Building Transit for the Olympic Games

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The Paris Olympics are right around the corner, and a lot of new transit has opened in the city in anticipation. In today's video, we take a look at some of the biggest Olympic transit projects in history and look to the future.
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[@themanyouwanttobe]

I just wish the Vancouver Olympic streetcar wasn't removed after the games. That's the very definition of performative public transit.

[@tarfeef101]

Also passenger rail to Whistler

[@albatrose1001]

City has a plan to revive streetcars by 2040, I believe.

[@pizzagroom6221]

@@tarfeef101 or really anywhere in the interior

[@RMTransit]

Brussels needed their trams back!

[@stickynorth]

1000% It should have led to the rebirth of the Vancouver streetcar network, not just a short ghostly reminder of what could have been. They should revive it along Granville first if you ask me, since it's always felt like the cities MAIN street, at least for adult purposes... I.e. smokin', jokin', little bit of tokin'...Aka The Entertainment District where car-free alternatives aren't just nice to have they are a MUST!

[@aidanfolkes]

One of the best transport related things about London 2012 was they gave you a free one day travelcard with every ticket, reinforcing the fact that they wanted you to travel by public transport to the venues.

[@RMTransit]

A very good move indeed!

[@chrisorr8601]

I think more cities should do this! Buy a Giants ticket? Free Caltrain/BART fare! Buy a Lakers ticket? Free metro fare! I think just having that on the ticket might remind people that transit is an option, even if they choose to drive to a park n ride

[@eechauch5522]

That’s pretty common with events here in Germany. The ticket for football as well as ice hockey games in my city come with a return ticket within the two inner zones. I think the theater does it aswell. It’s usually provided as a sponsorship by the transit authority, because it’s a good way to get people to use the tram, who might otherwise drive in. Most people in the urban area will have some kind of monthly pass anyways, so they don’t lose out on that much revenue by people who would have taken the bus/ tram anyway. And for the city it’s of course massively better to not have thousands of people trying to get to same place by car.

[@vitasoy1437]

@@chrisorr8601 LA is kinda different though. As big as the system is bow (supposed to be the longest lines in mileage?!), a lot of people just dont trust the safety due to recent stabbings and shootings. Even without that they are still probably going to opt for carpooling in their cars or ubers, unless they are really next to a metro station. I have seen people using the metro in say Chinatown after an event at the state park but not really for places like sofi.

[@chrisadye1590]

They also provided no extra car parking facilities at any venue. It was truly designed around public transport, and some competitors used public transport to return from venues to the Olympic Village, resulting in some interesting encounters on the DLR.

[@FrederickJenny]

I cannot wait for Utah to be awarded the 2034 Olympics so we can finally get the Rio Grande Plan and Link Utah (state wide passenger rail)

[@devinmathews7809]

I really hope the Rio Grande comes to fruition, with or without the games. It could be a huge catalyst for SEG's vision of a revitalized area near the Delta Center. I don't know that the plan has enough public traction yet. But keep pushing!

[@FrederickJenny]

@@devinmathews7809 It has traction, just need more people like you reaching out to elected officials even if you are not from Utah you can still contact the feds.

[@RMTransit]

That would be a very positive outcome!

[@f-86zoomer37]

@@FrederickJennyaka voting out the republicans

[@Demonetised_]

So what you're saying is if Toronto hosted the Olympics, the Eglington LRT would actually get finished alot quicker

[@nuffaildaniaelle977]

Mybe... Who knows tho.... I would love to see crosstown and finch line opens

[@RMTransit]

Honestly feels like it!

[@stickynorth]

Of course it would! A common goal/deadline always motivates the lazy especially with global glory or shame on the line... Olympics become make or break it moments for some emerging cities... Not places like London or L.A. though. their reputation seems to be free of criticism because of their sheer cultural importance/dominance..

[@Jaymus37]

Thinking back a few years..the Union-Pearson Express was opened in time and as planned for the Pan Am Games in 2015, even if they didn’t get the fares right until a couple years after…so maybe yes, event-driven deadlines are the motivation needed.

[@franki1651]

The importance of public transit at major sporting events can currently be seen in germany at the euros. Literally thousands of fans stuck at the stadion deep into the night because transit agencies are unable to handle the load of the events.

[@Fan652w]

Writing as an Englishman who is not a soccer fan but who is an enthusiast for public transport, I was amazed at the choice of Gelsenkirchen as a venue. Gelsenkirchen gets very few IC or ICE trains; the stadium is linked to the Hauptbahnhof by just one metre gauge tram route (route 302).

[@RMTransit]

Definitely not a good look for a country known for pretty good public transport!

[@Fan652w]

@@RMTransit I strongly agree.

[@franki1651]

@@RMTransit hopefully a wake up call.

[@benas_st]

The issue with Germany is the underinvestment in the public transport/rail infrastructure (especially compared to road infrastructure initiatives) during the country's rule under the CDU (christian democrat/conservative party). According to some people I know personally from the German rail company, they've been stagnating for the 16 years they were in power. Now the situation is changing and many projects are under way, so Germany looks like a construction site. Unlikely this change will stick with the strengthening of the right wing, especially after the next election which will be held in 2025

