The government's HS2 delivery body has began the search for the construction team that will take the new Curzon Street station from concept to reality.

The proposed designs, by WSP, working with Grimshaw Architects and Glenn Howells, were unveiled last month.

Separate contractors, appointed last year, will build the tunnels and viaducts that will carry the new 360km/h trains into the centre of Birmingham and to the Interchange station near Solihull, the NEC and Birmingham Airport.

For Curzon Street, bidders are expected to be shortlisted in the spring, with contracts awarded in 2020. Separate construction contracts for Birmingham Interchange will follow next year.

At the peak of construction, more than 30,000 jobs are expected to be supported by the project nationally, with Birmingham also home to the National College for High Speed Rail and the HS2 rolling stock depot and national control centre at Washwood Heath. More than 7,000 jobs are already supported by the project, both directly and across the U.K.-wide supply chain.

HS2 services are due to begin from Birmingham in 2026.