08.02.13
Javelin train named after Paralympic star
Southeastern has commemorated the role public transport played in the success of last summer’s Olympic and Paralympic Games by naming on of its high-speed Javelin Class 395s after 22-time Paralympic medallist Dame Sarah Storey.
It continues a tradition for the trains, 13 of which are already named after top UK athletes like Dame Kelly Holmes and Lord Sebastian Coe. Another 12 are being named after Team GB stars this year, following a vote by Southeastern’s 3,800 employees.
Southeastern said the 2.4m spectators were shuttled to and from the Olympic Park by the Javelin high-speed service.
David Brown, group chief executive of Southeastern owner Go-Ahead, said: “Dame Sarah Storey is a veteran of six Paralympic Games for both swimming and cycling. Britain cheered her on last year when she stormed home to add four more gold medals to her magnificent tally, making her one of the most successful Paralympians in history. I am delighted that staff at Southeastern have chosen her name to appear on the side of a Javelin train.”
Dame Sarah, who received her title in the the 2013 New Year Honours list, said she was “incredibly honoured and very proud”.
She said: “The London 2012 Games touched the nation and now for passengers to have a permanent reminder of the Games and the athletes they cheered on to gold, it is a superb way of keeping that spirit alive. A huge thank you to everyone involved in setting this up and I hope to be able to travel on my train many more times in the future.”
Journeys on the shuttle trains from St Pancras to the Olympic Park took just seven minutes, with an average 90,000 journeys a day. There were 131,000 journeys on the busiest day, August 6.
(Image of Dame Sarah Storey with Go-Ahead chief executive David Brown and Southeastern staff at St Pancras International Station. Photographer: Martin Burton)
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