[@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

Love the unique design of the Olympiastadion in Munich at 1:53 and how much it stands out! The park was developed by Günter Behnisch, and the stadium's tensile structure was developed in cooperation with architect and engineer Frei Otto. Otto was a pioneer in fabric architecture. Besides the Olympiastadion, he also did the West German pavilion at Montreal's Expo 67 as the "Floating Tent". His passion for nature and dedication to employing basic materials to build effective and sustainable structures were the defining characteristics of Frei Otto’s revolutionary design methodology. He thought architects should study nature and incorporate its adaptability and survival mechanisms into their designs. Frei Otto's freeform tent was intended as a loose-fit counterpoint to the rigid order of the marching classical colonnade. His floating canopies were intended to stand as “a real revolution in architecture, remaking Germany as a peaceful country". Behnisch also worked on the Plenary Complex of the German Parliament in Bonn when Bonn was the capital of West Germany, though it wasn't completed until 1992, two years after German reunification, and the Bundestag moved from Bonn to Berlin in 1999. Other Olympic venue designs I love are the Bird's Nest/Beijing National Stadium and Water Cube in Beijing! Despite the nickname, the Bird's Nest or Beijing National Stadium wasn't meant to be a nest but based off Chinese ceramics! They implemented steel beams in order to hide supports for the retractable roof, but after a collapse of a roof at the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, they decided to eliminate the retractable roof! But the chief architect Li Xinggang said one can perceive it as how a bird's nest is special in China, and only eaten on special occasions. The Water Cube was designed to capture and recycle 80% of water that falls on the roof or lost from pools! Its cool exterior bubble cladding is made of 4,000 ETFE bubbles! Its steel frame is the largest ETFE-clad structure in the world with over 100,000 m² of ETFE pillows! The Chinese partners felt a square was more symbolic to Chinese culture and its relationship to the Bird's Nest stadium while the Sydney-based partners came up with the idea of covering the 'cube' with bubbles. Contextually, the Cube symbolizes Earth, while the circle (represented by the elliptic stadium) represents heaven, a common motif in ancient Chinese art. The ETFE cladding, supplied and installed by the firm Vector Foiltec, allows more light and heat penetration than traditional glass, resulting in a 30% decrease in energy costs

[@KingLazy93]

L.A.'s 28 by 28 would probably be wrapped sooner if not for construction costs and NIMBY interference

[@crowmob-yo6ry]

I blame the evil John Phillips of 790 KABC.

[@RMTransit]

NIMBYism is bad, but a pretty universal problem

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

TRAX ended up borrowing 29 Kinki Sharyo LRVs from Dallas to handle overcrowding during the Olympics! Worth mentioning for the 2002 Winter Olympics that while the TRAX system didn't go to the mountain venues, for those heading to Soldier Hollow (for biathlon, Nordic combined, and cross-country) that the Heber Valley Railroad offered a special train service to Wasatch Mountain State Park on steam locomotives, and then horse-drawn sleighs took spectators to the venue! And for the 2022 Winter Olympics, China built the Beijing-Zhangjiakou HSR, the world's first fully driverless HSR, which connected the different venue clusters, connecting Beijing North with the venue clusters in Beijing's Yanqing District and Zhangjiakou. It also serves Badaling's popular section of the Great Wall as the underground Badaling Great Wall station. While NYC wasn't awarded the 2012 Summer Olympics, the failed bid still reshaped the area! Like the Barclays Center, Citi Field, the MetLife Stadium being built in NJ as a 50/50 partnership between the Giants and Jets after the Jets's stadium plan in Manhattan failed, Flushing Meadows still building an aquatics center in 2008, and of course the Hudson Yards redevelopment with the High Line, Javits Center renovations, the construction of multiple buildings and mixed-used developments and 34th Street-Hudson Yards station! Some mascot facts: The 2016 Olympic and Paralympic mascots, Vinicius and Tom respectively, are named after Vinicius de Moraes and Antônio Carlos "Tom" Jobim, the co-writers of the 1962 bossa nova "The Girl from Ipanema". Athens 2004 Olympics's Athena and Phevos were loosely modeled after an archaic Greek terra cotta daidala from the 7th century BC, which was recommended by curators at the National Archaeological Museum! Pyeongchang 2018's Soohorang is the continuity of Hodori from the 1988 Summer Olympics. Soohorang's name is derived from sooho which means protection in Korean, and Rang derives from "Ho-rang-i", the Korean word for tiger. Rang also references to Arirang, a cherished traditional Korean folk song from Gangwon. Tigers are important in Korean culture. Baekho, the white tiger, is described in myths and narratives as a divine imaginary animal that watches over the mountains and nature. Korea is known as the land of tigers because Korea was historically inhabited by many and Korea is said to resemble one! In the myth of Dangun, the founder of Gojoseon, a bear and a tiger wished to become human beings. The bear turned into a woman by observing the commandments to eat only mugwort and garlic for 100 days in a cave, but the tiger could not endure the ordeal and ran off, failing to realize its wish. The bear gave birth to Dangun.

[@AllThingsTrainsbyDrTesla]

The Athens 2004 Olympics also brought the suburban rail network into the city to connect with the airport, as well as new buses of all types. The infrastructure of the city really skyrocketed at that period, it's insane!

[@RMTransit]

It did, an underrated side effect

[@stickynorth]

One of the cases where the sports infrastructure was a waste but everything else is/was well used! Go figure! An interesting future video may be a 2036 commentary video that sort of follows up this one since they haven't picked the Host City yet but the short list has emerged and it's all first-time "third world" aka emerging market cities or showpiece capitals... Like Istanbul, New Cairo/Capital City, Ahmedibad, Nusantara...

[@whophd]

Great video! I’m a proud resident of the Sydney athletes’ village and the conscious urbanism in the houses and apartments developed there - not just solar on all houses, but the positioning of apartments in all premium locations, leaving the houses (normally more expensive) in the central positions with no scenic views. The recent light rail announcement is part of a long-running saga going back the Olympics bid in 1993 and the original assets made even if the bid failed. We’ve got a weird “busway” with no purpose obvious to a non-transit-geek and a weird historic bus route that betrays 30 years of stalled planning. Anyway - this video skipped the best benefit of Sydney 2000! The airport train line was decades overdue but the 2000 Olympics finally gave them a deadline. It’s now been 25 years of lovely easy access to the airport in 15 minutes, and we’re already building our second airport rail line before the second airport opens. Meanwhile, our friends in Melbourne have ZERO airport rail links, just a crummy bus.

[@user-fm4hd3zw3q]

Yeah gotta agree. Queenslander here, who generally likes Melbourne way more than Sydney. But from an airport commute perspective, what’s happening in Melbourne is harrowing 😢 and Sydney has it solved. I just don’t understand why it’s not happening in Melbourne. It’s so obvious you need to connect by rail. But you have to do it properly. I don’t think we did it right in Brisbane. Trains don’t seem all that plentiful. In Sydney it works. It’s eye watering expensive. But it works!

