South African high-speed rail link will not be ready for start of football World Cup

A major project for next year鈥檚 World Cup in South Africa will not be ready, it has been revealed.

Gautrain, South Africa
Credit: South Africa The Good News

A high-speed rail link will not be operational until at least two weeks into the tournament, a spokesperson for the project told the BBC.

Organisers of the 2010 event had hoped fans would be able to board the high-speed train from Johannesburg airport.

But now most fans鈥� initial experience will be in a taxi or shuttle bus in a traffic jam, the BBC said.

Builders have been working on the 拢2bn Gautrain project over the past three years, linking Johannesburg, Pretoria and the airport.

But under pressure to finish before next June, contractors demanded an additional 拢107m to accelerate their work. The South African government refused.

In its assessment of South Africa鈥檚 readiness for the 2010 World Cup, Fifa said it had identified a lack of transport and infrastructure as well as a shortage of accommodation as likely problems.

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