2012 Olympic Games Impact on Relocation

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1 Information from Cartus to keep you informed on news that may impact your international assignment programme Olympic Games Impact on Relocation This issue is the fifth in a series of Cartus communications, providing information and policy and programme advice on the impact of the London 2012 Olympic Games on UK relocation. Olympic Games: Friday 27 July to Sunday 12 August. Paralympic Games: Wednesday 29 August to Sunday 9 September. With just days to go until the Olympic Games begin make sure you and your employees are ready for this global event. Preparation is key as logistical challenges will be inevitable in large parts of the UK Capital, where most of the sporting events will take place. D at e s f o r y o u r d i a ry Although the Games opening ceremony is scheduled for 27 July, we anticipate that those living and working in London may encounter logistical challenges from Monday 16 July through to Monday 17 September. Below is a breakdown of some of the city s busiest days over the coming months: The Olympic Park in East London has the ability to hold up to 80,000 spectators. Friday 27 July: Olympic Games begin. Saturday 28 July: Most Olympic sporting competitions begin, including the road cycling events, which will see selected Central and South West London roads closed for most of the day. Sunday 29 July: Road cycling continues, with some roads in Central and South West London closed. Wednesday 1 August: Road cycling events will see a portion of Central and South West London roads closed for most of the day. Friday 3 August: The first day that the Olympic Stadium hosts main sporting events. Saturday 4 and Tuesday 7 August: Triathlon events take place in Hyde Park, Central London, with road closures scheduled. Sunday 5 and Sunday 12 August: Marathon events scheduled in Central London, which will see selected roads closed. Sunday 12 August: Olympic Games close. Monday 13 August: The day after the Olympics end is set to be Heathrow Airport s busiest day in history. Wednesday 22 August: Significant numbers expected to arrive for the Paralympic Games. Wednesday 29 August: Paralympic Games begin. Sunday 9 September: Paralympic Games close. Monday 10 September: Significant numbers expected to depart via UK airports. O u t s i d e l o n d o n The majority of water sport events will take place on the south coast of England, although we anticipate that they will not have a major affect on UK relocation. Rowing and canoe sprint events will be hosted in Eton Dorney, located around 40km west of London. The venue is best accessed by rail, so westbound train services from London may be busier on competition days. Road and parking restrictions between London and Eton Dorney will also be introduced when events are taking place. The Olympic football tournament is one of the main events that will be hosted outside of London across a number of UK cities. Most football matches will be held mid-week during the working day and although there will not be heavy disruption, the events may affect the way roads operate in the local area around each football stadium. P a g e 1 o f 6

2 Here is a list of the cities, which are hosting football matches: C i t y Ve n u e D a t e 175km long, the Olympic Route Network will open 48 hours before the Olympics begin. G l a s g o w Hampden Park 25, 26, 28 July and 1, 3 August C a rd i ff Millennium Stadium 25, 26, 28, 31 July and 1, 3, 4, 10 August M a n c h e s t e r Old Trafford 26, 29, 31 July and 1, 4, 6, 7 August N e w c a s t l e St. James Park 26, 29, 31 July and 1, 3, 4 August C o v e n t r y City of Coventry Stadium 25, 26, 28, 29, 31 July and 1, 3, 9 August L o n d o n Wembley Stadium 29, 31 July and 1, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11 August The Olympic Authority expects 100% of the event s spectators to travel to the Games by public transport, walking or cycling. An additional 800,000 people will use London s public transport system each day of the Olympic Games. I m m i g r at i o n As a result of the high number of applicants applying for visas, the UK Border Agency (UKBA) has stated that any urgent requests are unlikely to be met until after the Paralympics in September. We recommend that you discuss the best approach for your immigration needs with your immigration provider, however if you have scheduled UK assignments during the Games consider creating a contingency plan for business visitors travelling to the UK. The plan should include additional documents to confirm the purpose of travel and intention to leave. T R A N S P O RT & T R AV E L T h e O l y m p i c R o u t e N e t w o r k During both the Olympics and Paralymics, there will be a designated Olympic Route Network (ORN) and Paralympic Route Network (PRN) on London s roads that link all competition and key noncompetition venues. 