A TOTAL of 42 English and Scottish locations are competing to be the new headquarters of Great British Railways. Bids were invited in February from towns, cities and regions with good connections and strong historical links with the railway.
Besides some of the more obvious railway towns and cities such as Crewe, Derby and Doncaster, bids were received from locations as diverse as Camborne (Cornwall), Barrow-in-Furness, Perth and Tonbridge (Kent).
A shortlist will be published in May after the expressions of interest have been reviewed and assessed by the Great British Railways Transition Team, which is led by Network Rail chief executive Andrew Haines.
GBRTT says an online public vote will take place to help identify the new ‘home’ for GBR, with the winner being revealed in the summer. However, many in the industry are sceptical about the process, believing it could be more for appearances and that a decision on the location of GBR’s new base has already been made.