OLYMPIC bosses are seeking to ease fears about transport problems for the Olympics in Weymouth and Portland .

Tim Shoveller, managing director of South West Trains caused a stir last week when he said people should drive to the games – after months of advice from organisers that people should use public transport.

The issue was exacerbated when it was revealed that the planned park and ride facility at Littlemoor had been abandoned amid fears cars would get stuck in the mud following the poor weather.

Public transport operators, Dorset local authorities and Games organisers have now joined forces to urge the public to plan their travel arrangements and to book ahead.

With just four days to go, transport planners from all agencies are urging people to book and plan their journeys in advance.

Dorset County Council says it has been working with the Highways Agency, public transport providers and the Olympic Delivery Authority to ensure transport routes are ready for the Games.

Dorset Olympic board chairman Angus Campbell said: “Weymouth and Portland is the place to be over the next couple of months as the area welcomes the Olympic and Paralympic sailing, and we want people to come and enjoy the experience.

“There are lots of ways visitors can get to Weymouth and Portland but it’s inevitable that all transport options will be busy at certain times.

“If travelling by car, visitors should make sure they book a park and ride space in advance, if coming by train or coach, book tickets now.

“Or why not avoid the busiest periods by travelling down the day before and staying. There is plenty of holiday accommodation still available”

“There has also been a great deal of investment in local public transport.

“Over £4million has been invested in the local bus network and £50,000 spent on enhancements to Weymouth train station.

“We have planned and tested for every scenario for the last three years and have contingency plans in place.”

Power challenges for trains

Tim Shoveller, managing director for the South West Trains/Network Rail alliance, said: “We will be increasing the number of seats on peak services by around 40 per cent and will have extra staff on hand to help customers. But even with huge amounts of planning and preparation, we can’t create unlimited capacity.

“We also face power supply challenges that restrict the number and length of trains we can run to Weymouth.

“Rail services to Weymouth will be exceptionally busy during the 2012 Games. We already operate one of the busiest and most frequent commuter networks in Europe and we expect to face challenges during the Games as we do at other times of the year.”

Change on the buses

IT’S all change on the buses as a company makes alterations to services for the Olympics.

Operator First says changes to services in Weymouth and Portland which come into effect this week, will see more buses and bigger vehicles on some routes to cope with demand.

Weymouth and Portland is expected to see a surge in visitor numbers and the changes to the bus network are designed to accommodate this while also maintaining existing services for locals.

Some buses will changes routes and passengers are advised to check the new timetables in advance.

General manager for First in Hampshire and Dorset Matthew Kitchin said: “We are altering some of our services to meet the expected increase in demand.

“Specifically, we are increasing the frequency of buses on some routes, increasing the capacity of buses on others, and where changes are being made to local roads we are adjusting some timetables and routes slightly.

“We would encourage our regular customers to check the new timetables carefully to understand what, if any, impact this will have on them.”

Mr Kitchin stressed the changes would not prompt an increase in fares.

For more information, visit firstgroup.com.

You can also find First on Facebook at facebook.com/FirstinDorset or twitter. com/FirstDorset.

  • Changes to bus services from today include: Service 1 (Weymouth-Portland): Increased from one bus every 10 minutes to one bus up to every seven minutes. During the Olympic Games double deck low floor buses will also operate on the route, increasing number of seats from 40 to 66.

Service 2 (Weymouth-Littlemoor): Increased from one bus every 12 minutes to one bus every 10 minutes. Larger single deck buses with more seats will run during the Olympics.

Service 4 (Weymouth-Seven Acres): As per normal during the summer the number of buses will increase from every 20 minutes to every 15.

Service 10/X10 (Portland-Weymouth-Dorchester ): Increased from every 20 minutes to every 15. Buses will follow a slightly different route with alternate journeys operating via Upwey and the remainder travelling via the bypass en route to and from Dorchester. Buses will also be upgraded.

Service X53 (Exeter-Weymouth-Poole): Increased from every two hours to hourly. Changes to the road layout in Weymouth for the duration of the Olympics though mean journeys to and from Exeter and Poole will need to be broken in Weymouth.

Service 502 (Weymouth-Littlesea Haven Holiday Camp): As per normal during the summer the number of buses will increase from hourly to half-hourly.

  • For independent help and advice on public transport, call Traveline on 0871 200 22 33 or log on to: www.travelinesw.info