Re: Olympic Officials Fear Train Woes

["Dave Proctor" <daproc@spambait.ozemail.com.au>]

More from clari.sports.olympic

"AP / JOHN PYE, Associated Press Writer" <C-ap@clari.net> wrote in message
news:Aoly-sydney-transportURECv_AS4.R-yV_AS5@clari.net...
>
> SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- Hundreds of train passengers were
> stranded for up to several hours Tuesday at the Olympic Park
> station when strong winds knocked down power lines and knocked out
> service.
> Tempers flared and passengers reported serious confusion as
> officials and games volunteers tried to steer people toward buses
> that shuttled passengers to another rail station.
> Wind gusting up to 43 mph also caused the evacuation of two
> Olympic venues, knocked down fences and ripped sunscreen panels off
> the roof of the main press center.
> The gusts also broke masts and ripped sails on boats competing
> in a practice regatta on Sydney Harbor, where several boats
> capsized. One sailor had to be rescued by a New Zealand coach's
> boat.
> ``It was nerve wracking. Televisions had to be taken off
> shelves,'' said Emma Stevenson, venue supervisor at the Olympic
> shooting center. ``Fences with concrete bases fell over.''
> Afternoon services at the Olympic Park station were disrupted
> when the train clipped overhead lines dislodged by high winds.
> About 150 passengers had to be led off the train. Nobody was
> injured in the evacuation.
> State Rail Authority public affairs manager Michael Stanley said
> emergency repair crews were at the site within an hour of the power
> failure and 26 buses were used to transfer passengers to other
> stations.
> The strong winds swept across the harbor city, blowing over at
> least 40 trees and sending trash spinning along the sidewalks.
> A man who asked to be identified only by his first name,
> Michael, said he was left stranded for more than 90 minutes as
> buses ferried rail passengers from Olympic Park to Lidcombe
> station, about 3 1/2 miles away.
> ``There are probably 400 or 500 people here and they don't look
> to be going anywhere and the police don't seem to know what is
> going on,'' he said. ``I'm getting pretty frustrated.''
> With just 10 days left before the Sept. 15 opening ceremony,
> transportation problems continue to haunt Olympic organizers and
> revive memories of the problems at the 1996 Summer Games.
> Continual traffic jams and public transportation problems marred
> the atmosphere of the Atlanta Olympics, and such issues again are a
> top concern for Sydney organizers.
> Buses have failed to show up to collect athletes, reporters and
> sponsors because drivers became disoriented on Olympic routes. One
> bus was two hours late for a scheduled pickup of athletes at the
> shooting venue, and another bus failed to arrive as scheduled to
> take athletes to the water polo venue.
> Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates said the
> situation was ``inexcusable,'' but called the incidents ``teething
> problems'' and said they would be solved before the games begin.
> ``It would be too much to expect to get it right on day one,''
> he said Tuesday.
> Dozens of reporters were left waiting for buses Tuesday, missing
> the arrival of International Olympic Committee president Juan
> Antonio Samaranch for his first tour of the athletes' village.
> Some journalists said a 10-mile bus ride from downtown Sydney to
> the Olympic Park took more than 80 minutes Tuesday morning and said
> drivers exhibited a lack of familiarity with scheduling and routes.
> Volunteer bus driver Peter Burke said drivers were recruited
> from rural areas and were not familiar with Sydney streets.
> ``Olympic transport has only just begun and we're having an
> Atlanta experience -- not enough buses, not enough drivers,'' said
> Burke, who traveled into Sydney for the games.
> Each Olympic bus driver carries a large book containing
> scheduling information and maps, but many of the maps are outdated.
> A group of Olympic kayakers missed a training session last
> weekend when a driver couldn't find the Olympic slalom course at
> Penrith.
> Officials vowed to make extra resources available immediately,
> saying they hadn't expected such a huge demand for shuttle buses in
> the weeks leading to the games.
> Sydney's train system has been heavily scrutinized, with
> Olympics Minister Michael Knight forecasting inevitable delays due
> to heavy demand on the aging network.
> Paul Willoughby, a spokesman for the Olympic Roads and Transport
> Authority, said Olympic crowds will cause the number of passenger
> trips on the CityRail network to increase from the normal level of
> 14 million to about 34 million during the 19-day peak Olympic
> period.
>