175km long, the ORN is expected to be open just 48 hours before the Olympics begin, with around 80,000 people expected to use it. The ORN is scheduled to be open between 6am and midnight and during this time, road restrictions will be in force in selected areas of London. However, most of the roads that are on the network will remain fully open to general traffic, with one lane dedicated to official Olympic vehicles as well as emergency services. These Game Lanes are a temporary measure, to be used on the busiest sections of the network and will include traffic signal timings, suspension of parking or loading bays and the suspension of some pedestrian crossings. The ORN will operate flexibly and will open to general traffic at times when demand from Games family vehicles is low. A network of 150 Variable Message Signs (VMS) will advise motorists when the Games Lanes are open to general traffic. However, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) recommends that if your journey is not essential, try to avoid London roads during the Games period. The ORN will continue to operate during the period between the Olympics ending and the Paralympics starting, allowing departures from the Olympics and arrivals for the Paralympics to take place. Once the PRN is up and running, it will operate on a much smaller scale. The Olympic Route Network is scheduled to open between 6am and midnight each day during the Games. P u b l i c Tr a n s p o r t The Olympic Authority has stated that it expects 100% of the event s spectators to travel to the Games by public transport, walking or cycling. Indeed, each Olympic and Paralympic ticket will include free travel on London s public transport system, including the London Underground and all bus services. This amounts to an additional 800,000 people using public transport every day of the Olympics, which will undoubtedly impact London-based employees and their commute to/from work. Although the Olympic Games will attract the most visitors, Transport for London also warns that the City s public transport network is expected to be very busy in the second week of the Paralympics (w/c 3 September) as schools reopen after the summer holidays. P a g e 2 o f 6

3 Overground and Underground. One of the key links to Games venues will be the Docklands Light Railway, which also serves Canary Wharf. With this in mind, those working in London s business district should expect disruption to their commutes. Kings Cross station will also be impacted as a high speed rail service between St. Pancras and Stratford International is scheduled to run from the station throughout the Games. The high speed, overground train - called the Javelin - will transport 25,000 Olympic ticketholders an hour, with the aim of taking pressure off of the rest of the Underground network. A high speed, overground train - called the Javelin - will transport 25,000 Olympic ticketholders an hour from Kings Cross Station, Central London. As a key route that links Central London with the Olympic Park in East London, the Underground s Jubilee Line is expected to be significantly busier than usual during the Games. The Line is currently being upgraded ahead of the Olympics, but Transport for London warns that people may still have to queue for up to an hour at key stations to reach a train. Spectators are also expected to use the Underground s Northern Line. Although it is not a direct route to any Olympic venue, the Northern Line allows spectators to travel to London Bridge tube station where there is an interchange to the Jubilee Line. Additional Underground stations that Transport for London expect to be either exceptionally busy or busier than usual during the Games includes: Bakerloo Line: Marylebone and Embankment. Central Line: Shepherd s Bush, Bond Street, Oxford Circus, Tottenham Court Road, Holborn, Chancery Lane, St. Paul s, Bank, Bethnal Green and Mile End. The Olympic Authority estimates that 80% of spectators attending London events will travel to their venue by train. Circle: Paddington, Baker Street, Great Portland Street, Euston Square, Farringdon, Liverpool Street, St James Park and Monument. District: Fulham Broadway, Parsons Green, Putney Bridge, St. James Park, Earls Court and South Kensington. Northern Line: Kentish Town, Euston, Angel, Old Street, Moorgate, Waterloo and London Bridge. Overground: Kensington (Olympia), Canonbury, Dalston Kingsland, West Brompton and Imperial Wharf. Piccadilly Line: Caledonian Road, Covent Garden, Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus and Knightsbridge. Victoria Line: Victoria and Oxford Circus. There will be over 100 extra daily train services added to regular timetables during the Games. Buses. Due to the implementation of the ORN, PRN and road-based sporting events such as marathons and road cycling, some of the busiest bus routes in London will be subject to change. A number of services will be diverted or use different terminals and some bus stops will be moved or temporarily suspended. We recommend assignees consult bus providers websites before travelling, to find out if their journey will be affected. Trains.The Olympic Authority estimates that 80% of spectators attending London events will travel to their venue by train. Should assignees plan to travel by train either to or from London, they should be made aware that some National Rail services will operate differently and some may be much busier than usual at certain times during the Olympic period. Network Rail, the organisation responsible for the UK train network has announced that over 100 extra daily services will be added to regular timetables during the Games and trains will have more carriages to help provide additional capacity at peak times. Services from London will also operate later than normal, with last trains to locations within two to three hours of the city typically leaving between midnight and 1am. Selected trains will be leaving even later, e.g. London Euston to Manchester due to depart at 1.30am. Assignees should check train times before travelling. P a g e 3 o f 6

