With up to five million journeys set to be made on the London underground on the busiest days of the Games this summer, compared with 3.5 million usually, London's tube network will be pushed to its limits.

Though more than two thirds of stations should be unaffected by the increase, affected stations may be more stretched than first thought.

The busiest stations, such as Bond Street and London Bridge, could require a 60 per cent reduction in normal usage to cope with demand.

In this context, the announcement by a number of organisations to offer after work special deals to commuters during the Games will be welcome news for Olympic organisers, who have gone to great lengths to encourage the public to avoid the busiest 'hotspots'.

Theatre tickets from as little as £10 will be on offer from the Society of London Theatre (SOLT) for a number of West End shows.

Sanctuary Spa will be offering late night opening with special packages, whilst early morning and late night VIP offers for Madame Tussauds will be another enticement.

The offers were revealed at a breakfast event organised by Transport for London (TFL) for businesses in the capital.


Ben Plowden, director of surface planning at TfL, said: "London will be a hugely exciting place to be this summer with a fantastic spectacle of sporting and cultural events.

"We know that at certain times and in certain locations the public transport network will be much busier than usual.

"That's why we are teaming up with a range of London's top attractions to ensure that people able to travel home outside peak hours on the busiest days are spoilt for choice when deciding how to spend their evening."

Julian Bird, chief executive of SOLT, added: "When the 2012 Games get underway, many employees in transport hotspot locations will be looking to re-time their commute and enjoy the festival atmosphere.

"To help, we will be providing them with reduced priced tickets to some of the best theatre shows around through our new spring promotion and at tickets in Leicester Square, London.

"I'd urge other businesses to follow our lead and give commuters a range of options to enjoy their summer evenings in the city."

More information on offers, as well as up to date advice on how to avoid the most congested areas of London during the Games, can be found by clicking here. 

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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