Olympic delay

LONDON (AP):

Long lines formed yesterday and travellers were delayed at St Pancras, the central London rail station where reporters, Olympic workers and fans with tickets depart for the Olympic Park in east London.

The delays caused two AP reporters and scores of other travelers to take at least 50 minutes to make the six-to-seven-minute ride out to the Olympic Stadium. Other riders complained on the social networking site Twitter about delays up to two hours, and barricades were put up to control the crowds at the train station.

Hours later, officials acknowledged that delays up to an hour were continuing Tuesday night, blaming signal problems.

Three days before the Olympics officially begin, London's extensive subway and train system is facing a major test, with officials expecting up to three million more journeys a day during the games.

A spokeswoman for Southeastern, the company that operates the route, said there were problems outside London and further down the track that affected the new high-speed "Javelin" train. The train left nearly an hour after its departure time.

London transport officials already conceded earlier yesterday that Olympic fans and millions of working Londoners, including Prime Minister David Cameron, will bustle and battle to get about.