Six towns have been announced as the shortlist to become the home of Great British Railways (GBR) with Swindon missing out.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has today announced that Birmingham, Crewe, Derby, Doncaster, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and York will compete for the honour of being crowned the home of Britain’s railways following a competition that drew applications from 42 towns and cities.
The decision will now go to a public vote where people can choose the town or city they think makes the best case to operate the rail headquarters.
The central headquarters will be the heart of the rail network and will provide strategic direction for the running of GBR, as well as bringing a number of highly skilled jobs to the area.
Thanks for all the support given to the bid. I am extremely disappointed by this but @JustinTomlinson and I will continue to push for Swindon to be one of GBR’s regional HQs #swindon #greatwesternrailway #brunel https://t.co/qSIQ70DVsI
— Robert Buckland (@RobertBuckland) July 5, 2022
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.”
