The joint venture will be responsible for conducting constructability reviews, estimating and contract packaging and design, as well as specification reviews during the project’s first phase. It will also provide full construction management services during phase two.

The 28.5km line will connect North Carolina Central University in Durham with UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill, serving 18 stations - nine with park-and-ride facilities - and running on a dedicated alignment. Services will operate at 10-minute headways in the peak and every 20 minutes at other times.

The line is forecast to carry 26,000 passengers a day and is set to link three universities, three medical facilities and three of the state’s top 10 employers. Between 2018 and 2057, GoTriangle estimates that the project could generate $US 3.2bn in property value and $US 1.4bn in tax revenue.