THE long-awaited £190m supertram system linking Fareham, Gosport and Portsmouth has moved a stage nearer but it will be some time before the project is operational.
Formal bids to build and run the light tram system have been returned to the South Hampshire Rapid Transit (SHRT1) project team.
South Hampshire Supertram Ltd - comprising Bouygues, Mowlem, Siemens and Stagecoach - and SMART, comprising Mitsubishi, Obayashi, Vinci, Norwest Holst and Serco, submitted their bids this month.
The SHRT1 team will now assess the detailed bids to design, build, maintain, operate and part-finance the scheme.
The assessment of bids will extend into the new year, with the aim of confirming whether both can go forward to the next stage. The successful bidder will be announced in the autumn.
Hampshire County Council's executive member for environment, Councillor Keith Estlin, said: "It will take us some time to asses these bids in more detail, but we're pleased that the SMART and South Hampshire Supertram consortia have underlined their interest in this important project."
The scheme also includes a tunnel being constructed under Portsmouth Harbour.
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