Milan hit by rail strike in run-up to opening of Games

MILAN, Feb 2 : Travellers arriving in Milan on Monday for the Winter Olympics and Italian commuters faced disruption as workers from the local train operating company staged a one-day stoppage.

The strike hit Trenord services running from Milan's main Malpensa Airport to the city centre, as well as suburban lines and trains from nearby cities such as Bergamo and Brescia.

Milan, Italy's financial capital, is handling an influx of athletes, delegates and media representatives in time for the opening of the Milano Cortina Games on Friday.

The strike has been called by the regional branch of the ORSA Ferrovie union in support of a long-standing dispute over contract renewal and worker safety.

The local Olympic organising committee laid on a bus service to help serve the airport.

The impact of the strike was tempered by rules ensuring that services are guaranteed during the busiest times of the day.

"Maybe this week they (the strikers) can be heard. But for me, I got lucky because I got a train that's not in the strike," said Victor Avallone, a Brazilian tourist from Sao Paulo.

Transport is one of the big issues facing the Games which are co-hosted by Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, a town in the Dolomites, which does not have a direct rail link.

Events are spread over a number of other venues in the mountains in the north of the country.