International Railroad Discussion > Rail station with no train puzzles World Cup fans

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/06/11/uk-brazil-worldcup-cuiaba-rail-idUKKBN0EM2G420140611

After weeks of feverish work outside Cuiaba's airport, the state governor showed up Wednesday to show off a gleaming new silver railway station two days before the remote Brazilian city hosts its first World Cup football match.

There was no train in sight, however, and the tracks ended abruptly in concrete barriers. Fans arriving by plane from Chile wondered about the building. "Maybe a bus station?" mused one.

Silval Barbosa, the governor of Mato Grosso state, told Reuters the 23 kilometres (15 miles) of light rail were never meant to be ready for the World Cup.

"We really wanted light rail and the World Cup allowed us to think this dream would come true," said Silas Augusto, who is coordinating a "fun zone" for arriving fans at the airport.

The rail project was not requested by FIFA, the world football governing body. And many World Cup visitors would probably not have used it to get around or go to the three matches at the brand new Pantanal arena.

"The line is 1.8 kilometres from the stadium," said Eduardo Gomez, a local magazine editor. "It is not a World Cup project."

Even if there was a train, all the operators would be on strike anyway. You think the Mundial is bad, wait two years for the summer Olympics.