Today, ODA Chairman John Armitt and Director of Construction Howard Shiplee visited the centres on the M11 and in Barking to see the important role the centres play.

The M11 Logistics Centre takes vehicles from the north and west of the UK and has processed 5,000 vehicles to date.  The Barking Logistics Centre takes vehicles from the south and east of the country and has now processed nearly 15,000 vehicles.

Deliveries to the Olympic Park go to the logistics centres to be screened.  The drivers’ identification and the vehicle details are also checked, all of which are pre-registered.  The vehicles are then recorded onto the Vehicle Tracking Module (VTM) before being called forward to leave the logistics centre to meet their allotted time for arrival at the Olympic Park. 

The data taken from the VTM is used to manage demand accordingly and ensure that the Logistics Centres stagger vehicles arriving into the Olympic Park. 

ODA Chairman John Armitt said:  'The "big build" is well underway with construction work now started on all of the permanent venues on the site. With around four vehicles a minute entering the Olympic Park, getting the logistics right to support all this activity is imperative and the Logistics Centres help manage the flow of vehicles in and around Stratford.

'We can expect to see a marked increase in the number of vehicles going through the centres and into the Park over the next 18 months and it is reassuring that the off-site support is in place and the centres are fully operational and prepared for the peak of construction next Summer.'

In addition to the road logistics centres, the ODA has provided contractors with facilities for bringing material in and out of site by rail and water.  The ODA is currently beating its target of moving 50 per cent of material (by weight) in and out of the Olympic Park by rail and water, and achieving 58 per cent.

Bow East Logistics Centre is a depot for freight trains to enable construction materials to be taken in and out of the Olympic Park by rail and can receive up to six trains a day, with each train carrying up to 1,350 tonnes of material.

The ODA has cleared and cleaned some of the waterways around the Olympic Park that will enable freight barges to carry construction materials in, and waste out, of the Park during the construction phase. A wharf has been constructed on the Waterworks River near the Aquatics Centre and is being used to receive freight loads for the Olympic Park contractors.

- Ends -
 
 Notes to Editors

1.      The M11 and Barking centres are operational Monday to Friday from 5am to 5pm.  There is scope to introduce Saturday working if there is the demand from contractors on the Olympic Park.

2.      The M11 Logistics Centre opened in March 2009 and the Barking Logistics Centre opened in November 2008.  Both centres are now fully operational and capable of managing

3.      The centres have a combined parking capacity of 350 Large Goods Vehicles a day, and both centres will be able to process 2,160 trucks a day.

The construction of the venues and infrastructure of the London 2012 Games is funded by the National Lottery through the Olympic Lottery Distributor, The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Mayor of London and the London Development Agency.

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