Pressure is on for train companies during Olympics

The train companies are under a lot of pressure to deliver a decent service during the Olympic Games.

Not least because during the Jubilee they badly underestimated the number of extra passengers and only put on an enhanced Sunday service.

They were eventually hauled in front of London Mayor Boris Johnson to give him assurances.

I've been contacted by quite a few Olympic volunteers and transport workers who have concerns about how they're going to get to the Games early and return late at night.

The train companies will hold trains if an event overruns and they are putting on an extra 4,000 services during the Games.

But there are no extra late night services to all stations and many in London have none after midnight at all.

Balancing act

You will have to keep a close eye on timetables coming out over the next few weeks to see if more services are scheduled.

Of course, trains can't run 24 hours a day and the companies don't want to run empty trains.

It is a tricky balancing act.

Another interesting point is that after the debacle of the Jubilee I tried, on a number of occasions, to get the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) to do an interview.

They declined.

On Tuesday, when I approached them they declined again.

Isn't it the whole point of an umbrella organisation to speak on behalf of the operators, especially when the allegation is they are not prepared for the Olympics?

Let me know if you have a surprise when you look at your train timetables.

Will the train companies cope?