Rio De Janeiro Metro Line Extension To Open Only Days Before Olympics

Rio de Janeiro State Transportation Secretary Rodrigo Vieira said that the metro line extension, the key legacy project of the 2016 Rio Olympics, "will open just four days before the Games and offer only limited service," according to the AP. The delayed subway line "is just one in a long list of problems confronting Brazil’s first Olympics," including the suspension last week on impeachment charges of President Dilma Rousseff. Other problems "include the Zika virus, deep budget cuts, slow ticket sales and severe water pollution in the venues for sailing and rowing." The subway extension will open on Aug. 1 and "links the Ipanema and Copacabana beach areas to the western suburb of Barra da Tijuca, site of the Olympic Park." The line "will be available only to event ticket holders, athletes and media" covering the Games. Vieira: "The population that does not participate in the Games can use the subway the day after the Paralympics end" (AP, 5/15).