Want to see your Olympic soccer match in time? You might want to travel the night before.
Hundreds of fans wanting to see New Zealand, Brazil, Belarus and Egypt were stranded in London or forced to sit on the train floor Sunday as Virgin Trains supplied only two morning London-to-Manchester services in time for the noon kickoff of the New Zealand-Egypt match in Manchester, 200 miles (320 kilometers) northwest of London.
Many fans said they were refused entry to the trains at stops north of London, while others successfully begged their way aboard and sat on the floor.
Virgin blamed the crush on Brazilian fans who arrived earlier than expected for their team's 3 p.m. kickoff versus Belarus. But the fans noted official Olympic advice urging everyone to arrive early.