4 U K A i r p o r t s With an expected 4,000 extra flights into London airports this summer, the UK Border Agency (UKBA) will be implementing a number of services and provisions to cope with the increased traffic. During the Games, they will operate both arrival and departure hubs at London s main airports, Heathrow and Gatwick. The hubs will be used to monitor traffic and respond to congestion. In addition, 500 UKBA officers and 470 volunteers are currently being trained in customer-facing positions and Olympic airport lanes for athletes, officials and coaches will be set up. In addition, all travellers are encouraged to adhere to the following recommendations in order to speed up the entry process: Use automated gates where able. If you are an EU or EEA national, use the separate EU/EEA channels. Should you have a chipped passport, use the e-passport gates. Heathrow Airport has announced that up to 1,000 volunteers will be working full time on its own Olympic and Paralympic Programme. As the UK s busiest airport, around 80% of all international Games visitors are expected to pass through Heathrow (including spectators, athletes, officials, marketing partners and media representatives). The Games Arrivals are expected to take place over a period of three weeks, Games Departures will last for just three days. It is important to note that although the Games Arrivals are expected to take place over a period of three weeks, Games Departures will last for just three days. Indeed, Heathrow has announced that on 13 August (the day after the Olympic Games close), there will be a special terminal opened for Olympic athletes. Called Terminal 6, it will help to ease the strain on the day that Heathrow predicts to be its busiest to date, with an estimated 137,000 passengers scheduled to depart. Additional dates that Heathrow has flagged as being particularly busy over the summer are: Monday 16 July Peak day for arrival of Olympic athletes. Thursday 26 July Peak day for arrival of sponsors/media (Olympics). Monday 13 August Busiest departure day for Olympic visitors. Wednesday 22 August Peak day for arrival of Paralympic athletes. Tuesday 28 August Peak day for arrival of sponsors/media (Paralympics). Monday 10 September - Busiest departure day for Paralympic visitors. Remember that flight delays will not only affect your inbound assignees, but those leaving the UK as well, so be sure to send Olympic communications to all outbound employees scheduled to leave on and around these dates. C A RT U S : S TAY I N G A H E A D O F T H E G A M E S Cartus London office will of course be open for business as usual during the entire Olympic and Paralympic Games and we have provisions for our own employees travelling to and from the office during this time. Our Destination Services teams plan to continue to take assignees on viewings and orientation tours during the Olympics, but we must stress that due to the logistical challenges highlighted in this Mobility Insights these visits may take longer to conduct. This could result in assignees seeing fewer properties than typically expected. We will keep all of our clients updated throughout this period. For more information and additional publications on the London Olympics and the possible impact it will have on UK inbound and outbound relocation, visit our dedicated London Olympics website: Here you will find: five issues from our Mobility Insights Olympic Special series; an Employee Information Sheet that you can distribute to impacted assignees; and an elearning recording on the possible impact the Games will have on UK relocation. P a g e 4 o f 6

5 S h i p m e n t s & C a rg o F l i g h t s Make sure that assignees are prepared for delays by pre-warning them of the increased traffic at ports and airports. With congestion at ports and airports likely, renting temporary furniture is a good way to bridge possible delays; either in the home location so that shipments can leave early or in the host location whilst the employee waits for shipments to arrive. If you are planning to use furniture rental as a contingency plan, consider reflecting the cost of this in your relocation allowance. If you are planning to use furniture rental as a contingency plan, consider reflecting the cost of this in your relocation allowance. A c c o m m o d at i o n H o t e l s In previous Olympic Mobility Insights, we have communicated that hotel rooms are low in availability and high in demand. However, now we are closer to the Games, more hotel rooms appear to be available. This may be due to the London Olympic Committee (LOCOG) block booking accommodation six months in advance and then releasing it. Indeed, some London hotels have actually reduced their rates as they near the Olympics. R e s i d e n t i a l L e t t i n g s M a r k e t As landlords end current leases to make way for short term lets during the Olympics (to maximise profit), London rental prices have been pushed up, but demand has not reached the heights expected. Many amateur landlords who had hoped to rent out their East London properties for inflated prices have failed to receive many offers. However, rental accommodation across the Capital still remains high by world standards and we encourage our clients to defer prospective tenancies until after the Olympics close. P o l i c y & P r a c t i c e C o n s i d e r at i o n s As Britain s largest peacetime logistical exercise, this year s London Olympics means that there will inevitably need to be adjustments or compromises made to your UK-based relocation programme such as implementing contingency plans or increasing an employee s relocation allowance. The London Olympics will be Britain s largest peacetime