The Olympics are coming on apace.
We might have a creaking tube system, but at least we can now get to the Olympic Park from King’s Cross in less time than it takes a cappuccino to cool. But at what cost? Will Twirly cards be valid?
In times past the engine would have been built in Swindon or the West Midlands but at least a service based economy like ours can more easily operate from home via broadband during a pandemic.
As The Times reported today:
High-speed Olympic ‘Javelin’ train service launched
Ashling O’Connor, Olympics Correspondent
Few things in Hackney reach speeds of up to 125mph legitimately. That changed yesterday when Olympic chiefs successfully orchestrated the first trial of a super-express train service linking St Pancras and the Olympic Park in East London.
The target was to reach Stratford International, 5.6 miles (9km) along a purpose-built high-speed track, in less than seven minutes — three years before the opening ceremony on July 27, 2012.
The fear of failure was palpable around the Champagne Bar as athletes including Tom Daley, the newly crowned world champion diver, joined dignitaries and the media for the most high-profile test to date of London’s £9.3 billion Olympic project.
As 2012 officials laughed nervously at the ominous departure point on Platform 13, sceptical reporters boarded the Javelin ready to gloat when the train broke down in time-honoured British fashion………