York is often referred to as chocolate city, railway city, bicycle city or - more recently - science city.

Many national companies have their headquarters in York, such as Great North Eastern Railway, CGU and the Shepherd Building Group.

The quality of the workforce, and quality of life are the main reasons why companies as diverse as Thrall Europa and CPP Card Protection Plan set up major new operations in York.

These factors have turned up trumps because York is not able to offer cash incentives wrapped up as regional grants to inward investors.

York is also a centre of bioscience excellence. York has adopted a cluster approach to bioscience since 1994 with the launch of Bioscience York, now part of the Science City York initiative which is set to create 1,600 jobs by 2002 by encouraging the development of three inter-related clusters: Bioscience and Healthcare (through Bioscience York), Information and Communication Technology and Heritage and Arts Technology.

With particular expertise in food science, plant biotech, health science and drug development, York has over 2,000 lifescientists and more than 40 bioscience companies.

Bioscience York is a public/private sector collaboration which represents more than 2000 life scientists in the York area. Jointly managed by the University of York and the City of York Council, core partners include Nestl Research & Development, Smith & Nephew Group Research Centre, and the Central Science Laboratory.

Meanwhile, on October 30, the City of York is set to host a leading edge conference and exhibition to review the latest and future developments in technology with special needs applications. Organised by the Electronics Centre at the University of York with support from Ensemble Research, Medilink and Science City York, the event, Special Needs Technology 2000, is expected to attract delegates from across the UK and Europe.

Northern Spirit

Railway operator Northern Spirit has come runner-up in a performance league published by the Central Rail Users Consultative Committee Report.

Nigel Patterson, trading director of Northern Spirit, said: "This is excellent news to be placed so high, considering the league contains 25 rail companies.

"Nevertheless, we are not complacent and need to lease more coaches to reduce overcrowding, and we only have four more years in which to do it.

"Everyone needs to be aware of the lack of historic investment in the former British Rail and the fundamental problem of holding investment back by successive governments."

Mr Patterson used to travel 50,000 miles a year by car as chief operating operator with motorway service station operator Welcome Break.

The man, whose current mission is to seek an extension of the seven-year franchising agreement in order to make "a quantum leap for a substantial capital investment," still commutes by car from Blackpool to York on a weekly basis. "However, I mix and match with train and car - whichever is more convenient or quicker."

He wants Northern Spirit to be remembered as a company providing fast, efficient customer-reliable railway. "That's our mission yesterday, today and tomorrow," he said.

Major commitments by Northern Spirit include new electric trains on the Leeds North-West services - Leeds-Bradford-Ilkley-Skipton corridor - which will come into service from December, 2000.

He said: "We are investing £120 million in 16 three-car electric trains, built by Siemens near Madrid, Spain. These are the same class hi-tech trains as used by the Heathrow Express."

Northern Spirit has a £308 million turnover, runs on 1,275 miles of track, carrying 100,000 passengers per day. It has 2,300 employees in Yorkshire, 400 of whom are based at York. Prior to privatisation in 1996, the company was known as Regional Railways North-East.

GNER

Great North Eastern Railway marked its third birthday by posting a record 21 per cent passenger growth. The initial forecast was for an 18.5 per cent increase in passenger numbers over the whole seven years of its current franchise - originally seen as an ambitious target within the rail industry.

In three years GNER, which has 300 employees in York, has been responsible for an investment programme of more than £40 million to date.

GNER has also highlighted an improvement in punctuality and reliability in the latest Central Rail Users Consultative Committee Report. A GNER spokesman said: "We have nine out of ten trains arriving on time, and 99.2 per cent for reliability. However, we still have some way to go."

Railtrack

Years of under-investment and minimal maintenance on Britain's railway tracks have been reversed, according to Nicholas Pollard, director of York-based Railtrack London North Eastern.

Railtrack is the national track, signalling and infrastructure company, which was privatised in May 1996. The London North Eastern zone has some 1,600 employees, around 300 of whom are based in York.

The city's station is undergoing a £1.5 million regeneration programme, while Leeds City Station is being transformed as part of the £165 million Leeds 1st project.

Meanwhile, in order to ease bottlenecks, Railtrack is considering reopening 200 miles of secondary or closed routes to provide heavy duty freight expressways open 24 hours a day. Currently, 250 freight trains and 1,900 passenger trains run along its tracks daily, carrying 200,000 passengers.

CEDG Ltd

The York-based multi-disciplinary specialist Railway Engineering design consultancy has extensive civil, permanent way, signal, electrical and mechanical engineering experience in the UK rail industry.

The company, which has 2,000 employees, was formerly one of British Rail's in-house design consultancies. CEDG, acquired by British Steel in September 1995, also has offices in London, Birmingham and Manchester.

It was commissioned to assist in the preparation of estimates for budget approval of the Rawcliffe Bar Park and Ride - a new £2.1 million park and ride facility for City of York Council.

A CEDG spokeswoman said: "We have the largest Permanent Way design office in the UK.

"CEDG was responsible for the alignment and level schemes for platform works for the European Passenger Service train operation on the East and most of the West Coast Main Lines."

Project profiles include the diversion of the East Coast Main Line around the Selby coalfield, which is the longest section of 200 kmph new railway built in the UK this century. CEDG, based at Toft Green, carried out the feasibility study, obtained Parliamentary Powers, and produced the detailed design and supervised the construction of this "prestigious project."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.