Getting to the Olympic Park can be a test of obstacles

                 

Rio de Janeiro - Getting to the heart of the Rio 2016 Games will be a challenging task for tourists and locals fans even if the expansion of the city's metro is in operation, but the marathon can be even worse if the authorities have to resort to a Plan B no subway will expand the number of buses on the streets and can paralyze traffic.

Designed to take the metro system to Barra da Tijuca, which concentrates most of the sports facilities, Line 4 had completion scheduled on July 1, but delays caused by technical problems in the work and lack of resources have delayed the opening to 1 August, just four days before the opening ceremony.

If opened, the Olympic subway will only work in a limited way, both in capacity and in range of the trains, which can leave fans waiting for long periods.

Moreover, only reach the entrance of the bar, about 15 km from the Olympic Park, a nearly 30-minute segment that will need to be completed through the bus lane known as BRT.

One month before the opening of the Olympic Games on Tuesday, it is still not possible to know with certainty what real time the entire route, with or without the subway, which will only be known in fact on August 1, when the first passengers carry the trip.

"How are you today, inaugurating the Bar station will only work precariously, only for the Olympic family. With this situation, it will not have a positive impact at all," assessed the transport engineer Marcus Quintella, professor at the Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV).

"They are preparing a palliative situation, which is the extension of BRT, which is one of the absurdities of the project."

Beyond the limited and the need for integration capacity with buses, the operation of the subway can not be completely safe during the Olympics due to a reduction in the testing period from delays, according to a survey of the Court of the State of Rio.

According to the court, the initial forecast was that the testing phase should last about a year, but the period was shortened to just two months.

R $ 10 billion and six years

The subway works began in 2010 and are estimated to cost 9.7 billion reais. If Line 4 does not get ready in time, the plan B of City Hall provides for extra bus lines to make the connection between the southern and the bar using selective tracks.

This will make the much longer trip and can also affect the rest of the city traffic.

While Metro Copacabana-bar section would be done in 15 minutes time bus for the same trip is at least three times - which can be mitigated due to the transfer of school holidays in August and decreeing three holidays in days of street trials, considered the most critical for traffic.

"It is certainly not the most comfortable for the public, or to the city," acknowledged the head of Rio's operations for the Games, Leonardo Maciel. "The BRT has the subway loading capacity."

Although the state government, responsible for the subway, ensure the opening in time for the Olympics, the mayor of Rio, Eduardo Paes, said the end of June would wait a few more days to determine whether to or not to make use of the alternative plan, who also has been presented to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The Rio de Janeiro state government expressed confidence last week that will deliver the work in time for the Olympics, excited about the release of a Credit Union in the amount of 2.9 billion reais to help the state, which declared a state of emergency in June due to a financial crisis.

Although federal funding be specifically geared to spending on security of the Olympics, the state government can reallocate its budget to pay for the 500 million reais missing for completion of Line 4, and 350 million for debt payment to the concessionaire responsible for the construction and another 150 million for the finishing of the surrounding areas.

"We are confident and we are sure that we will deliver the Line 4 fully operational after the completion of all tests for the use of the population," said state Secretary of Transportation, Rodrigo Vieira, during a presentation to the press of the subway station in Bar Tijuca last week.

Craters and Tatuzão

In addition to the financial issue, some of the uncertainty about the completion of the subway to the Olympics is due to delays in the work because of problems with the machine known as "Tatuzão" which pierces the tunnel to the installation of the subway.

At one section of the work using the equipment caused instability in the ground and threatened to cause damage to several buildings, which opened craters in some streets and forced a prolonged stoppage.

"The 'Tatuzão' stood in Ipanema almost 6 months this in a timeline of a subway system is fatal. It's kind of delay in a subway work is very difficult to recover, you do not increase the speed of 'Tatuzão'" said Professor of Transportation Engineering of Coppe / UFRJ Balassiano Ronaldo, who worked in the city's preparation for the Olympic Games between 2012 and 2014.

According Balassiano, IOC experts follow from the beginning the works of urban mobility that have been held in the city, and the subway was always cause for alert.

While doubts remain outside of the completion in time for the Games, about 6000 workers are divided into up to three shifts to complete the work, which reached 97 percent completion in the so-called Olympic stretch.

"We will be working here even when open, but will already have people going to the Games," said one of the workers.

Another problem to get to the Olympic Park, scene of 16 modes of games, does not concern the works, and independent completion of the subway.

City residents have claimed the 25 reais price for the so-called Olympic RioCard, which will be the only form of payment for the subway and the Olympic BRT, valid for unlimited use over a period of 24 hours, regardless of whether the person makes only two travels.

In comparison, a regular subway ticket costs 4.10 reais, while normal bus costs 3.80 reais.

According to Professor Quintella, FGV, it is possible that many people end up leaving aside the public transport to follow the Olympics, even with the ban on parking cars in and around Olympic Park.

"People in the south, where the great tourist potential and hotel, will be highly penalized if they are to reach the public transport Bar" Quintella said.

"They'll have to take the subway, get off, get a BRT and go to the place of competition. It's a slow journey. Then it will not solve anything, all these people will end up going by taxi, tour bus or specialized vans," he said.