[@RMTransit]

Very good point, somehow I forgot about the airport rail line!~

[@magtje]

Sydney has to be the top 1 when it comes to after use of its sports arena and transport infrastructure. I was there some years ago and was amazed with the link to Olympic Park, its station, sports arena complex and neighborhood. And it will definitely be even better with the upcoming Metro and Light rail links. London's Stratford (next to its Olympic Stadium) has also imo been a success when it comes to after use after Olympics. And also this area received a major upgrades to its transport links (tube, DLR, HSR, other trains) and renewal of the neighborhood. More cities which host these type of events should be better to plan and use the facilities after the initial use (Olympics, championships, World expo etc).

[@listohan]

The train arriving at the Sydney Olympics platform is likely to be packed with spectators for the next event in the Park. Those passengers will disgorge onto the currently vacant platform on the left while those on the right platform enter the train. The capacity of the double-deckers to empty a crowded platform after a major event such as the New Year's Eve fireworks continues to impress.

[@empedocles200]

​@@magtjeFair play to Sydney for using its Olympic Village sustainably years after the 2000 games. Thought London was unique in reusing facilities (look at how the stadium is now West Ham's new home ground) but seems Sydney is a rival to London in this regard.

[@FilFee]

On the topic of cities that built something originally meant for the Olympics which never arrived: Prague C line extension to Letnany. The station is literally in the middle of an empty field.

[@jens_le_benz]

Sounds ripe for a mass housing complex

[@FilFee]

@@jens_le_benz That's not really possible as there's a massive airfield right next to it.

[@erkinalp]

@@FilFee there's a solution to that: just build the houses underground instead

[@austriankangaroo]

@@erkinalpor the airport

[@elbeppi]

For the next Winter Olympics in Italy they're going to complete the high speed rail line between Milan and Venice, and also some cities around this region are upgrading their public transit like Verona that is building 4 trolleybus lines aiming to start operating in 2026.

[@cobalt8619]

I hope SLC electrifies the Front Runner and massively expands both the LRT and Streetcar by the 2030s Winter Olympics (and also build the Rio Grande plan)

[@devinmathews7809]

I believe the Rio Grande plan needs more traction publicly. Reece or City Nerd, or both should get in contact with Leinhart and push this idea!

[@kimriley5655]

Like the Ending line. Its these Global events / Olympics where cities neglect of transit that embarrasses politicians. They just tend to react to Global shame and indifferent to everyday people who's transit options are limited or unfriendly. that outlook needs to changes. thanks for your advocacy in this video.

[@vittoriooh]

You didn't talk about Torino 2006 Winter Games which brought in Turin's first metro line. Other than that really cool video as always!

[@empedocles200]

This is why I wish my home town of Dublin got the rights to host more events - might be the kick in the arse we need to get much-needed projects like Metrolink and DART Underground built

[@nich-nk2cr]

the Tokyo Olympics 2020 being a closed village system actually prevented massive overcrowding on the system. The japanese govenment being the japanese government.

[@jordiiiiii]

Another transit project built for the Sydney 2000 Olympics was the airport rail link, making Sydney the first Australian city to have an airport rail line.

[@WompWompWoooomp]

OKC will be hosting a couple of events for '28, the transit contrast with LA will be interesting. The good news is we'll finally be getting public transit to the airport, probably a BRT lite. Yes, OKC currently does not have any public transit to the airport.

[@maxpowr90]

Reminder that Boston wanted bid for the 2024 Olympics and look how bad the MBTA is.

[@snowyyyyyyyyyyyyy]

maybe that woulda pushed them to actually fix things

[@Not-EcoPaw]

Another winter games served by high speed rail was Beijing 2022, where they opened the Beijing-Zhangjiakou high speed line to connect the three venue clusters northwest of Beijing to the city. It is also the first fully driverless high speed rail line in the world and has a cool underground station under the Badaling Great Wall. The special livery also looks quite cool.

[@arsyapermana1]

not only olympic, the regional olympic (Asian Games) really helped public transportation Palembang, Indonesia. they literally are 3rd tier city and got the first LRT in the country just for the sake of the Asian Games, it still run till today and even expanding it's buffer bus system.

[@scpatl4now]

It's not just the Olympics. Atlanta is racing to complete lots of projects before the 2026 FIFA World Cup. There are 2 BRT lines that should be completed and there is a ton of construction downtown that will bring a lot more housing units to downtown.

[@RMTransit]

Oh for sure, thats why I mentioned sporting events at the beginning!

[@mrxman581]

LA is getting 8 2026 world cup games. It will be a good test of the public transit in preparation for the 2028 Olympics.

[@crowmob-yo6ry]

The evil Kevin Leonpacher must be really pissed! Haha!

[@crowmob-yo6ry]

Can't wait for Brightline West!

[@mb_1024]

I'm highly skeptical that BLW will be done in time for LA28, unfortunately. They were saying it would be done by 2028 back when they were going to start construction in 2023, and that's slipped. (They're still doing per-construction activities, AFAIK, halfway through 2024.) But we'll see. I do think it will be pretty good when it's done!

[@Geotpf]

​@@mb_1024Current timelines still do have it scheduled to be open before the games. We shall see.

[@mrxman581]

​@@mb_1024It won't be anywhere near done by 2028. And the project is being valued engineered to death resulting in an average speed of 101 mph. Implying that it will reach its top speeds for very short periods of time. They're single tracking about 80% of the route.

[@mb_1024]

@@Geotpf Yeah, but as a private company, they don't have to tell us when the schedule slips. It's pretty standard practice in private industry, as far as I can tell, to save up schedule slips, then announce one big slip once there's a better understanding of when it will really be done.

