YORK Central MP Rachael Maskell is inviting children to draw a 'train of the future' as voting to decide where the HQ of Great British Railways will be hots up.

York is one of six cities which has been put forward to a public vote as ministers weigh up the best location for the new rail body, which is being described by the Department for Transport as ‘the railway’s new guiding mind’ and ‘the heart of the rail network’.

Ms Maskell says she is keen to 'engage all areas of the city' in the campaign to bring the rail HQ here - and says getting children to think about the future of the railways is one way of involving them.

She said: "Bringing GBR HQ to York would be an incredible opportunity to create high paying, stable jobs for our children's futures. That's why we're so excited to get children and families involved in this campaign."

York Press: Transport Secretaryb Grant Shapps, left, and Michael Portillo officially launching the search for a home for GBR on Saturday

The MP is asking children and families across the city to draw a picture of how they think a train of the future might look.

They can then submit these either by emailing a photograph of their drawing to rachael.maskell.mp@parliament.uk - or by posting their photo on social media using the hashtag #Yes2York.

The winners will have their drawings printed in The Press - and presented to ministers when they visit next month.

York is one of just six cities to have got through to the final vote, out of the 42 which originally put their names forward. The others are Birmingham, Crewe, Derby, Doncaster and Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

The public vote is being held up to August 15. The Transport Secretary will then make a final decision - with the public vote one of the factors taken into account.

Leaders from across the city, including council boss Keith Aspden, are urging local people to get involved and vote #Yes2York.

York Press: The Press supports York's bid to be home to Great British Railways

When it launched York's bid, the city council detailed all the reasons why York would make the best home for the new rail body.

These included:

- nearly 700 of the country’s most deprived communities are within an hour of York. A globally competitive York hub can be a key driver in transforming their futures.

- bringing GBR to York would inspire the next generation of northern-based rail professionals, with school trips and programmes supported by the Railway Museum and the surrounding rail industry.

- York is ideally placed to achieve the government’s Levelling Up ambitions

- York Central presents a unique opportunity to create Britain’s biggest rail cluster.

The Press has thrown its weight behind the campaign. Press editor Nigel Burton said: “York’s historic ties to the railways and its status as the home of the National Railway Museum makes the city the obvious place for the headquarters of Great British Railways. We would urge everyone to support the campaign to bring the HQ to what should be its rightful home.”

You can vote for York to be the home of GBR at york.gov.uk/DestinationGBR