12.09.12
Southeastern thanks passengers for making Paralympics transport a success
More than 4.9 million passenger journeys were made on Southeastern services over the two-week period of the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
Around 100,000 passengers boarded Southeastern services every day, with an estimated one million journeys taking place on the Javelin service. Saturday 8 September was the busiest day for Javelin, with approximately 95,000 journeys, 30,000 of which were made before 10am.
More than 2,700 disabled passengers received assistance in boarding and alighting services, totalling at an average of 225 persons per day, which is almost seven times more than an ordinary day.
Around 1,000 temporary staff members were employed at the stations to provide assistance to passengers, as well as managing the crowds. Along with the extra services provided to cater for high demand, late night Javelin services were put on standby to ensure transportation for spectators leaving late running events.
Managing director of Southeastern, Charles Horton, credited the triumph of the Games to the service users. He said: “Our passengers helped make the Games a success by changing the way they travelled to avoid the busiest times. We’d like to thank them again for listening to the travel advice, for altering their journeys and for their patience during this truly memorable event.”
Horton also thanked his employees for their hard work and excellent service. He added: “I’m proud to see such positive feedback from our passengers and spectators; we had planned this event for two years and we’ve learnt a great deal. We will continue to work hard to provide the best possible service in the future.”
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