OLYMPICS Athens putting finishing touches on electric tram line

Many had feared the project would not be completed for the Games.
ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- Once an embarrassing symbol of the city's struggle to get ready for the Olympics, an electric-powered tram line may emerge as a rare bright spot.
The tram is getting the finishing touches before it begins operation along the beach front, hopefully by July.
For years, Athens' main seaside boardwalk was a massive construction site and off limits to grumbling residents. Now, the new tram tracks run alongside freshly planted grass. The area looks greener and cleaner, and residents will soon be able to get to the city center far quicker than they would if they had to fight the traffic.
It wasn't always this way.
Before the March 7 elections, when the conservative New Democracy party ousted the Socialists, the company building the tram, Tram S.A., had different leadership.
The $380 million project was delayed so much the International Olympic Committee had concerns it would not be ready in time for the Aug. 13-29 games. It is needed to link the city center with the many seaside sports venues.
"It is a project that was very delayed," said the tram's new president, Angelos Laskaris. "They started it late."
Laskaris said his team made up for lost time by working with "crisis management." The transport minister, Michalis Liapis, makes personal visits to the sites every week.
"Everyone is working. Even the last worker is giving his best self," Laskaris said. "We multiplied the crews and we reinforced the quality control."
The new tram directors also had to calm residents. Opponents of the project filed lawsuits and staged marches at some construction sites, claiming it would limit access to the beach and degrade the shoreline.
"Even if it is delayed, the residents are not at fault. The residents should have a say and should be part of it," Laskaris said. "When you have a mass transport project pass through their front yard ... you have to convince them that this is for their benefit."
Two lines
The tram will have two lines.
One will run from the central Syndagma Square to the seaside shopping neighborhood of Glyfada, just past the Olympic sports complex at Hellenikon that includes baseball, softball and basketball preliminaries. The second will link Glyfada to the Peace and Friendship stadium, which will host the Olympic volleyball tournament.
Experts estimate 80,000 to 90,000 people will use it each day. But commuters and others will have to be persuaded to break their driving habits. Many residents have become accustomed to taking private cars or cramming into shared taxis rather than using the overburdened bus system.
An advertising campaign planned for June will encourage tram use. Three tram-themed playgrounds are planned for neighborhood children.