[@Geotpf]

​@@mb_1024Well, actual construction just started so it'll be interesting to see if they keep pace or fall behind. Since it's in the middle of a freeway, their level of progress should be obvious for everyone to see.

[@mark123655]

For Sydney 2000 I'd also add the four new station AirportLink alternate to the now T8. Unfortunately due to the funding method, regular users are still paying for it (PPP concession to pay for the stations expires in 2030). Brisbane 2032 is still in the midst of stadium wars. Not clear what will be the main stadium, and what will host the Opening Ceremony.

[@videowilliams]

The airport stations are expensive to alight at, but stay busy nonetheless. I guess the thinking was if you can afford to fly, you can afford to pay near 20 bucks to use them!

[@RMTransit]

@@videowilliams Yes, but its not just the two airport stations!

[@tazzer9]

@@RMTransit It is now. Green square and mascot are now fee free

[@daveg2104]

@@RMTransit Since March 2011 the State Government has, in effect, been paying the access fee for Green Square and Mascot (although I'm not sure how the "ownership" split works at this time).

[@jebeda]

@@daveg2104 As I understand it, Vancouver's Skytrain extension to the airport was fully funded by the Airport itself, but the transit authority Translink still applies a surcharge to go to or from those stations. There are ways of getting around it, particularly for people who work near those stations, but it is really just a way to get extra money from travellers.

[@joermnyc]

Los Angeles 2028 just announced they’re moving softball and canoe events to Oklahoma City… that’s a long Metrolink ride. 😂

[@claudea9037]

Smart choice, canoe stadiums are really expensive to build and sometimes not used after the olympics...

[@mrxman581]

​@@claudea9037And softball? What's their idiotic excuse for not doing it around LA? Both UCLA and USC have significant facilities where they play NCAA softball.

[@mrxman581]

​@@claudea9037And softball? What's their idiotic excuse for not doing it around LA? Both UCLA and USC have significant facilities where they play NCAA softball.

[@mrxman581]

It's a dumb decision. And it sucks for the athletes of those two sports because they'll probably have to stay there during the entire competition. They will not be part of the Olympic spirit throughout LA and SoCal. Without that, it's just another competition in a no name city.

[@WompWompWoooomp]

​@@mrxman581The softball facility in OKC has 10x the capacity of UCLA's softball stadium (13,000 vs 1,300), and USC has neither a softball team nor stadium. And athletes will have the opportunity to be in LA for the opening/closing ceremony.

[@thomaswill37]

Munich's transit is so good. I would pass away with joy if any city outside of NYC had as good transit in the US.

[@simondunham9998]

Detroit has been denied the chance to host the Olympics at least 7 times last I checked, with a lack of mass rapid transit being cited as one of the main reasons. I've heard talk of a joint Detroit-Windsor games in online circles and I can't even imagine all the opportunities that could bring: heavy rail in Detroit, high speed rail between Chicago and Toronto, and much needed affordable housing in the urban core. I cant imagine this will ever happen, but maybe the Olympics as a development tool for sustainable cities isn't a bad framework.

[@theultimatereductionist7592]

Flint, Michigan, with its famous water, should DEFINITELY host the Olympics some day.

[@user-mb3dx3nn5c]

​@@theultimatereductionist7592 Hold the open water swimming events in the river. Whoever comes out alive gets a medal. 👍

[@CharlesMoeller-nc4xy]

The 2010 Vancouver Olympics started my lifetime passion in this.

[@lucasmoreno2154]

It's worth mentioning that the Rio de Janeiro BRT system is an olympic transit project too. At the time, it was seen as an outdated, unfit and unnecessarily expensive project. Nowadays, the whole system has been improved (renovated and new stations and terminal, the fleet got more and new buses).

[@rorschak47]

It should be noted that Munich had decided to build U and S bahn before being awarded the Olympics, and some work had already started. But it did change some priorities in what was built first.

[@mrxman581]

Same thing is happening in Los Angeles.

[@RMTransit]

Which is pretty common honestly

[@tomburnham5119]

There were transit improvements for the Berlin Olympics in 1936 - with S-Bahn services extended with new electrification and the U-Bahn station rebuilt.

[@SamsonOhsem]

Train very important. Olympic games can boost the tourism industry.

[@JoshuaFagan]

Thank you for highlighting this! It's something that I always bring up when I am talking about the Olympics. It's a major opportunity for infrastructure improvements. When the eyes of the world are watching, things that otherwise would have taken 20 years magically get finished.

[@RMTransit]

Absolutely, and the benefits last long after the games leave!

[@mzxeternal]

As you mentioned, sometimes transit is built even in an attempt to land an olympics. The 7 train extension to Hudson Yards in NY was put on the board during NYC’s failed attempt to land the 2012 games.

[@videowilliams]

I was hoping to see my city of Sydney mentioned and sure enough you did at 3:01, noting the way Olympic Park has kept on growing since the Games. There was SO much fretting beforehand over NOT creating yet another Olympic Park & Athletes' Village that rusted into disuse afterwards, and thankfully all those preparations did pay off. The site was geographically central to the wider suburban sprawl but also a poisoned ex-industrial no-man's-land that truly needed an Olympics to justify the decontamination of the entire place along with a couple billion dollar$ worth of construction. I enjoy going out there today- it was a very happy story of spending a fortune to make a fortune which included, yes, a rail loop from the main suburban network in and out.

[@magtje]

I don't think Lillehammer (1994 Winter Olympics) did any moderate or major transport improvements. Except maybe 1 or 2 new bypass loops on the railway line (which was single track until recent) btw Oslo and Lillehammer I think they just used existing transport infrastructure. Well there was some temporary parking lots outside of Lillehammer where shuttle buses took the spectators to the arenas but all this was removed after the games.

[@koppadasao]

They didn't have to do anything, as NSB, Norwegian State Railroad, had a lot of excess material in 1994.

