Six towns and cities have made the shortlist to have the headquarters of the new body that will run the UK’s railways.
Birmingham, Crewe, Derby, Doncaster, Newcastle and York have been shortlisted from an original 42 towns and cities that applied for the role. A public vote will now help determine which of the areas is chosen for the role that would bring hundreds of jobs and a unique opportunity to have a greater say in the future of the railways.
Newcastle’s bid used the city’s role as the area that gave birth to the railways almost 200 years ago, with the Stephenson Quarter – where the Robert Stephenson & Co. Locomotive Works was established in 1823 as the first manufacturing facility of its kind in the world – one of the possible locations, while York has also highlighted its key role in the development of the rail network..
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Crewe’s bid highlights its historically significant railway station, which dates back to 1837, while Doncaster has highlighted its historic links with the railways dating back to the 1850s, the birthplace of the Mallard and Flying Scotsman and its central position on the East Coast Main Line.
Derby's bid cited its "existing links to the rail industry – past and present – and its large and diverse pool of rail expertise" while Birmingham has also highlighted its railway heritage.
Announcing the shortlist, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “Our world-leading railways have served this country well for 200 years and this is a huge step in the reforms, which will shape our network for the next 200.
“Great British Railways will create a truly sustainable, modern and fair railway network for passengers and freight customers. I’m calling on people across the country to play a key part in this once-in-a-generation reform and vote for the new home of our railways.”
The creation of Great British Railways was announced last year as part of reforms of the rail system that aim to avoid the current fragmentation in the system.
The creation of GBR was included in the Queen’s Speech in May. It is hoped the organisation will simplify the rail network and improve services for passengers by absorbing the state-owned infrastructure management company Network Rail and taking on many functions from the DfT.
GBR will issue passenger service contracts to private companies to run trains.
The “central headquarters” will provide strategic direction for the running of GBR, and bring “highly skilled jobs to the area”, the DfT said. There will also be “regional headquarters across the country”.
Forty-two towns and cities entered bids to host GBR. Applications were measured against six key criteria, which were: alignment to levelling up objectives, connected and easy to get to, opportunities for GBR, railway heritage and links to the network, value for money and public support.
