HS2 invites tenders for £269m transit system contracts

HS2 has invited two companies to tender a £269m contract to supply, operate and maintain its elevated transit system at Solihull’s Interchange Station.

POMA S.A.S and Doppelmayr Cable Car UK have been called to submit tenders for the Automated People Mover (APM), which will transport thousands of people every hour between Interchange Station, the NEC, Birmingham International Railway Station, and Birmingham Airport.

Two contracts, with a combined value of around £269m, are available. Once selected, the contractor will design, supply, and install the APM cable-pulled operating system and maintain and operate it for 25 years.

It will provide a link for passengers running on an elevated 2.2-kilometre-long viaduct and crossing the West Coast Main Line, the NEC, Pendigo Lake and the M42 Motorway.

HS2 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.

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.”