Voith keeps things moving at 2012 Olympics

JULY 29, 2012—While you won’t see them on any of the Olympic medal stands, Voith technology is playing a winning role in making sure all of the events run smoothly in London.

That’s because some 3,000 Underground tubes, 1,500 double-decker buses, the Eurostar and Javelin high-speed trains and several ferries on the River Thames all have one thing in common: Voith technology.

Any city planning on hosting the Olympics has to have a sophisticated traffic management system for handling the millions of spectators and thousands of athletes for the games. London’s underground and its iconic double-decker buses are already an integral part of moving London’s millions of daily commuters.

Around 1,500 red double-decker buses are fitted with Voith DIWA automatic transmissions. Voith is also involved at four bus depots in the daily maintenance and cleaning—inside and outside—of around 600 buses. Couplings “Made by Voith” secure the mechanical, electrical and pneumatic connections of all 3,000 of London’s world famous Underground tubes. Several ferries on the River Thames in the southern district of Woolwich have Voith-Schneider propellers. The Woolrich ferry can carry up to 500 foot passengers, cars and trucks. Diverse components such as the drives, cooling systems or couplings of local and long-distance trains are also serviced in Voith service centers in Croydon and Greenford.

In addition, the 140-mph Javelin trains, which are designed to whisk 25,000 passengers per hour to the Olympic Park, and Eurostar high-speed trains, which link the U.K. to continental Europe, are also fitted with Voith couplings and other products.

Meanwhile, Voith has another connection with the 2012 Olympics: it is a principal sponsor of the Heidenheim Fencing Center, where two German Olympic épée fencers train. One is 29-year-old Monika Sozanska, who will compete in the Women’s Individual Epee Fencing and Women’s Team Epee Fencing, and the other is 22-year-old Ricarda Multerer, who will compete in the team event.