Questions & answers

• How will Tower Hamlets benefit from the Olympics?
• How will Tower Hamlets be used in the Olympics 2012?
• How do I get work because of the Games?
• How do I volunteer for the Games?
• When can I buy tickets and how much will they cost?
• How will public transport be improved?

How will Tower Hamlets benefit from the Olympics?

The borough will benefit from major regeneration in the area. This includes new jobs, hundreds of new homes in the borough and elsewhere in east London, a boost to sport, culture and tourism, and a large new park along the river Lea. The Games are also an opportunity to improve health and education in the area.

For more information on this area, see our benefits to the borough section

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How will Tower Hamlets be used in the Olympics 2012?

• Sports and leisure venues in the borough such as York Hall and Mile End Stadium may be used as training facilities for Olympic athletes before and during the Games, which could lead to improvements to the facilities.
• There will be a temporary arena on Fish Island (in Bow) for basketball.
• Victoria Park may be a ‘Live Site’, where people can watch Olympic events on big screens and take part in cultural events.
• The marathon events will pass through the borough from Whitechapel to Bow, and Victoria Park will be the main venue for the road walk.
• There will be improvements to the Jubilee, Central and East London lines and the DLR, with more trains and stations. Services on the North London line will be improved, and Stratford International station will open later this year. There will be more river crossings over the Lea.

For more information about the Olympic Park, go to http://www.london2012.com/plans/olympic-park/index.php

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How do I get work because of the Games?

The job and business opportunities that the Games will bring – during the construction phase, the Games themselves, and then afterwards as the Park becomes a great new place to live, work and play in East London – will be in many different fields.

At Tower Hamlets, we are committed to ensuring that our residents are in the best position to take advantage of these opportunities.

More information on business opportunities, jobs and training.

The Olympics will affect existing businesses in and around Bow Industrial Park. Relocated businesses will be moved as close as possible to their existing premises or another suitable location.

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How do I volunteer for the Games?

70,000 volunteers will be needed for the Games. In order to register your interest, visitwww.london2012.com

• Volunteering opportunities

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When can I buy tickets and how much will they cost?

Tickets will go on sale at the beginning of 2011, about eighteen months before the opening of the Games.

There will be 8,6 million tickets with free public travel for all ticket holders. 1.5 million tickets will cost £15; it is expected that 75 per cent of all tickets will cost less than £50.

There will also be 20,000 £10 tickets available to watch events on big screens around the Olympic Park and free events such as the marathon (which will go through Tower Hamlets), road cycling and the triathlon.

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How will public transport be improved?

Major transport improvements are planned. Between now and 2012 over £17 billion is being invested in public transport and roads in London.

This will leave us with a far better transport system after the Games have finished. Transport plans include amongst others:

• In 2007 the Channel Tunnel Rail Link opens. There will be an international station at Stratford and a terminal at St Pancras. Also in 2007 new DLR platforms will replace the existing one at Stratford, and a new DLR station at Langdon Park will open.
• In 2009 and 2010 longer trains will be introduced on the DLR. A DLR extension to Woolwich is due to open in 2009 and to Stratford International Station in 2010. In 2010 the East London Line extension is due to be finished, connecting the present line to Dalston in the north and Crystal Palace and West Croydon in the south.
• More trains are planned on the Central line and the Jubilee line.
• Improvements are planned to the major train stations in London. All London Underground station will be refurbished and modernised.
• Improvements are due to the North London line that will increase the number of trains and safety on the line.
• Bus services and roads will be improved
• There will also be improvements to roads around Tower Hamlets' eastern boundary, along with new bridges connecting communities in the borough to the Olympic Park.

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In addition, for the Games £450 million has been set aside for additional transport development for the Games.

• There will be an express service using the Channel Tunnel Rail Link between Stratford and King’s Cross/St Pancras. Called the Olympic Javelin, it will have a journey time of seven minutes.
• There will be an improved network of bus priority lanes. Fleets of buses will be brought in to deal with the demands of the event itself.
• Park and Ride sites will be developed outside the M25 to ferry visitors in by coach so as to ensure visitors arrive predominantly by public transport. This is expected to carry 15% of spectators.
• There will be improved cycle routes.
• There may be Thames ferries.
• Except for disabled people, there will be no car parking for spectators. 80% of spectators are expected to travel by train or the Underground. Tickets will give free public travel in London.
• There will be measures to encourage non-Olympic commuters to travel at times outside the peak periods for the Olympics, e.g. through cheap tickets and promotions.
• Also the impact of the Olympics may not be as great as it will appear. It is expected that passenger movements at the Olympics will be going in the opposite direction to the rush hour, and that the additional demand from staging the Games will be no more than 5% of normal weekday travel. Typically in August, the main month when the Games will be held, there are 10% fewer trips and a 12% drop in rail passenger demand, indicating that the required capacity already exists.
• Up to 240,000 people per hour will be able to use Stratford station on ten train lines.