The first time trial of the new, 225 kilometer-per-hour, high-speed train service to London’s 2012 Olympic site took place on July 27, and officials marked the date to report on the progress at the east London Olympic Park. Over 35% of all Games-related construction is complete, including structural work on the main stadium, according to the Olympic Delivery Authority. “The ODA has hit all of its milestones for the last year,” claims the authority’s chairman, John Armitt. Since London was named host of the Games four years ago, contracts worth over $5.6 billion have been signed. Over 4,000 people are working on the park site at Stratford. More than 95% of the land has been investigated for contamination, and some 1.3 million tonnes of soil has been remediated, according to ODA. The progress earned ODA’s program manager, the CLM consortium, a $99-million bonus, raising its fee to $249 million. The final cost is now projected at $11.9 billion.

Photo: ODA