Getting ready for the show – Sochi 2014 sites underway

In six years Russia will host its first ever Winter Olympics. Preparations at the Black Sea resort of Sochi are in full swing.

The 2014 Winter Olympics will be held in both the city of Sochi and the mountains one hour’s drive away. While the coastal projects are still mostly on paper, the infrastructure is almost complete.

The first place in need of attention is Sochi airport. Its current airport is outdated, so an upgraded terminal building is being built next to it, and is due to be open to passengers in a few months time. The new terminal will be able to accommodate up to 2500 passengers an hour.

Those afraid of flying, or simply want to take the scenic route, can arrive at the Olympic destination by train. Russian railways believe most people will arrive by train before, during and after the 2014 Olympics.

“Russian Railways are playing a major role in preparing Sochi for the Olympic Games. We are improving access to Adler and Sochi for both passenger and freight trains,” said Nikolay Esaulenko, the head of North Caucasus railways. “We are also building a new track that will go all the way to the mountains. That railway will be run alongside the highway. We are also modernising stations for people with disabilities.”

The Alpine sports venues are located about an hour from the centre of Sochi around Krasnaya Polyana. At the moment they are linked by a single two-lane road with several tunnels, but soon a super highway will cut the journey time and the railway will take the strain.

Despite the financial crash, works at the Olympic sites are going on as planned and some are even ahead of schedule.

Many distribution centres from where the construction companies will get their building materials from are being constructed in Sochi currently.