U.K. RAIL SYSTEM SEEKS BIDS FOR NEARLY 300 VT UNITS

         HS2, the U.K.'s high-speed rail network, has launched a search for contractors to design, deliver and maintain almost 300 vertical-transportation (VT) units for four major new stations, the system announced on April 22. The contracts, valued at up to GBP465 million (US$574.5 million), call for about 168 elevators and 128 escalators to be installed in the new stations in London and Birmingham, which will serve hundreds of thousands of passengers daily. The new stations will be built to the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method Excellent, which judges sustainable lifetime performance, and are designed to be zero-carbon facilities. Energy-efficient elevators and escalators will play a key role in achieving the standard. The contracts will be divided into separate packages for elevators and escalators, set up to allow for potential changes in the number of units ordered as station designs are finalized. Contracts, expected to be awarded in 2021, will include maintenance for 20 years.