New services designed to cut journey times and run more frequently than present services will be built between Moscow, Kazan, Samara and Ulyanovsk, Putin said.
"It will be a powerful incentive for the development of high speed rail services in the European part of Russia," he said.
“I’m not saying Rio is not equipped (to confront the problem).
On the contrary, but I have to say that the number one issue is security. We are talking about human lives.
“The second main problem, and it’s one that can be applied to all editions of the Games, with a few rare exceptions, is transport.”
Spending to build roads and bridges for the 2014 Sochi Olympics has already peaked, he said, as the projects are slated to be operational in 2012.
Despite the impressive size of Russia's road construction market, it has no foreign contractors because of the high entry barriers, Mozalyov said.
In our survey, nearly one half of respondents (49%) point to “low standard or costly infrastructure including telephones, transport networks and utilities” as the main operational obstacle, far more than selected corruption, poor governance (34 percent) or skills shortages (32 percent), the state of transport infrastructure is particularly dire. In spite of some improvement in logistics, freight depends on costly road haulage; there are few railroads; the potential for waterways remains largely unexplored; and ports and airports are congested. This can add one quarter or more to the cost of getting goods to market, say investors.
Investing in infrastructure has been at the heart of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s growth program (the so-called PAC, launched in 2007), but progress has been limited. Fewer than half of the targets for 2010 have been met (with much of the proposed financing going to first-time home owners, rather than into physical infrastructure). High public spending commitments are crowding out the paltry 1 percent of GDP that is proposed for investment in infrastructure, while limited private sector investment in transport will not make up the shortfall.
The 60 miles of lanes will be in addition to the Olympic Route Network (ORN) which will be roadwork-free and cover 2.5% of the capital's roads.
The ORN will be used by 82,000 people and cost about £25m.
The lanes will total nearly 60 miles in length, while the ORN, which will include measures such as closing side roads, banning turns and altering traffic light sequences, will comprise of more than 100 miles in London and about 170 miles outside London.
Given its geography and state of development, Brazil will face many of the same challenges as South Africa. One way of counteracting the huge distances involved would be to base group games in clusters of local cities; that way the ludicrous distances faced by some teams in South Africa would be shortened. FIFA's Jerome Valcke has already said the plan is to divide Brazil's 12 host cities into four regions to reduce travel times for fans. Closer scrutiny by FIFA of promised transport improvements would be beneficial for all. Earlier this month, LOC chairman Teixiera described Brazil’s problems as “airports, airports, airports". The $5.5billion President Lula this week promised to improve them will help, but FIFA needs to make sure the Brazilian government deliver.
To the north of Stratford International station sit 3,000 brand-new, unoccupied apartment homes across 91 acres: the Olympic Village. To the south sits a shiny shopping centre, a new Westfield, or Eastfield perhaps, waiting to open next year. It abuts another station, Stratford Regional, on the southern tip of the site, which is being expanded to process 125,000 people a day. Both stations will, in two years’ time, disgorge these kinds of numbers on to this island for four weeks of partying in the summer of 2012 for both the Olympics and Paralympics, all at the British Government’s expense. It will cost about £9 billion, more than three times the original figure.
The island, like the homes and the shopping centre, is not yet open for business. The Olympic Park site is pregnant with cranes, diggers – and promise. The language of promise is written in hyperbole and coat-hook statistics on which any builder here will happily hang his hi-vis jacket: £5 billion worth of engineering contracts; 120 miles of electrical cabling buried in underground tunnels; 4,000 trees being planted; 350,000 plants; 2,000 newts relocated; a quarter of a million loaves of bread needed over two weeks. It will take a miracle of baking coordination.
Russian Railways is building a rail line from Adler to Sochi Airport. The new intermodal line will ensure comfortable high-speed transport for guests and participants at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. The estimated capacity of the line will be more than 86,000 people per day, or up to 60% of all air passengers travelling to the Olympics. The line is scheduled to be launched in 2012.
Twelve Brazilian cities have been selected to host World Cup matches. These cities now face a daunting but exciting challenge: to seize this opportunity to boost urban transit systems in a meaningful and lasting way. World Cup transit investments — meant to help Brazilian cities manage the estimated 2.98 billion additional visitors that the Cup will generate — have the potential to improve quality of life, safety and accessibility in Brazilian cities long after the Cup is over.
The federal government has set aside R$7.68 billion (US$4.34 billion) for “urban mobility” infrastructure improvements in host cities; state and local governments have committed an additional R$3.8 billion (about US$2.15 billion), bringing the total to R$11.48 billion (US$6.48 billion). Private investments will increase this figure. Ideally, transit projects should be nearly complete by the Confederations Cup, which will Brazil will host in 2013 as a prelude to the World Cup.
