Download
Fears are mounting over the ability of London's subway system to handle crowds during the Olympics, which will begin next month. Overcrowding, overheating and antiquated signaling systems make the subway woefully inadequate to serve a city the size of London.
The subway system had just three problem-free weekdays last year, the Daily Telegraph reported.
The biggest concern is the Jubilee Line, a key Olympic artery linking the main stadium in Stratford and Wembley Stadium through central London.
A meltdown on the line two weeks ago saw passengers being taken off a train and walked through a tunnel to safety.
More than 500,000 "customer hours" were lost on the Jubilee line due to track, train and signal failures last year, according to Transport for London's own statistics.
As the oldest underground railway in the world, the total length of all 11 lines of the London Underground, which opened in 1863, is more than 402 kilometers. It carries more than 3.04million people a day, according to the TFL's Annual Report and Statement of Accounts.
TFL expects about a million extra visitors in London during the Games, leading to 3 million extra public transport journeys each day.
It has also warned on its website that the Jubilee Line will be "exceptionally busy, particularly in the morning and evening peaks", as spectators travel to and from the Olympic Park in Stratford, North Greenwich Arena and Wembley Stadium and Arena.
The busiest stations are normally extremely crowded during morning and afternoon rush hours.
With only a month to go, the possibility is slim for the authorities to make any changes to improve the subway service dramatically, given London's lack of efficiency in construction.
For example, it took London 18 months to renovate Leicester Square, which is famous for its film premiers in the heart of the city.
The square, which reopened in late May, now has stainless steel railings, 1 2,000 square meters of granite paving and a water feature around the Shakespeare statue, which sends jets of recycled water two meters into the air. The project cost 15.3 million pounds ($24 million).
In comparison, renovating the London subway is a formidably huge job. There is little hope anything special can happen in one month.
Going to London to watch the Olympic Games is a great idea, but only if you can use a bicycle, scooter, skateboard ... or anything to help you get around.
Questions:
1. Which subway line is of the biggest concern?
2. In what year did the London Underground open?
3. How many extra daily public transport journeys will be made during the Games?
Answers:
1. The Jubilee Line.
2. 1863.
3. 3 million.
About the broadcaster:
Emily Cheng is an editor at China Daily. She was born in Sydney, Australia and graduated from the University of Sydney with a degree in Media, English Literature and Politics. She has worked in the media industry since starting university and this is the third time she has settled abroad - she interned with a magazine in Hong Kong 2007 and studied at the University of Leeds in 2009.
提高托福阅读分数的有效办法:提高答题速度
雅思听力高分需养成良好的听力习惯
雅思听力场景分析-银行交易场景
新托福118分经验分享(1)
雅思听力备考推荐材料:老友记(1)
托福写作中这样的结尾会更吸引人
新托福118分经验分享(3)
雅思听力备考:通过信号词寻找答案
《小爸爸》执行导演的托福历程:只为梦想
托福高分117分心得:考口语要有气场
“烤鸭”必看:雅思听力考试你有最佳状态吗
雅思听力常考地名汇总
看电影解决雅思听力的“南腔北调”
雅思听力训练方法大全(上)
托福写作考场实战技巧+逻辑思维培养
雅思听力必备重点词汇:学科词汇
托福各科备考方法分享
分享:托福阅读能得高分的方法
雅思听力场景分析-看病场景
雅思听力高分必备短语汇总
托福110分经验谈:知己知彼 针对性练习
雅思听力:充分利用间隙时间猜题是关键
24天113分!学霸分享托福高效备考经验
雅思词汇和托福词汇有什么区别?
2012托福考试全国考点安排
雅思听力信号词小结
托福高分为何被拒门外
雅思听力场景词汇辅导(2)
托福116分听说读写备考经验分享
经验:托福破百 听力阅读提分靠苦练
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |