It was a photo finish for Line 4—one of the signature infrastructure projects of the 2016 Summer Olympics—designed to transport passengers between Ipanema beach and the Olympic Park and Village.

"To the relief of organizers, the government and the tens of thousands either working on the Games or planning to watch them, Rio finally began operating its new Olympic metro line at 6:07 a.m. on Monday," reports Dom Phillips.
The Summer Olympics open on Friday, so the Metro line opening could be described as just in time. " The new line, originally promised for 2014, had caused increasing nervousness as its opening was repeatedly postponed," writes Phillips. Just last month, the Rio state government was described as "scrambling" to finish the project—expected to be the most significant infrastructure legacy project of the games.
The article details more of the political debate surrounding this summer's Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, with the new metro line as a specific case study. Similar to points made by a feature article recently published in The Nation, Phillips notes that opposition to the new metro line as a benefit primarily to already-affluent communities.
FULL STORY: Rio’s long-delayed Olympic metro line opens in the nick of time

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

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Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
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Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
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MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
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