GBR HQ can be anywhere - as long as it's in the north

So says Transport for the North (TfN) in a new campaign backing four out of the six shortlisted locations - including York - which are in the North of England and are bidding to be the new home of Britain’s railways. 

The other three are Crewe, Doncaster and Newcastle-upon-Tyne, while the remaining two not in the north are Birmingham and Derby.

The public vote which will help decide on the location will go until August 15, with the Transport Secretary making the final decision later this year.  

TfN argues that the case for the North is strong:

*It is geographically placed at the heart of the GB Rail Network, and in close proximity to major hubs with the main North-South rail arteries of ECML and WCML passing through it.  

*It is already home to many rail businesses, and over the next two decades major projects such as HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail will be built in the North, making the region a railway powerhouse.  

*Its rail heritage is unrivalled, as the region is the birthplace of the country’s rail network, and basing GBR HQ here would be a kind of homecoming for the railway.  

* Basing the GBR HQ in the North will further help ‘Levelling Up’ the UK by bringing some high skill jobs and investment to the region as well as supporting many of those already here. 

Martin Tugwell, CEO of TfN, said:  “The new Great British Railways’ headquarters can be anywhere, as long as it’s here in the North. TfN will be making the case for it to be based here in the heart of the country over the coming weeks. 

“Our country’s national railway is over 200 years old, but few people know that our rail network was born here in the North of England with the very first railways and stations. By basing GBR here it will be a homecoming."  

North Yorkshire County Council leader Cllr Carl Les said:  "The benefits of the Integrated Rail Plan will be felt right across the North of England and to have the new home of Great British Railways in the region will help to achieve the government’s Levelling Up ambitions. 

 “York has an extensive rail heritage and the right skills and people to make GBR a success.

"York Central, the largest city centre brownfield site in England, presents a unique opportunity to create Britain’s biggest rail cluster and inspire the next generation of northern-based rail professionals.”

But South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard argued that Doncaster, as an archetypal railway city and the place that built the world-famous Flying Scotsman and the Mallard, was ideally placed to be the new home of Great British Railways