USA: The LYNX Blue Line in Charlotte almost doubled in length on March 16 with the inauguration of a 15 km extension from 7th Street to UNC Charlotte Main.
The northwestern extension adds 11 stops and includes a 300 m tunnel. The Blue Line is now 31·1 km long, and is operated with a fleet of 42 Siemens S70 light rail vehicles.
Construction of the extension began in 2013 and cost $1·16bn. The Federal Transit Administration provided $580m from its New Starts programme. A further $299m came from the North Carolina Department of Transportation and $281m was provided by Federal Transit Administration.
