comprehensive care to adult patients with acute spinal cord injury and the lifelong complications of cord injury and offers rehabilitation to children with spinal cord injury in a dedicated paediatric unit.

It is worth recalling that before Dr. Guttmann set up his rehabilitation most such patients died of complications within one year of injury. The experience gained in treating and preventing complications, together with an increase in injuries caused by road traffic accidents, led to a rapid expansion of the Centre from an initial 26 beds to 190 beds in the main part of the hospital.

National Spinal Injuries Centre

Severe weather conditions in Buckinghamshire in 1980 caused the ceiling in five of the spinal wards in the wooden huts to collapse which resulted in rapid flooding and falling debris. It was suggested that the Centre would have to close as the Area Health Authority did not have any funds to pay for all the work required to bring the wards back into use. The implications of this would have been disastrous as patients would have had to be treated in local District Hospitals where the expertise and knowledge of the treatment and rehabilitation of paraplegia and tetraplegia were not available. It was at this point that Sir Jimmy Savile, a British TV and Music personality, then working as a volunteer porter at the hospital, set about organising the campaign to raise the necessary funds for a purpose built replacement spinal cord injuries centre. The appeal was launched in January 1980 with an initial donation of £150,000. The public responded in a way never seen before and, within three years, over ten million pounds had been raised to build and equip the new National Spinal Injuries Centre, which was officially opened in 1983. Sir James continues to take an active interest in the spinal Centre which is the leading specialist facility in the world.


Stoke Mandeville Station

Thatched Cottage Stoke Mandeville

Stoke Mandeville Hospital is in fact on the “Stoke Road” halfway between Aylesbury and Stoke Mandeville. The village today is largely a commuter town with a railway station for London, three pubs and numerous thatched cottage. Like all the fertile Vale of Aylesbury it is overlooked by the Chiltern Hills and was formerly an important market gardening centre. Indeed Castle Caldwell is built on old plum and greengage orchards. The first part of the name Stoke Mandeville derives from the old English word stoc, and means “outlying farmstead or hamlet”. The second part, “Mandeville”, derives from the Norman family of that name which held the manor in the 13th century. The suffix Mandeville was first recorded in 1284 when the manor was listed as being in the hands of the powerful Norman de Mandeville family. Stoke Mandeville Station serves the village of Stoke Mandeville in Buckinghamshire. The station lies on the London Marylebone-Aylesbury line and is served by Chiltern Railways trains. It is situated between Wendover and Aylesbury stations. The station first opened on 1 September 1892, and was served by both the London Underground Metropolitan Line and the Great Central Railway.

Stoke Mandeville has a long tradition of dedicated staff who go beyond the call of duty to make the station a pleasant place for passengers. The current station master is Alex Mitchell who has several times won the "Station of the Year" competition. The lawn at the station front features several sculptures including a statue of Bernie, the former Station Master. It has excellent loos, a waiting room, ticket office, bike store and a coffee shop / newsagent. Buckinghamshire still has much evidence of Celtic village and land layout. Traditional houses were of wychert (flint / straw / earth) construction with characteristic "dog ear" thatched roofs which oversailed by at least two feet to keep running water off the walls. There are still many wychert and thatch buildings as well as later wood frame and infill thatched cottages throughout Bucks and in Stoke Mandeville village.

Olympic Flame Stoke Mandeville

London is looking forward to hosting the Olympics and Paralympics in 2012 and showing the world the diversity, tolerance and freedom which makes London such a great world city. Whilst democracies are not as good as dictatorships at mass choreography the London Olympics will reflect the energy and confidence which makes London such an iconic city. And in embracing the Paralympic athletes and their families London will have an opportunity to show that diversity and inclusion are not just slogans or aspirations but part of the way we do things here. The legacy of Dr Guttmann is clearly still very much at the heart of the movement he helped found in Stoke Mandeville 60 years ago. Guttmann's work at Stoke Mandeville inspired this great addition to the Olympic ideal and the Guttmann centre continues this work today. And in Stoke Mandeville in 2012 we might feel a little extra pride that the amazing feat of human effort in the face of adversity known as the Paralympic Games are “coming home”.