HS2 Ltd has invited two companies to tender for a major contract to supply, operate and maintain its elevated transit system at Solihull’s Interchange Station, following a shortlisting process.
The search for a contractor to supply, operate and maintain HS2’s Automated People Mover (APM) sees POMA S.A.S and Doppelmayr Cable Car UK Ltd called to submit tenders.
HS2 Ltd will award two contracts to the successful contractor to the collective value of around £269 million. Once selected, the contractor will be tasked with the design, supply and installation of the APM cable-pulled operating system, in addition to the maintenance and operation of the system for a 25-year period.
Transporting thousands of people every hour between Interchange Station, the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham International Railway Station, and Birmingham Airport, the Automated People Mover is pivotal to HS2’s operation.
It will provide a seamless link for regional, national and international passengers, running on an elevated 2.2-kilometre-long viaduct and crossing the West Coast Main Line, the NEC, Pendigo Lake and M42 Motorway.
Ailsa Waygood, HS2 Ltd’s project client for the APM and Interchange Station, said: “Designed to boost connectivity in the West Midlands, the APM is an important part of the HS2 programme – linking Interchange Station with several of the region’s most prominent transport hubs and leisure venues.
“It’s an exciting development as we invite the two shortlisted companies to progress to the formal tender stage, entering the next phase in turning our vision for the APM into reality.”
HS2 Ltd expects to award the operation and maintenance contract in mid 2026 and has also started the search for a supplier to design and build the APM infrastructure. Market engagement for the design and build contract began in spring 2024, and is ongoing.
As construction continues at pace between the West Midlands and London, HS2 now supports more than 31,000 jobs. When complete, HS2 services will run between London and the West Midlands on a dedicated high-speed line before reaching destinations further north via the existing West Coast Main Line.
Britain’s new high-speed railway will provide significantly more efficient and faster journeys, while crucially freeing up space on the most congested parts of the West Coast Main Line, allowing more local and freight trains to operate.
