Two companies shortlisted for HS2’s APM cable-pulled operating system

HS2 has shortlisted two companies to tender for its Automated People Mover (APM) contract to supply, operate and maintain the cable-pulled operating system for the 2.2km elevated transit system at Solihull’s Interchange Station

POMA and Doppelmayr, both well-known names to skiers for their cable-driven chair lifts and furniculars, have been invited to submit tenders.

HS2 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 drive system, in addition to the maintenance and operation of the system for a 25-year period.

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. Market engagement for the design and build contract began in spring 2024 and is ongoing.

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’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.”