Train trial marks three-year countdown

Britain's Olympic organisers marked the three-year countdown to the London 2012 opening ceremony yesterday with a first time trial of the train that will ferry spectators between the city centre and the Olympic Park.

The Javelin train, which will carry 25,000 spectators per hour during the Games, arrived at Stratford International station, in east London, slightly ahead of schedule, in less than seven minutes.

"All the infrastructure we said we would deliver for the Games operations as far as transport is concerned is coming to fruition, and by this time next year it will be all completed, well in time for the Games," said Hugh Sumner, director of transport at the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), responsible for building the Games' venues.

Construction on the Olympic Park, the largest building project in Europe according to organisers, is also on track to be completed ahead of schedule, with building on five of the main venues under way.

The external structure of the bowl-shaped main stadium is finished and the wave-shaped roof on the Zaha Hadid-designed aquatics centre, one of the most architecturally dramatic features of the Park, is more than half done.

"Even now the world can witness the immense skills and technical expertise that is transforming wasteland into a brand new quarter for our great city in breathtaking time," said London Mayor Boris Johnson.

Increased venue costs have contributed to the overall Olympic budget spiralling from the initial estimate of 2.4 billion pounds ($3.95 billion) to 9.3 billion pounds.

Funding problems have also forced the government to step in with taxpayers' money to keep the building of the Olympic athletes' village and International Broadcast and Media Centre on track after their preferred private sector partners struggled to secure commercial financing in the credit crunch.

Still to be resolved is the venue for the boxing events, and doubts remain over the shooting venue, despite the International Olympic Committee (IOC) saying they wanted all venues to be finalised four months ago.

Concern also surrounds the Games' legacy, the centrepiece of the organisers' successful bid in Singapore.

A report earlier this month by a London Assembly committee warned the showpiece stadium risked becoming a "white elephant" if a tenant could not be found.

It also said organisers were falling short on delivering employment targets, a tourism strategy and increased sports participation.

However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said London was delivering on its vision of "making a difference" for athletes, as well as on regeneration - transforming an area of London that had been a polluted industrial site with poor transport and infrastructure.