logistical exercise. D e l i v e r i e s & P i c k U p s We recommend that assignees where possible organise deliveries to arrive before the Games and postpone non-essential deliveries until after the Games has finished. As the Olympic Route Network implements loading restrictions between 6am and midnight, where possible, consider rescheduling assignee deliveries and collections to avoid these times. Many of our suppliers are planning overnight or out of hours deliveries, so relocating employees should expect delays for both deliveries and pickups. Indeed, if goods have to be delivered out of hours, it may incur charges, so consider increasing allowances for the Olympic period. In furniture rental, relocating employees should exercise flexibility with regards to dates and times of delivery as demand is high. Many of our suppliers are increasing their furniture inventory to meet demand, but we anticipate that flexibility is still required with regards to the choice of furniture items. H o m e F i n d i n g & S c h o o l S e a rc h Tr i p s We do advise that if the move is not business critical you consider rescheduling home finding and school searches in the London area during the two and half weeks that the Olympics takes place. However, if you are planning to carry out such trips, consider extending them from three days to five and the same extensions should be applied to look/see trips. Remember that any extensions to trips will also increase both duration and cost of temporary accommodation. Schedule home finding, school search and look/see trips during less busy times of the day, avoiding lunch hours especially. This will help to eliminate delays if using London roads or public transport. Furthermore, due to availability and time constraints, second viewings of properties or schools will be challenging, so relocating employees should be fully prepared with regards to possible questions they wish to ask and to have researched the property area/school before they attend viewings. P a g e 5 o f 6

6 O L Y M P I C S S P E C I A L I S S U E 5 : J u l y You may also consider restructuring home finding programmes so that relocating employees attend home search trips, but once they have found a property, they return home until their long term tenancy begins; thus removing the cost of temporary accommodation. O u t b o u n d M o v e s & R e p a t r i a t i o n Outbound moves should be given the same careful planning as inbound relocations, as should those employees who are returning to the UK after being on assignment. They will all be impacted by travel and transport disruption, as well as being affected by delays at UK airports, shipping ports and customs. Outbound moves should be given the same careful planning as inbound relocations. T O P T I P S F O R c o m pa n i e s Remember that the Olympics may affect assignees in London between 16 July and 17 September Update assignees with as much information as possible. Visit our dedicated Olympic website, to download our communication materials. Consider offering a temporary flexible working option during the Olympics, either allowing employees to arrive to work later or work remotely. The Olympic Authority recommends businesses following the four R s this summer: Reduce non-essential trips and minimise disruption to your employees. Retime essential journeys to avoid busy periods. Re-route essential journeys to avoid busy areas. Revise mode of transport if your usual commute includes the London transport network e.g. walking or cycling. Allow plenty of extra time (or avoid if you can) driving in Central London from mid-july until the end of the Olympics. Avoid travelling in areas around road events on competition days. If a move is not business-critical then we recommend you reschedule until after the Olympics. Outbound UK moves should be given the same careful planning as inbound relocations. Consider rescheduling home finding and school searches in the London area. Should you have a large assignee population moving to London in the coming months, ensure you keep in regular contact with your Cartus representative. t r u s t e d g u i d a n c e for every move you make. trustedguidanceemea@cartus.com 2012 Cartus Limited. All rights reserved. The information in this Mobility Insights publication is provided in good faith based on information currently available and is therefore subject to change. However it is not intended to provide specific advice or guidance or take the place of either written law or regulations. Cartus accepts no liability for the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of the data and information contained herein or for any loss or damage arising in contract, tort or otherwise in reliance of the data contained or omitted from this Mobility Insights publication or from any action or decision taken as a result. M o re i n f o r m a t i o n Official London 2012 website Official Olympics website providing all travel information during the Games Transport for London website Complete schedule of all sporting events National train information Sources: Official London 2012 website Transport for London UK Border Agency Fragomen Heathrow Airport website This summer, London-based assignments will undoubtedly be complex, but having moved employees during major global events before, Cartus is fully prepared for the logistical challenges that may occur. For further information on this or any other aspect of your international assignment programme please contact your Cartus representative or trustedguidance@cartus.com P a g e 6 o f 6