[@magtje]

@@koppadasao That was only the rolling stock (trains itself) which they also had to borrow from Sweden to meet demand. I was thinking more of new construction or upgrading the road and bus/ rail infrastructure. Keep in mind Lillehammer was the smallest town/ place to ever host an Olympic and that most people did stay in Oslo for the nights bc of lack of hotels etc.

[@koppadasao]

@@magtje Borrowing from Sweden took place for a long time in the 1990s. During Lillehammer Olympics, the used the best trains for the transport, while the rest of the country got old material. Most of the new construction was, as you said bypass loops, which wasn't just built for the games, but to assist freight traffic too.

[@holger_p]

Lillehammer had 1700 athletes, compared to 11.000 in Rio 2016. That's another scale. Talking only athletes, not staff or visitors.

[@Pesmog]

One of the reasons that the London Olympic public transport was considered a success was the significant number of separate rail and Transit services that served the Olympic park, so there was plenty of spare capacity and importantly redundancy if any line went down. Two separate mainline rail routes, plus the London Overground, Docklands Light Railway, Central line (underground), Jubilee line (underground) and the High Speed 1 line was always going to be more than enough to support the games. Today, additionally, we also have the Elizabeth line that also runs through Stratford.

[@mitch438]

Regarding Brisbane, the Cross River Rail project's new station at Woolloongabba had been (and still is in some places) marketed as directly servicing the Olympic stadium. However, recently a review into the required maintenance and rebuilding of the Gabba stadium showed it was not feasible, and so it was decided that it will no longer be part of the Olympics, and likely will be demolished by 2032; instead the main athletics events will be held at a stadium which is 3x as far from the city centre and currently very poorly supported by public transport. Imo it seems a very short-sighted decision by the state government.

[@jeanbrehon]

Small note about Paris 2024: the line 11 extension that just opened a few weeks ago is not actually the one that you're highlighting at 7:26: only the western third of that extension is done, with the terminus linking to the RER E station Rosny Bois Perrier; the rest is suspended until firther notice, and may or may not be resumed after the line 15 loop is fully completed, that is to say post-2030 at least...

[@stonebear]

Ironically, the BIGGEST transportation infrastructure change to Atlanta in '96 WAS FOR CARS. They ran express lanes down the insides of both I-75 and I-85 that opened like the day before the Games... No T-ramps to bridges over the freeway downtown, nothing to help anything but cars and even that was bonkers, crossing a huge sea of asphalt to get from express lane to exit was a several-mile white-knuckle proposition.. It's funny. Atlanta got Seattle's tranche of transit-building money in ~1970 and built ... something halfway decent; at least they finally ran it to the airport in 1988. Now Sound Transit is the one laying track like crazy.... if only they hadn't punted West Seattle to the bottom of the list... *sigh*

[@InflatableBuddha]

Sadly, this is the flipside of transportation projects coinciding with major sporting events. For another couple of examples, several of Tokyo's urban expressways opened in time for the 1964 Olympics, and in time for 2010, Vancouver upgraded the Sea to Sky highway to Whistler (which did improve safety, but there wasn't any corresponding rail service built between Vancouver and Whistler).

[@GeoMeridium]

I think Salt Lake City is a good testament to how Olympics are beneficial to their host-cities in the long-run, even if the benefits aren't immediate. It's hard to think of another event that would've prompted a small/mid-sized red state city to build such an extensive LRT/regional rail system. The urban planning around SLC's transit may not be perfect, but in the US, it's arguably one of the best cities for a middle-income person to live in without a car.

[@skyscraperfan]

I think the Metro Line 4 in Rio de Janeiro would not have been built without the Olympics. That line was necessary for connecting the city to the main Olympic ground. The line opened days before the Olympics. Unfortunately the line still has not been extended any further. So you have to switch to the BRT at the final stop "Jardim Oceânico". So they built the most expensive part through the hills, but not the part where it could go overground.

[@FullLengthInterstates]

it would be really funny if a city leaned into the exercise theme of the olympics and made everyone bike. imagine the chaos of visitors around the world all following different traffic rules! Cities definitely need a transition plan to repurpose stadiums, so that any infrastructure expansion can continue to be used even if they don't quite have the organic demand for this many sporting events. I wonder how hard would it be to convert a stadium into a walled city - like Diamond City in fallout but with a good quality of life

[@speculationsperceived]

Sydney's Olympics also brought in the Airport Line, which marked the first airport rail link in Australia.

[@IndustrialParrot2816]

That is ridiculous (granted I'm used to major cities having Airport links way earlier since Cleveland (a city I've never been too but am fascinated by) had the world's first airport rail link)

[@speculationsperceived]

@@IndustrialParrot2816 Did you not read when I explicitly mentioned Australia?

[@InternetLoser-rc2vs]

Sydney also built it's Airport Line for the Olympics, and Queensland is building a direct line to the Sunshine Coast (the current line is too far inland)

[@barryrobbins7694]

Hi Reese, thanks for creating this video. While sports is an important part of a city’s/region’s culture, it’s flabbergasting how much is spent on sports stadiums when things like public transit are lacking. It is a bit ironic that Oakland’s sports complex was once home to three professional sports teams (the A’s leave next year) and has a BART station adjacent to the complex. It is a great opportunity for Oakland to redevelop that land for other uses.

[@macallangiunta9825]

I would literally protest outside city hall if my city (Ottawa) tried to host the olympics (I know it's unlikely).

[@jackmassey574]

Heads up that the Brisbane Olympic venue has moved and will not be above the train station anymore

[@JimBones1990]

OKC is hosting at least two of the events for the '28 Olympics, Now if only They can get that commuter line built as well.

[@crowmob-yo6ry]

It's oil country, so you just know the lobbyists are hard at work to prevent such project. However, I'm sure many people will take Amtrak Heartland Flyer from the DFW area to attend! Every HLF train I see go through my area is almost completely full.

[@josephsnitch1201]

This was a great video its definitely one of the best bits of the Olympics for me for sure. A video on the transport in Bremen would be an interesting topic i think they have a pretty cool s Bahn system and some really retro trams still on service in the city and who couldn't love the central station such a grand building.