But the social impact had been even greater, he said, as black and white fans packed into stadiums and fan parks together, 16 years after the first all-race elections ended white-minority rule.
"The social benefits are priceless. We have seen remarkable unity, patriotism and solidarity being displayed by South Africans, which has never been witnessed before," Zuma told an investment meeting.
He said that as the airport's name changed from the Johannesburg International Airport to the OR Tambo International Airport in 2006, "so did its form and size".
A transport action plan was developed in 2005 in preparation for the World Cup, as part of which R20bn was put into expanding airports countrywide.
"... Now we are seeing the results," said Zuma.
Turning to road transport, the minister said his department would have in place an inter-provincial and regional transport system operated by the recently appointed Operating Managing Entity (OME).
"The OME will facilitate the efficient and safe transport of general spectators to and from matches."
A major component of the entity would be 110 newly acquired 79-seater inter-city buses, specially procured by the government for the World Cup.
A first-class national integrated transport system using the newly acquired Auto Pax coach fleet integrated with the taxi industry had been created.
Now it is in a race against time to complete road, rail and transportation projects and is struggling to find enough suitable rooms to accommodate the homegrown fans and expected 450,000 visitors from overseas.
So much is at stake for the nation flying the flag as Africa's first to stage either a World Cup or an Olympics. Now that the building and refurbishment of the stadiums are complete, South Africa at last has something to brag about.
"If anyone asks what the World Cup has brought and what we are left with as infrastructure, it will be transport infrastructure, it will be the improved transport delivery in the country that will remain with us and be our way of life," he said. Ndebele made this assertion when interviewed on the SAfm Radio programme, the After Eight Debate, on the country's transport readiness for the World Cup.
Away from the main urban centres of Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg, fans could face a long night after evening games. As well as South Africa's main cities, organisers have signed deals to accommodate them in neighbouring countries such as Swaziland, Botswana and Mozambique. Some supporters will even stay on the holiday island of Mauritius.
The mass airlift will employ a shuttle system introduced on a smaller scale by Uefa to ferry Chelsea and Manchester United fans back from Moscow following the 2008 Champions League final.
World Cup organising committee chairman Danny Jordaan said that over 200 extra planes and more than 1,000 additional buses would be pressed into action. Supporters will funnel away from stadiums and be placed on the first available flight. Smaller hosts such as Polokwane and Nelspruit will be among the worst affected.
Government has bought at least 570 of the luxury buses and they will be managed by the Passenger Rail Management Association (PRMA) and Autopax, a company that is responsible for the Translux fleet.
Ndebele said the joint venture will not only allow fans to travel "in style" but will in the long run boost the country's transport system as the buses will be sold back to the private sector after the world cup.
The head of strategic and 2010 planning at the eThekwini municipality, Julie-May Ellingson, said there was still much to do. "Focus will now shift from infrastructural works to operational activities and post-2010 planning."
Steve Middelton, deputy chief of the unit, said security planning was virtually done.
"We are taking our strategies, analysing them and developing tactical plans for deployment. We also have to fine tune our tactical planning for the fan park, the beachfront, route protection, and the escorting of VIPs, teams and officials.
"Traffic and bylaw enforcement and crime prevention are ongoing," he said.
Addressing MPs during a portfolio committee meeting in Parliament yesterday, [
Transport director-general Mpumi] Mpofu admitted that the government had failed to "properly consult" with taxi operators before going ahead with plans for the multimillion-rand IRT project.
She said the "the real" consultation process would now begin.
Negotiations had already started between the taxi industry and the government through the National Joint Working Group, she said. The working group was launched by Transport Minister Sbu Ndebele last month to resolve issues related to the implementation of the IRT.
The "endemic" rate of deaths on the province's roads has prompted MEC for Transport and Public Works Robin Carlisle to embark on a campaign to halve the number of fatalities on the province's roads over the next five years.
Statistics from the Road Traffic Management Corporation indicate that the Western Cape has the country's third highest rate of motor accident deaths.
KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng are the only other provinces to have recorded more fatalities in the same eight-year period.
Soccer’s ruling body Fifa flagged transport as a major issue after the Confederations Cup tournament last month, which was seen as a dress rehearsal for the much bigger 2010 competition, the world’s most watched sports event.
There were serious difficulties with getting fans away from stadiums after matches in the eight-nation tournament.
Fifa also highlighted lack of accommodation and security in crime-plagued South Africa as issues to be solved before 2010.