UNITED States Federal Transit Administrator Mr Peter Rogoff and North Carolina governor Mr Patrick McCrory attended a groundbreaking ceremony in Charlotte on July 18 to mark the start of construction on the city's light rail Lynx Blue Line extension.

BRATISLAVA Transport signed a €39m contract with Škoda Transportation on July 18 for a fleet of 15 low-floor 30T LRVs, which will enter service on the metre-gauge network in the Slovak capital in 2015.

UTRECHT Regional Council (BRU) has issued a tender notice for a contract to supply 27 low-floor LRVs for the 7.5km Uithof Line, which will link Utrecht Central station with the Uithof universary campus on the eastern side of the city.

THE Norwegian city of Bergen has awarded Stadler a contract worth more than €100m to supply and maintain eight additional Variobahn low-floor LRVs and maintain the existing fleet of 20 vehicles until 2026.

WATERLOO (Ontario) Regional Council has formally approved an agreement in coordination with Greater Toronto and Hamilton transit authority Metrolinx to acquire 14 low-floor LRVs from Bombardier.

THE governor of Maryland Mr Martin O'Malley announced on July 8 that the state will commit $US 280m for design work and land acquisition on the Washington DC Purple Line LRT project as part of a $US 650m transport funding package for Prince George's County.

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THE first light rail line was officially opened on July 4 in Constantine, Algeria's third largest city with a population of around 900,000. Commercial services were due to begin on July 5.

WARSAW Tramways invites bids by July 22 for a fleet of 30 low-floor unidirectional LRVs, with ac traction equipment and microprocessor control.

BERGEN Light Rail Development & Construction has awarded Veidekke Entreprenor, Norway, a Krone 634m ($US 103.9m) contract to construct a 2.7km section of the third construction phase of Bergen's light rail project from Lagunen to Sandslivegen .