As well as all the sporting facilities, large numbers of construction projects to build the supporting infrastructure will also be underway.

Perhaps none will be more critical to the success of the games than the planned improvements to the transport infrastructure.

Much of the network of London Underground, suburban rail lines and other networks are creaking under the weight of passenger numbers.

An injection of £30 billion is planned to increase capacity of some of the tube network, improve access to East London and the construction of new extension lines to the Docklands Light Railway and East London lines.

In the short term, the effects of the investment will be quite disruptive with all the construction going on.

However, London is already enjoying the benefits of one of the flagship projects; the opening of St Pancras International Station just before Christmas and this will soon be joined by Heathrow's terminal 5, which officially opened last week and will be fully operational from next week.

By the time the Olympic Games have opened in 2012, these flagship projects will be joined by others including the new "Javelin" service which will take people from central London to the Olympic Stadium using the new Eurostar link from St Pancras to Stratford in East London.

This will eventually become a service that is extended to Ebbsfleet in North Kent and this location will effectively become a "park and ride" type station for commuters from all over Kent and even perhaps from continental Europe.

Stratford is set to become a massive new transport hub for this part of London, with lines coming from North London and even from south of the river.

Many of the new services will use reconstructed rail lines, underused underground lines and even old sidings.

Traditionally, rail transport in London has largely fed into the centre of the city, rather like the spokes of a wheel.

There are a few underused lines which move people around the peripheries of the city, without the need to cross the city centre.

More will be made of these routes, which are due to be badged as the London Overground.

The long-term aim of the overground network is for it to become an orbital route and thereby relieve congestion from the Underground in central London.

One of the reasons that London was awarded the Games in the first place was the emphasis on the legacy that will be created.

While it is true that many of the projects that are planned or already being constructed would have happened irrespective of the Olympics, it is reasonable to conclude that the games have provided the kick start needed.

Without the games, who knows whether some of the projects would have been lost in prevarication?

Hopefully we will see a revolution for public transport instead that could also have spin-off benefits for other cities in Britain.