Olympic rail link running late

Greece has missed another critical deadline for the Athens Olympics because of a two-week delay in completing a rail link from the airport to the city centre.

The delay means that Proastiakos, a new state-controlled company set up to operate the 32.5km railway, would launch commercial services less than two weeks before the August 13 games opening ceremony.

The contractors, a joint venture between J&P Avax, a Greek Cypriot construction company, and Alstom Transport, the France-based railway equipment supplier, said yesterday they would deliver the track and seven stations by the end of July.

The transport ministry, in agreement with the International Olympic Committee, had set July 15 as the starting date for commercial operations. The delay highlights increasing concern about the smooth operation of mass transit facilities during the Olympics.

Priority in road transport would be given to about 200,000 members of the "Olympic family" such as IOC officials, venue administrators and athletes, who will use a special taxi service and fleet of 1,400 buses on main highways.

The traffic restrictions are expected to put exceptional pressure on the Athens metro and the new railway link during the games.

The #326m ($403m, £217m) suburban railway is the biggest transport project undertaken for the Olympics.

Renos Goshevitch, the project manager, said: "Our contract with the Greek state railways called for a three-year construction period, but because of the games we have worked round the clock to deliver the main section in six months."

The railway line runs along the centre of a new toll highway. Delays in completing parts of this highway meant J&P Avax and Alstom could not gain access to the railway site until last February, Mr Goshevitch said.

The partnership is racing to finish building the Neranziotissa station which will serve as a transport hub for the main Olympic sports complex. The hub had to be redesigned after the government last March dropped an earlier plan as too expensive.