Concerns have been raised a new driverless train which will carry thousands of people won't be stopping inside Birmingham Airport.

The driverless trains, called automated people movers (AMP) by HS2, will transport passengers between the new HS2 Interchange Station, Birmingham Airport, the National Exhibition Centre and Birmingham International Railway Station. 

Marcus King, HS2's senior engagement and interface manager, recently provided an update on the APM to Solihull councillors.

"It's planned to carry 2,100 passengers per hour, each way," Mr King said. 

"There will be a service every three minutes and a six minute end-to-end journey time. 

But Cllr Richard Holt asked if it was still correct the APM was not going to stop inside Birmingham Airport building. 

"If it is raining and you have got your suitcases and you have to go out and join the APM it seems rather pathetic," he said.

Mr King said: "There is no change. 

"The airport had security concerns about that particular plan so it was decided the current outside airport terminal building would be the stop." 

Mr King then confirmed the current monorail, which links Birmingham International Rail Station and the airport, would be scrapped with the APM becoming the mass transit system replacement. 

Cllr Holt said it was "bizarre" and "inconsistent" as BHX currently allows the monorail to stop inside the airport but was not allowing the new APM. 

Cllr Hazel Dawkins then raised concerns in relation to accessibility to the airport for people with disabilities due to the new APM's stopping point. 

 "It would make common sense to keep the monorail, you will have that additional capacity – it seems bonkers to me (to close it)," she said.

Mr King said HS2 had committed to providing a covered walkway from the APM stop to the airport building but conceded: "I appreciate the current monorail goes straight in."

Cllr Andrew Burrow, chairman of the HS2 implementation advisory group, said: "I'm really worried about this now.

"Potentially you have got people coming up from London to fly out of Birmingham – this is odd."

Paul Tovey, Solihull Council officer, highlighted the council had considered the APM application through its planning committee.

"That would have been our opportunity to have raised this," he said.

Cllr Burrow said: "The planning committee is not somewhere really where you deliver change to plans that are being presented, it is either yes or no – I suspect this has gone down the cracks."

The chairman said he would talk with officers regarding the ways concerns could be raised further.

Discussions took place at the latest meeting of the advisory group held at the Civic Suite on January 30.