[@corey2232]

So all we need is Dallas to attract the Olympics to finally get good transit & kick start HSR in Texas!!

[@danielmwendwa791]

Same can be said for the World Cup and it's urban impact esp now in the USA as they expand and improve upon their transit network and infrastructure in preparation. It's a big win for transit fans and users in the US.

[@accurian148]

Asian games 2018 also bring LRT to Palembang, probably the first metro outside Java island in Indonesia. Even though it's just 1 line people still use it daily.

[@Desnorteado021]

Rio de Janeiro also built a couple of BRT lines for the Olympics. Unfortunately, due to political changes in the city, some of them (including one called literally TransOLIMPICA) were only delivered years after the games. Actually, one was just opened like last month, 7 years after the games lol (and we got a very small subway extension also, like a couple of stations)

[@mdhazeldine]

What did Seoul 1988 and Barcelona 1992 do for public transport? Those were pretty big years for me growing up watching it on TV.

[@ralphdelaralpho238]

Barcelona literally changed the whole city on infrastructure levels. All the suburban lines who run surface on their urban coast were removed and relocated on a cross-type underground line, nearly opened a entirely new Metro line (L2, who was opened in 1995 at last), and refurbished the Funicular to access the Mountain where the olympic venues were located. It could had another milestone for spanish public transport with the opening of the first AVE hs line, but the government gived it to Sevilla's expo instead to Barcelona's olympics.

[@miraibovs2215]

The Olympics for me are a quite fascinating topic, especially on public transit, I gotta say almost every city has benefited from Public transit on the games, especially coming from an Olympic city as Mexico City. I know that the metro was an initially project for the games but it wasn’t completed on time, however thanks too that the Mexico City metro has become one of the largest & most advanced metro systems in Latin America & potentially the world. I feel that the games nowadays are planning to bring more of a positive legacy than a negative one with the Agenda 2020 now in place. Awesome video btw!

[@quoniam426]

Reece, your map has an error, Line 11 to Noisy Champs will not open before 2039 at best given latest inside sources news. The extension to Rosny (halfway through on the map) opened last week and you really should come and check that out once the heat of the Olympics has come and gone. Line 14 extensions are due to open in two days ! And, I hope you'll check those out as well. RER E extention will remained a limited shuttle service until November at best. As for T12 and T13 express trams, Region has changed the contract for the lines to be operated by an offshoot of RATP rather than one from SNCF which showed utter incompetence in the matter. The contract is for 100 months (a little bit more than 8 years). One of the main problem was that SCNF exploits trams like trains, with a driver dedicated to given service, unit and time when RATP approaches RERs and trams like metros, you take control of the next train and do the worktime and don't give a damn about if you must take the 1135 or the 1158 service which is much more flexible. Let's hope that changing operator will improve things. (Unions are currently happy with the job that RATP CEO, Jean Castex, former Prime Minister, is doing) Regarding the Grand Paris Express, they had to make priorities because they couldn't do everything in time. So even just before the Pandemic hit, they decided to prioritize the most advanced works and the most necessary, Line 14 serving an airport and the Olympic venues was a no brainer; Lines 16 and 17 were late so they decided to delay them even further to transfer workforce and tools to Line 14 instead. Consequently, they have been pushed to 2026 instead of 2025. However, Line 16 won't open entirely and be limited to Montfermeil at first. At the same time, Line 18 also had poriotization on the Saclay/Massy section which will open in 2026 one year earlier than initially expected, the Massy/Orly section will remain a 2027 ETA and the exention to Versailles stays on 2030. Line 15 is the big piece. Gustave Roussy station was scheduled to be opened later than Line 14 in 2025 along with Line 15 but they finally decided to accelerate things a bit, however the station will still open later than Line 14 but in December 2024, one year earlier than initially planned but they couldn't do better. St Maur station on the other hand, being quite difficult to build given the very constrained vicinity and the big depth and change of plans early on won't open along with Line 15 but one year later, in late 2026. Further extensions are due to open in 2027 for Line 16 and 17 respectively to Noisy and Villepinte (Line 17 to CDG airport won't happen until 2030). Line 15 will be complete not before 2031 at best. Further extensions that were planned or would be added in the meatime won't see the light of day before 2035 or 2040 as of now. Worth noting; back in 1900, Paris opened its first metro line not just for the Universal Fair but also for the Olympics !!! (Paris also had Olympics in 1924 and it was the last in the city until the next ones) The Games or other such important events often serve as an accelerator for politicians who stop whining and discussing endlessly to actually do something.

[@fakedeath13]

I've visited Vancouver twice and both times rode the Canada Line heavily and was really surprised to find out it wasn't there until the 2010 games. I think I've only taken the Expo once and have never been on the Millenium. The bus system in YVR is really underrated in my opinion, and should be getting some relief for the 99 once the Broadway Skytrain starts up

[@egito9930]

In Rio, the entire BRT network and a new subway line were constructed for the Olympics as well

[@RamonKeller-lc5qh]

Beijing transit explainer please!

[@RMTransit]

Eventually!

[@yorkchris10]

Any global party will do - Expo Skytrain.... I volunteered at the BC or Canada Summer Games in Kamloops, BC. I guess there was some increase in tourism in an area already known for tourism. As a local, I don't remember venue transportation or change in infrastructure.

[@mapgravy]

Salt Lake City is likely for 2034 and I am hopeful for transit funding 🤞

[@coasterblocks3420]

Reece, Brisbanes Olympic stadium is no longer near the new underground, its now in the middle of nowhere with no public transit. F*cking insane due to nimbies and dithering.

[@iO-Sci]

SkyTrain was a number (1) and explored metro system for traveling to the Olympics when it was a Vancouver and BC alliance partnership in 2010. 스카이트레인은 2010년 밴쿠버와 BC의 제휴 때 올림픽을 여행하기 위한 지하철 시스템을 탐구했다.

