AN OLYMPIC and Paralympic boost will be given to rail services across the country for the London 2012 Games.

Longer trains running more frequently and later into the night aim to help more than eight million people access London 2012 Games venues, including the borough’s sailing venue next summer.

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 one to nine on the London public transport network throughout the day of their event.

For other Games destinations, the ticket is valid to the closest National Rail station to the venue.

Event ticket holders will be able to buy special 2012 Games train fares from late June through a dedicated website, to travel to and from all venues hosting Games events, including Weymouth, Coventry, Newcastle, Glasgow, Manchester and Cardiff.

The tickets will also allow for discounts, such as with railcards, and they have been designed to be flexible to enable spectators to change their time of return if necessary.

A special timetable is being drawn up by Network Rail and train companies with input from the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), which will include more than 2,000 extra services during the Olympic Games, more than 1,500 extra services during the Paralympic Games, earlier starts to services, more maximum-length trains, extended peak-hour periods offering more frequent trains and later evening trains leaving London to reach major cities.

The Olympic Games run for 16 days from Friday, July 27 to Sunday, August 12, with the Paralympic Games running for 12 days from Wednesday, August 29 to Sunday, September 9.

David Higgins, chief executive of Network Rail, said: “The Olympics is about sport, not transport.

“Our job during Games time is to provide smooth, seamless journeys for spectators travelling to and from Olympic and Paralympic venues, while continuing to offer the service which keeps millions of people moving across Britain each day.”

Additional trains to run

THE biggest boost for services in the Olympic timetable is the number of additional late-night services for spectators to get home after events.

In many instances trains from London to major cities are planned to leave several hours later than usual and the Tube will run around an hour later than normal during the Games and extra Tube services will also run later in the evening on the Games’ busiest days.

This will see the last trains leaving the Olympic Park at around 1.30am and central London around 2am.

Network Rail has suspended all disruptive engineering works on rail routes serving Olympic venues for almost three months next summer.

Key routes will be kept clear from the end of June to early September.

Lines that directly feed venues and suburban and metro routes across London as well as mainline rail routes across the country will be free of disruptive improvement work.