42 locations in the running to be GBR’s HQ

Forty-two towns and cities from across the UK have applied to become the new home of Great British Railways.

Bids were invited by the Government in February from locations outside of London and with strong historical links to the railway.

A shortlist will now be drawn up before being published in May, ahead of the public being given an opportunity to vote online. A winner is expected to be announced this summer. 

Given the selection criteria to be well-connected, to be steeped in railway heritage, and to support the Government’s levelling-up agenda, high-profile bids have unsurprisingly been received by renowned railway locations including Crewe, York, Swindon, Darlington and Derby. 

But there also several far less obvious candidates to be considered, including Worcester, Barrow in Furness, Wellingborough, Heywood and Nuneaton.

Milton Keynes, where the HQ for Network Rail is currently located, is also in the running, while non-English bids were received from Motherwell, Perth, Edinburgh, Fife and Dundee. 

To read the full story, see RAIL 954.