[@gloofisearch]

While true that you cannot compare London or Paris transit with LA, or the fact that Olympics these days are very corporate, the important part of the Olympics is that this sporting event is for the people and it is imperative that these venues can be accessed via public transport. That is a main part of the selection process of Olympic cities and it often starts an important part of a cities infrastructure as seen in Munich. Sad about many cities is the fact, that after the olympics, they do not keep the momentum and expand their public transit network, but at least, they got some;-)

[@Markus-wr3ur]

as a guy from Munich. The infrastructure from the olympic games, is still the backbone of the public transportation. One thing I want to add. What I saw often with olympic games investments. After the games for the next decades or so, the investment in public transport sector declined enormously. You got one time, a lot of money, but for the next 20 years or more you don't get much

[@holger_p]

Yes, but if it hadn't been done for the olympics, maybe it had been done anyway 2 years later. It was just one (of many possible) motivations.

[@MaJoRMJR]

I have to say as an official at the London games the tube/dlr was far superior to the officials' bus service that was on offer (it was both significantly quicker and more frequent), they genuinely would have been better not offering the officials' bus service at all given Custom House dlr station was seconds away from the officials' hotels. Those unlimited oster cards we had got a lot of usage. I went on a tour of London in my downtime, and given I was at both Olympics and Paralympics (which we were in the village for, aka heaven on earth, seriously, the athletes' village is the closest thing to heaven on earth! Free, unlimited, McDonald's, I got fat!!) Going back home to Manchester and waiting 6 minutes+ for trams took some getting used to afterwards, as the tube was every 2. 😂

[@timtam53191]

For Sydney you missed 1 more project... the airport rail link was opened just a month ahead of the Olympics :P

[@fusionreactor7179]

Istanbul intends to host the 2036* Olympics and a lot of projects were created in cohesion with it like M11 that goes from the Airport to the Olympic area

[@edsmith4160]

Brisbane are hosting 2032, Istanbul are welcome to hosting them.

[@fusionreactor7179]

@@edsmith41602036* my bad

[@RamonKeller-lc5qh]

Haha, except that Istanbul's projects are 10 times better than the ones in Brisbane.

[@fusionreactor7179]

@@RamonKeller-lc5qhWell because of the inflation crisis the momentum for expansion has died down but the expansion of the Istanbul Metro since 2017 has been incredile. It basically doubled since then, but the truth is even the current network is inadequate for a Megapolis like İstanbul. However I have good reason to believe it will be adequate by 2036. If HızRay gets built İstanbul might end up with one of the best public transport systems of any major city. The Olympic bid will be a good catalyst for accelerating Metro expansion.

[@RMTransit]

Very interesting!

[@retroheck]

As a Russian, i can say that 2014 Winter Games in Sochi also changed transit dramatically.

[@DimJOfficial]

There was a period where I'd frequently travel with my bud to various places in and slightly out of Athens, and it's both fascinating and disturbing how much of the city was built for the Olympics 2004, from the Elliniko in the south suburbs - riviera, all the way to the Olympic village very up north (the only town in Athens that was created as a project, with sewage and electricity from the get-go), the huge Kifisos highway, that was built over the river of the same name, the tram system, that for over 20 years still seems that connecting from the city center to the Elliniko is it's only purpose, with the only new expansion being the circle in Piraeus, as well as the OAKA (I think). No wonder we were hit hard in the economic crisis; the government TRIED to make Athens an actual first-world European city in the span of 4 years😂

[@giorgiodibari5170]

I'm from Turin in Italy and we also have the opening of our metro in 2006 when we had winter olimpic,

[@Korail-wx1fy]

South Korea's winter Pyeongchang olympic game made a country to construct new direct railway line from Seoul to Gangneung (Korea's vacation beach city-for example, like Napoli or Nice or Hawai.

[@andrewweitzman4006]

It reminds me of how the Paris Metro was built for the international exhibition hosted there.

[@TundraGD]

I pray the LA projects will go mostly as intended, but it seems like the projects set for 2027 are already behind schedule. Sigh.

[@Geotpf]

LA had been having lots of problems getting things done on time. The only thing that is on schedule is the A Line extension to Pomona, due to open next year. The second part, to Montclair, looks like they finally are getting the funding sorted out. Also open next year is the first stage of the D/Purple Line heavy rail subway extension, and the LAX People Mover and K Line/C/Green Line extensions to it.

[@mrxman581]

The only rail project set to be done by 2027 is the D line extension to the VA and Westwood. It's still on schedule. It's the first two sections thst got delayed by about a year each, but they'll all be completed before the 2028 Olympics.

[@enemia93]

7:18 Paris metro line 11 is now extended to Rosny-sous-Bois, but the 2nd phase of the extension (the part outside the ring that will be formed by line 15 in a few years) is stalled for now

[@Linjaaa25]

Indonesia also built Jakarta LRT and Palembang LRT for the 2018 Asian games.

[@tazzer9]

As someone who lives in brisbane. Don't even get me started on the olympics. Our transport plan is use as many venues that aren't on existing rail lines and use buses only in true brisbane bus loving fashion. No real plans for any proper transport upgrades

[@coasterblocks3420]

Insane, isn’t it? Venues in Toowoomba - no public transport to get there, just a stupidly slow low capacity rail line on a 19th alignment. Venues on the Sunshine Coast - with a rail line to be built which won’t reach the venue. Main stadium in Brisbane - somewhere - but likely not on a high capacity rail line though a branch line could quite easily be built to Mt Gravatt if that venue sticks.

[@thomasbollery8125]

Just an addition: i don't know about the other examples given in the video, but as for Paris, the Grand Paris Express was planned far before the city and state even considered applying for the Olympics. It was announced in the early 2000s under Sarkozy's govnt as a plan to review the governing of Paris area (the whole Grand Paris metropolis as it now theoretically exists), while the application for the 2024 Olympics was first mentioned in response to the 2012 London games

[@mrxman581]

Same with Los Angeles.

