A shortlist has been revealed of the two bidders vying to win a £269 million contract on high-speed rail project HS2.
French outfit Poma and the º£½ÇÊÓƵ arm of Austrian group Doppelmayr have been invited to tender for the supply, operation and maintenance of a new people mover system at the Interchange station in Solihull.
HS2 will award two contracts to the winner covering the design, supply and installation of the system and then its maintenance and operation for 25 years.
The people mover will be a driverless, elevated transit system spanning around 1.2 miles.
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It will connect Interchange station, next to the M42, with the NEC, Birmingham International railway station and the airport, built on a viaduct crossing the West Coast Main Line, M42 and Pendigo Lake.
It will be capable of carrying up to 2,100 passengers per hour in each direction, with the total journey lasting around six minutes.
Ailsa Waygood, HS2 project client for the people mover and Interchange station, said: "Designed to boost connectivity in the West Midlands, the people mover is an important part of the HS2 programme.
"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 into reality."
The operation and maintenance contract is due to be awarded in mid-2026.
Separately, HS2 has also started the search for a supplier to design and build the people mover's infrastructure, having commenced market engagement a year ago.
The HS2 line will have four new stations at Euston and Old Oak Common in London, Interchange in Solihull and Curzon Street in Birmingham city centre. It is due to be operational by 2033 at the latest.
Later phases of the project, connecting the new line with the East Midlands, North West and Yorkshire were scrapped by the previous government.
