South West Trains Announces Plans for London 2012 Games

LONDON, July 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

- 2012 Games Train Tickets now available through dedicated website

- Additional late evening services to run from London Waterloo during the Games

- Full travel advice available from:   http://www.london2012.com/travel

London 2012 spectators planning to travel with South West Trains to next summer's Games can now take advantage of some great value rail tickets, following the launch of a dedicated new website this week.  

The national rail website, will offer special rail fares exclusively to Olympic and Paralympic ticket holders.    

Examples of 2012 Games train fares on the South West Trains network include:

Woking to London Waterloo - Day return: £7.00
Guildford to London Waterloo - Day return: £9.00
Basingstoke to London Waterloo - Day return: £16.40
Winchester to London Waterloo - Day return: £22.40
Portsmouth to London Waterloo - Day return:  £26.40
Salisbury to London Waterloo - Day return: £26.40

These prices will be even lower for spectators with a Railcard, who will be able to get at least a third off any 2012 Games train fare.

These special fares are being made available to spectators more than 12 months in advance of the start of the Olympic Games, allowing spectators to book their train travel once they have confirmation of all their London 2012 sports event tickets.

South West Trains has also worked with Network Rail to draw up a special timetable that will provide more late night services throughout the Games.   Additional capacity will be provided on many services, and a number of late evening services from London Waterloo will also be extended to serve even more stations. Other late night services have been re-timed to depart later than usual, providing greater travel options for the thousands of spectators returning home after the Games.  Details of the additional services are available for passengers to view when booking their tickets through http://www.nationalrailgamestravel.co.uk.

In addition to the events taking place in London, there will also be a number of other events on the South West Trains network, including the rowing at Eton Dorney, the tennis at Wimbledon and the sailing at Weymouth.  

South West Trains has worked hard to provide the maximum capacity possible for spectators choosing to travel to these Games venues by rail.

Games organisers have recommended that spectators travelling from outside the area to attend the sailing at Weymouth should use the special bus park and ride sites. The London 2012 bus park and ride service will be an integrated and inclusive service provided by the Games organisers and parking spaces can be booked through http://www.london2012.com/travel.  Details of the nearest available bus park and ride service for Weymouth can also be found through this website.

There will also be 2012 Games coach services from a range of locations across the country, as well as existing rail links and local bus services.

Full advice on the best travel options is available through the ODA's own Spectator Journey Planner page - http://www.london2012.com/travel.

Commenting from South West Trains, Andy Pitt, Managing Director, said:  "We have proven experience of dealing with some major annual sporting events on our network, such as the racing at Ascot, the tennis at Wimbledon and the rugby at Twickenham.  

"We're pleased to be able to use this experience in gearing up for the London 2012 Games, providing longer trains running more frequently and later into the night on many of our routes to help spectators enjoy all of the action."

Notes to Editors

1. Spectators must travel with their Games sporting event ticket in order for the 2012 Games train fares to be valid.

2. Spectators are advised to wait until they have confirmation of all their London 2012 sports event tickets for the Games before booking their train fares.

3. There are two types of 2012 Games train tickets:

Day ticket
These tickets will be valid for travel any time on the date shown on the ticket without restriction. In addition, the ticket for the return journey, i.e. from London or one of the co-Host cities, will be valid for travel up to midday the following day.

Advance ticket
These tickets will be valid for travel on the date and train service(s) specified on the ticket. However, the ticket for the return journey, i.e. from London or one of the co-Host cities, will be valid for travel on services up to three hours later than booked, or the next available service where this is more than three hours after the departure of the specified service.

4. The dedicated 2012 Games train fares website will be separate from National Rail Enquiries. Any queries made to National Rail Enquiries will be redirected to the dedicated website. Some fares are still being finalised by train companies, but all fares will be available to view on the website, which goes live in late June. The dedicated website will also have an affiliated call centre for those without internet access.

5. Customers requiring help when travelling will also be able to make their assistance bookings when they buy their 2012 Games train fare.
 
6. Ticketed spectators travelling to Games events in and around London will also be given a free Games Travelcard with their Games event ticket, allowing free travel within zones 1-9 and as far as Watford Junction on most National Rail services, and all Transport for London services throughout the day of their event. Spectators with event tickets to venues around London - Eton Dorney (Rowing), Lee Valley White Water Centre (Canoe Slalom) and Hadleigh Farm (Mountain Biking) - will receive a Travelcard, and will be able to travel on National Rail between London and the recommended stations for those venues at no additional charge. 
 
- Stagecoach Group is a leading international public transport group, with extensive operations in the UK, United States and Canada. The company employs around 35,000 people, and operates bus, coach, rail, and tram services.
- Stagecoach is one of UK's biggest bus and coach operators. Around 2.5 million passengers travel on Stagecoach's 8,400 buses every day on a network stretching from south-west England to the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. The company's business includes major city bus operations in London, Liverpool, Newcastle, Hull, Manchester, Oxford, Sheffield and Cambridge.
- Stagecoach is a major UK rail operator, running the South West Trains, Island Line and East Midlands Trains networks. It has a 49% shareholding in Virgin Rail Group, which operates the West Coast inter-city rail franchise.
- Stagecoach is also Britain's biggest tram operator, running networks in both Sheffield and Manchester.