[@user-fm2ih2bf1c]

Please do a video about Sarajevos public transport system and its future and potential projescts and extension. I would really love to see your opinion on it

[@LeonidJP92]

Thanks to this guy now i sounds canadish :D

[@bigdude101ohyeah]

Supposedly the 1956 Olympics were one of the reasons why Melbourne kept its tram network.

[@3DeadDucks]

0:45 Oh, hi, Ljubljana. =D

[@maximezinutti6434]

FYI, the M11 extension is already open, and M14 extension will be available for public in 2 two days from now, the 24th of June 🤓 Very looking forward to welcome you all in Paris next month !

[@teuast]

It'd be really cool if the Fed could kick in some of that transport money to CAHSR to fast track it to SF and LA by the time the Olympics roll through. Maybe some to BLW too, but only if it includes electrification and multitracking on the Rancho Cucamonga Metrolink and/or A Line extension to RC station.

[@Geotpf]

This is both physically and politically impossible. The cost to finish the main system is something like $120 billion. They've only spent $11 billion or so so far. Optimistically, it might take a decade before they are done at the pace they are working. Realistically, it might be two decades. In any case, the Feds aren't going to cut a check for $100 billion for the next four years. Their last contribution was only $3 billion (which hasn't been spent yet and isn't part of that $11 billion). And if Trump is elected, they will get zero dollars more than that, at least for the next four years.

[@teuast]

@@Geotpf I mean, it may be and probably is politically impossible, it's not physically impossible, either way I know it's not going to happen, all I said is that it'd be really cool.

[@mrxman581]

​@@GeotpfThe $120B number is the high end ESTIMATE. The range is from around $80-$120B and that depends largely on when more money becomes available. The sooner, the cheaper.

[@markiliff]

Really interesting premise

[@butenbremer1965]

The '72 Munich Olympic Games changed the whole region for the better - S- and U-Bahns were built and public transport was prioritized. Munich w/o the Olympic Games would look totally different and far more car centric today. The same counts for GER hosting the (Soccer) World Cup in 1974 - I can only speak for Frankfurt, my hometown) - public transport (locally referred to as "Öffis") became more and more popular since then. Most of the pedestrianized zones in the city center is owed to this event. Currently, during the ongoing EURO 2024, authorities discourage visitors from using cars for transport to the staduims by limiting/elimating parking spots at the venues. They want the people to walk or use Öffis - and yes, stadiums are walkable to in GER, nobody needs a car here. Hi from Frankfurt, GER!

[@bernardonobre788]

Rio 2016 ressucitou o sistema de bondes da cidade, expandiu o metrô, o sistema de BRT, enterrou uma via expressa elevada na costa e ainda deu início a um projeto de revitalização da área central da cidade. Mas muita coisa não teve sucesso depois dos jogos.

[@elijahjbennett]

The city where I live has is the only city on the world with an Olympic Park despite never hosting the Olympics. It's pretty sad but you can take the tram there, that tram line also has no relation to any Olympics, it was there before the current park.

[@austinh.]

If Toronto opened a new subway line, it was for the Olympics, now you know why they take so long

[@-OAK-]

OKC is getting a public transit hub with their new nba arena I wonder if it will be finished in time for the softball and canoe Olympics that are being held there in 2028

[@stevengalloway8052]

Transit definitely is a must for any city that hosts an Olympics... 😏

[@crowmob-yo6ry]

The evil John Phillips of 790 KABC thinks expanding "parking" is the real solution. Of course...

[@katrinabryce]

Here's the thing. The Paris Olympics probably isn't going to attract any more people to the city than the 6 Nations Rugby tournament that takes place every year, or any of the big football matches that take place at the Stade de France, or the French Open at Rolland Garros, also an annual event. But the tens of millions of tourists who normally visit the city every year for reasons other than sportsball are staying away this year. It looks like I am going to be able to get a last-minute deal very cheaply to take the Eurostar to Paris and visit the Louvre and stuff like that. The same thing happened in London in 2012. Tourist numbers in 2012 were actually considerably lower than in 2011 or 2013.

[@Jytami]

Isnt there currently a bid to host the next olypics in the rhine ruhr metro area?

[@joermnyc]

If NYC 2012 Olympic bid had actually built that stadium where Hudson Yards is, that could have changed transit around here, though we did still build a bunch of the venues anyway (New Yankees stadium, CitiField, Barclays Center, MetLife stadium) and the transit upgrades as well… just slower since we weren’t rushing to make the opening ceremony, and honestly, the subway stop at CitiField (and the tennis center for the US Open) is sorely lacking in accessibility… hopefully the new soccer stadium being built next door will make the MTA finally put in some elevators!

[@oscrito]

Actually, other than Sporting Events and Bids for Sporting Events (as others have mentioned), you should take a look at major world events such as the Osaka World Expo 2025 and how the Japanese government is improving transit to accommodate this expo

[@linuxsisschannel8602]

I think it would be awesome to do a video about World Cup 2026, Monterrey is currently working in a monorriel line that would be the second biggest in the world. Guadalajara keeps working on line 4 with looking to expand line 3 and 2. There is also a project for line 5, but we don't know if it will be monorail, DTR, or light rail

[@kikirowy]

0:45 This maybe the first time my country (Slovenia) was featured on your channel 🤗 While both the Stožice stadium and arena were greatly needed in our capital city of Ljubljana the story of how they were built is a national embarrassment. Furthermore as you see in this video the part behind them which was supposed to be a huge shopping center and 100s more parking lots is still unfinished 14!! years later 🙃 The biggest irony is that because there isn't enough parking lots, every big event in either arena or stadium causes a collapse in that whole area. The public transport is also insufficient as there are sometimes not even buses to take you from there to city center.

[@shanelambert6192]

Brisbane, for 2032, they will probably still be building the cross river rail when the games start. Gold Coast, they need to finish the tram connection to the airport will probably still be building that. Once you get above Brisbane the public transport networks don't really exist despite the population growth in the regional cities. The Brisbane Olympics will be a disgrace for Australia and will lose a lot of money