Relax - Olympics: London's Tube disrupted on first day of athletics

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LONDON - Signal failures caused severe delays on a key London Underground line connecting the city centre with the Olympic Park, transport chiefs said on Friday, the first day of athletics at the Games.

The Central line was partly suspended in east London - home to the Olympic Stadium - for more than an hour at the height of the morning rush hour, on what is is expected to be the busiest day so far.

Severe delays continued across the whole the line, which runs east to west across London and is one of the busiest on the network.

Some 200,000 spectators and workers were expected at the Olympic Park on the first day of track and field events.

Transport for London (TfL), the authority that runs the Underground, said the problems were caused by a failure in its signalling system.

"The suspension has been lifted," a TfL spokesman said. "All other lines were running a good service and we were able to get spectators to the Olympic Park in time for the start of today's events.

"We also provided extra buses to the Olympic Park."

The high-speed Javelin train connecting the venue with central London was packed with spectators trying to get around the Central line delays.

TfL had warned that the public transport system would be exceptionally busy in east London on Friday, urging visitors to explore the rest of the capital.

"This Friday and Saturday will be the busiest days of the Games so far as the Olympic Stadium opens its doors and sporting events continue to take place across the capital," London's Transport Commissioner Peter Hendy said.

"London has a rich and vast array of other attractions to offer during the Games, so I encourage everyone to enjoy the theatres, restaurants, shops (and) free concerts."

British Prime Minister David Cameron has also urged visitors to return to central London, after many businesses complained that fears of Olympic transport chaos were keeping tourists away.

People were advised before the Games to stay away from the city centre to ease pressure on the transport system, but with parts of the capital resembling a ghost town, the premier declared the centre "open for business" on Thursday.

"People said that London wouldn't cope, the traffic would grind to a halt, the capital city wouldn't manage - that hasn't been the case," he told Sky News television.

Despite Friday's delays and a spate of other disruptions over the last couple of weeks, fears of mass traffic chaos have so far largely failed to materialise.

The first track and field medals go up for grabs on Friday, while American swimming superstar Michael Phelps is chasing his third gold of the Games.

Olympics: London's Tube disrupted on first day of athletics

AFP | Fri, Aug 3 2012

The Javelin train was packed with spectators trying to get around the Central line delays.

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