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Action taken to prevent WTM transport chaos
Saturday, 12 Oct, 2009
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World Travel Market is seeking to resolve public transport chaos which caused distruption to travellers attending last year’s show in London.
A Transport for London (TfL) problem solving Travel Hub is being set up to help improve the transport for delegates during the four-day event at the ExCeL convention centre in east London.
The ‘Hub’ at Canning Town Station assesses the wider issues on the transport network which may affect routes to and from WTM on November 9-12.
Should there be any problems that may affect routes to the show, the Hub can act to minimise any potential distribution, while also improving communication with TfL officials at Canning Town, according to the event organisers.
The Travel Hub, alongside travel initiatives and improvements, are designed to ease transport congestion to the event this year, following transport issues in 2008 caused by a number of separate incidents on the London Underground and Docklands Light Railway.
TfL Travel Hubs are only employed for major events. The last time a Travel Hub was employed at Canning Town station was for the G20 at ExCeL in April.
WTM exhibition director Craig Moyes said: “I am delighted TfL has agreed to introduce a Transport Hub at Canning Town for this year’s World Travel Market.
“It shows how seriously TfL takes World Travel Market and that it’s committed to avoiding the disruption of last year’s event.
“It also demonstrates the lobbying and hard work World Travel Market has put in throughout the past 11 months to improve the future transport experience."
He added: “WTM has done all it can to improve the transport experience of its delegates for this year’s event.
“From the moment the problems arose at WTM 2008, we were contacting influential people and organisations to solve the issues and to attempt to make sure they do not occur again.”
Other improvements include:
*A coach transfer services from eight key London hotels
*A bus transfer operation between Canning Town Station and ExCeL being expanded with bendy buses increasing the capacity by 65 people per vehicle to 150 compared to double decker buses ued last year.
*Docklands Light Railway has promised to increase the frequency of peak trains for the four days of WTM to every three minutes
*The re-opening of Tower Gateway Station will help to ease congestion at Canning Town Station, by allowing people to commence their DLR journey from an earlier station
*River Thames commuter boat operator Thames Clippers is increasing the frequency of its catamarans from every 15 minutes to every 10 minutes for this year’s event. The catamarans pick delegates up from a number of piers along the Thames and drop them off at Canary Wharf where buses will take people to WTM
*Transport information will be displayed on screens in ExCeL’s central boulevard to help WTM participants plan their journeys
*Custom House Station staff will also use a public address system to improve communication with commuters
*A clearly signposted walking route from Canning Town Station gives visitors an alternative route to and from the event
by Phil Davies
Phil Davies
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