From train to track

Excellence without extravagance. This was much more than just a catchy slogan, a convenient watchword or a crafty bit of alliteration. We used the phrase a lot during London’s bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012. The reason was that it summed up one of the key messages at the heart of our bid.

Just as we told the International Olympic Committee that we were offering them a vision of a new and exciting future for the Olympic Movement, with young people at the very core of what we were doing, so we assured the IOC we could do that by delivering excellence, but without extravagance.

It was not just a message for the IOC, but one for the people of London and the people of Britain, whose council taxes and lottery tickets will be paying for the Games.

Everyone who buys a lottery ticket or pays a pound in tax needs to know that their money is being spent prudently. And this is where the Channel Tunnel Rail Link comes in.

The CTRL is visible proof of the thought that has gone into our bid, our vision of what the London Games will be like and the way we are approaching the momentous task lying ahead in the next seven years.

The 10 rail lines, overground and underground, that will get thousands of spectators to the Olympic Park in Stratford in 2012 certainly helped make our bid distinctive and appealing. And the IOC saw this themselves when we drove their technical evaluation team through the tunnel between Stratford and St Pancras.

I am especially proud of the Olympic Javelin high-speed shuttle service that will whisk fans from central London to the Olympic Park in seven minutes, and from Ebbsfleet to Stratford in 10, using the CTRL tracks.

Why am I so proud? Not just because this will be a service fit for the world’s greatest sporting event, but because it is an inspired, value-for-money plan to make use of the CTRL to provide fast access for up to 25,000 spectators an hour to the main Olympic venues.

And it is not only British spectators who will benefit. The CTRL brings mainland Europe and continental spectators that much closer – after a quick change at Ebbsfleet and a ride on an Olympic Javelin.

This innovative use of the Britain’s first high-speed railway line will stop European spectators making a needless journey to central London and offer a cost and time-effective alternative to air travel.

Our ambition of a zero-waste and low-carbon Games is part of the same picture: always bearing in mind the legacy that 2012 will leave.

In the same way, we are absolutely determined that the facilities that will adorn the Olympic Park will benefit the people of London and the wider UK when the world‘s attention has moved on.

The CTRL fits into this wider picture. Yes, it is a key part of our vision for London and its surrounding communities: not just leading to vastly improved transport links but providing a catalyst for regeneration. At the same time, the CTRL will be a tremendous asset for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, too. This adds up to a real win, win situation for all concerned.

I congratulate Building on producing this important supplement. Good reading.